Archivist at OneRen

Working Hours: Full time, 35 hours per week 
Contract: Permanent 
Salary:£41,080.70 – £43,161.20 per annum (hourly rate of pay £22.51 – £23.65) 
Location: Renfrewshire
Closing date: 21/06/2026

About the Role

OneRen are passionate about the part they play in improving life-long physical and mental health in every one of our communities. Their trust provides a range of affordable, accessible and ambitious services that are open to all and that improve personal, social and economic outcomes. Their goal is to improve the people of Renfrewshire’s health and wellbeing by working in partnership to design and deliver a range of life-enhancing and accessible cultural, leisure and sporting opportunities that meet local needs and improve life chances across the population.

They are reimagining Renfrewshire’s archives as a living public resource at the heart of the transformed Paisley Museum and the area’s cultural regeneration programme. Currently, an exciting turning point in the story of our civic collections. By the end of 2026, the archive service will relocate to a new public space within the transformed Paisley Museum, integrated with the museums service.

They are seeking an experienced professional archivist with the vision, confidence and creative appetite to help shape and lead this next phase. This role is central to our ambition to bring archives and museums closer together – combining local authority accountability and statutory responsibilities with collaborative, community-led storytelling

Role Purpose

A professionally qualified Archivist with experience of leading or developing archive services, and a strong commitment to public engagement, inclusion, and collaboration. The ideal candidate will bring vision, confidence, and creativity, with the ability to balance strategic leadership with operational delivery. They will be a strong advocate for archives, comfortable working across teams and with partners to unlock new stories, broaden access and increase the impact of the collections.

Key Responsibilities

Service Leadership, Development and Innovation

• Lead the development and delivery of a responsive archive service, shaping new approaches to access, interpretation and engagement, while ensuring high standards of customer care.
• Contribute to, and oversee, an evolving programme of workshops, engagement activities and digital access initiatives that broaden use, participation and relevance.
• Work collaboratively and flexibly with the Learning Team to plan, deliver and evaluate learning activities that build enquiry, communication, collaboration and creative storytelling skills.
• Ensure public programmes and resources are appropriately adapted for diverse audiences, including schools, families, community partners and wellbeing or reminiscence groups, informed by feedback and audience data.
• Champion the integration of the archive and museum service, promoting its relevance, impact and value through collaborative programming, partnerships and public-facing activity.

Collections Management, Care and Professional Standards

• Oversee the management, documentation and preservation of archive collections across service venues, ensuring compliance with recognised professional and organisational standards.
• Lead archival accessioning, cataloguing and arrangement, ensuring records are accurate, accessible and maintained within the collections management system.
• Scope, implement and maintain a digital asset management (DAM) system to manage digital collections, images and assets across the archive and wider museum service, supporting appropriate long-term digital preservation and access.
• Ensure environmental conditions, storage methods and preservation requirements meet appropriate standards across archive facilities, implementing preventative conservation measures as required.
• Ensure archive services comply with all relevant legislation, including data protection, copyright and freedom of information legislation.

Team Leadership and Professional Practice

• Lead and support a team of Heritage Researchers and Archive Assistants through effective supervision, work allocation and performance management, fostering a shared culture of learning, professional curiosity, reflective practice and continuous improvement.
• Provide professional guidance, training and support to staff and volunteers, ensuring consistent and safe working practices across the archive service.

Planning, Policy & Accreditation Readiness

• Lead the planning, review and development of archive policies, procedures and service strategies to support continuous improvement and achievement of Archive Service Accreditation.
• Contribute to the development of functional strategies for the wider museum service, support the implementation of agreed strategic directions, and deliver relevant actions within the archive service.
• Support the development and delivery of archive-related projects, including scheduling, resource planning and the identification and management of risks or challenges.
• Identify and apply for external funding streams to support archive-related development and delivery.
• Work with Business Development and wider OneRen teams to identify and implement commercial revenue opportunities linked to archive services and resources, supporting sustainable growth of the archive service.

Partnerships, Engagement and Sector Collaboration

• Build and maintain productive relationships with community groups, researchers, local history societies and partner organisations to enhance access, collections development and engagement.
• Act as an advocate for archive collections and professional archival practice within partnership settings, supporting greater visibility, understanding and use of archives across communities and the museum service.
• Work collaboratively with museum colleagues, contractors and external specialists to support exhibitions, displays, digitisation and collection-based initiatives.

Person Specification

Essential

Education

• VQ Level 4 Degree in Archives & Records Management or equivalent.
• Evidence of continuing professional development.

Relevant experience

• Experience of leading an archive or record management service.
• Experience managing archival collections within a museum, archive or heritage environment.
• Experience of cataloguing, documentation and use of archive standards.
• Experience delivering research, enquiry or public access services.

Special knowledge & skills

• Knowledge of archive care, preservation and environmental monitoring.
• Knowledge of collections management systems and digital cataloguing tools.
• Strong organisational, planning and problem solving skills.
• Ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences and stakeholders.

Personal features/qualities

• Attention to detail and commitment to accuracy.
• Ability to manage priorities and meet deadlines.
• Ability to work both independently and as part of a team.
• Positive and proactive approach to service delivery.

Management competences

• Ability to lead and develop a small team.
• Ability to plan workloads and evaluate performance.

Other

• Commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion.

Desirable

Education

• SVQ Level 5 Professional qualification (Postgraduate diploma/MA) in Archives & Records Management or equivalent.
  • Additional qualification in museum studies, heritage management or related discipline.

Relevant experience

• Experience in project management or contributing to service development.
• Experience working with digital access, digitisation or born digital records.
• Experience in working with collections management software.
• Experience in working with a DAM system.
• Experience delivering community or outreach activity.

Special knowledge & skills

• Knowledge of local Renfrewshire history or community heritage contexts.
• Understanding of funding opportunities or partnership-led project work.
• Awareness of sector trends, Accreditation standards and best practice.
• Demonstrable knowledge of best practice in the long‑term care and use of digital assets.

Personal features/qualities

• Interest in supporting public access to heritage collections.
• Interest in the role of archives in community engagement.

Management competences

• Experience contributing strategic or forward planning.

How to Apply

Apply on the OneRen Website and you can also download the full job overview, person spec and the recruitment pack.

OneRen ask all candidates to complete assessments and application materials independently, without the use of AI tools (e.g. ChatGPT or similar), unless otherwise stated.
This ensures a fair and consistent assessment of individual skills, experience, and capabilities.

If you’d like to find out more about the role, please contact Sean Kelly, Collections and Conservation Manager, for an informal discussion on Sean.Kelly@renfrewshire.gov.uk