The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust is seeking an experienced and enthusiastic Project Archivist to join our Collections team on a 12-month fixed-term contract. The Archives Revealed programme is funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, the Pilgrim Trust, the Wolfson Foundation and The National Archives. This is an exciting opportunity to work with the Abd'Elkader Farrah Design Archive, a rare and internationally significant collection documenting the work of one of the twentieth century's most innovative scenographers. The successful candidate will lead a major cataloguing and access programme, helping to make this important archive more discoverable, accessible and meaningful for researchers, creative practitioners and communities. Reporting to the Collections Manager, you will play a central role in the management, preservation and interpretation of the Farrah Design Archive. You will lead the arrangement and cataloguing of the collection, develop descriptive frameworks and metadata, support preservation activity, and contribute to a future public display of selected material. You will also work closely with colleagues, researchers, volunteers, academics and community partners, building productive relationships and ensuring stakeholders remain informed and engaged throughout the project. As part of the Trust's interdisciplinary collections team, you will contribute to the ongoing development of archival practice, helping to deliver sustainable, inclusive and user-focused approaches to collections management, access and engagement. You will be a qualified archivist, or possess equivalent professional experience, with a proven track record of cataloguing and managing archive collections in a heritage, cultural, academic or similar environment. Experience with theatre, performance or design archives, digital preservation workflows, public engagement, exhibitions, and innovative technologies within archive settings would be advantageous. You will be a key part Proven experience working as an archivist or cataloguer within a heritage, cultural, academic or similar environment. Arrange and describe archival collections to recognised standards, ensuring structure, scope and relationships are clearly defined. Closing date is midnight on Sunday 15 November 2026. The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust is committed to promoting equality of opportunity and building a diverse and representative workforce.Job Summary
Job Description
Job Requirements
Experience cataloguing theatre, performance or design archives.
Strong understanding of archival theory, cataloguing standards (including ISAD(G), ISAAR(CPF)) and inclusive description practice.
Experience arranging and describing complex, mixed media collections, including visual, design or performance related archives.
Ability to manage cataloguing projects from initiation to completion, including planning, documentation, risk management and reporting.
Experience working with collection management systems (preferably QI CMS or equivalent).
Understanding of digital preservation principles and workflows, including pre ingest processes and metadata creation.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, able to translate complex archival information into accessible content for diverse audiences.
Strong organisational skills, with the ability Job Responsibilities
Lead the cataloguing of the Farrah Design Archive.
Maintain accurate documentation, project plans, risk registers and progress reports.
Develop consistent descriptive frameworks, titles, scope and content fields, and metadata aligned with SBT standards and national guidance.
Conduct box listing, sorting and arrangement to understand collection structure and inform cataloguing methodology.
Apply inclusive archival practice, ensuring descriptions avoid harmful terminology and support diverse user needs.
Work with Collections Manager and Collections Care Officer to improve physical storage and packaging, including repackaging fragile materials and advising on environmental conditions.
Create and maintain digital surrogates and metadata to support future ingest into digital preservation systems.
Ensure cataloguing outputs are discoveraUseful Links
How to Apply
If you would like to know more and to apply please go to our jobs website: https://shakespearebtrust.jobs.people-first.com/jobs/search