Archives Outreach Project Officer

Essex is a diverse county with some of the highest levels of deprivation in the country through to highly affluent communities, which gives us a wide variance in life expectancy and quality. Culture and Green Spaces will deliver exceptional customer experiences, demonstrating the benefit of Essex's strategic location, with the objective of developing a financially sustainable operation.

Working within the Essex Record Office (ERO), the postholder will be responsible for managing the development phase of a project called 'Open the Box: Connecting communities through archives'. The work will involve undertaking the tasks necessary to complete a second-round application to the National Lottery Heritage Fund, including the development of an Activity Plan for the Delivery Phase of the project.

'Open the Box: Connecting communities through archives' is made possible with The National Lottery Heritage Fund. Thanks to Lottery players, we will be able to engage a wider range of people with archives preserved at the ERO. We will work with communities in target locations and organisations working with under-represented groups to raise awareness of archives, re-interpret collections of relevance to them, and start a dialogue to consider how their stories can be better captured, preserved and re-told now and into the future.

The postholder will be a heritage/culture engagement professional with a proven ability to deliver projects to deadlines and within budget.

Accountabilities

• Accountable for completion of the development phase of the 'Open the Box' project



• With the support of the ERO Manager and Archive & Collections Lead, prepare the second-round funding application to the National Lottery Heritage Fund



• To develop the Activity Plan, Interpretation Plan and Conservation Plan for the Delivery Phase of the project to be submitted with the second-round funding application



• Leading on the establishment and building up of new partnerships with communities (including schools) in Essex to inspire genuine long-term interest in the wealth of unique historical material at the ERO



• Work in partnership with archive staff and partners to develop archives-focussed physical and digital opportunities for engagement with the ERO's collections in pursuit of our aim to ensure a more diverse range of people benefit from connecting with the county's heritage



• Make a creative and positive contribution to the marketing, advocacy and promotion work of the ERO to bring knowledge and awareness of the service to the widest possible audience to maximise the reach of the service and extend and diversify use for the long term



• To develop and maintain effective communication and engagement with key internal and external stakeholders



• To develop and maintain contacts with community groups and volunteers



• To manage project progress with respect to time, cost, quality and scope



• Responsible for advising on progress being made and ensuring corrective action is taken to ensure milestones are achieved and deliverables are of the correct quality



• Specific individual and shared targets and objectives are defined annually within the performance management framework
  
  Educated to degree level or equivalent academic qualification in a relevant area, such as archives, cultural heritage, history, archaeology, or community engagement



• An appropriate level of knowledge and experience of delivering projects in a complex environment



• Experience of working in a museum or archive environment



• Ability to work to deadlines



• Ability to work within a budget



• Good working knowledge of resources for local and family history. Knowledge of local history and heritage issues



• Ability to communicate clearly and persuasively both orally and in writing to a wide range of different individuals and groups. Ability to act as an advocate, to target and engage relevant audiences. Experience of working with relevant target audience groups may be an advantage



• Effective in creating and sustaining new and beneficial working partnerships



• Advanced social awareness and commitment to equality and the value of diversity



• Highly organised and self-motivated



• IT skills (including Word, Outlook, Excel, PowerPoint)



• Resilience and tenacity. The ability to remain focussed and to move forward from setbacks


Please note that the job role requires you to travel freely around the county, and to work at different locations on different days/different hours. Therefore, the post holder will need to have a driving licence and access to a vehicle, or the ability to meet the mobility requirements of the role through other means.