COTSWOLD ARCHAEOLOGY
JOB SPECIFICATION
Post title:
Archives Officer
Responsible to:
Post-Excavation Manager/Senior Publications Officer
Responsible for:
Post-Excavation Supervisors and other designated staff within the
Publications department, plus temporary, field and volunteer staff
Purpose:
To ensure the safe storage of archaeological materials and
records (including digital) across CA. To ensure that all finds,
environmental and archive processing work is completed to
quality, time and budget across CA.
Main Duties:

Maintain and manage accurate and appropriate records to ensure the safe
storage of all archaeological records (including digital), finds and environmental
samples in the care of CA;

Maintain and manage a Global CA Programme for the processing of archives,
finds and environmental samples, and through effective liaison with PostExcavation Supervisors ensure that all archive, finds and sample processing
work is completed to time and budget;

Ensure that appropriate levels of processing staff are maintained across the
organisation, through effective liaison with Post-Excavation Supervisors and with
the Head of Publications;

Ensure that appropriate quality standards for storage, record keeping and
processing are adhered to across the organisation, through regular audits of
materials, working practices and storage media (including digital);

Provide accurate processing work estimates for Project Managers;

Co-ordinate liaison with title-holders and with recipient bodies of paper and digital
archives to ensure necessary permissions are in place and to facilitate the timely
deposition of materials and/or data to meet CA deposition targets;

Enable all line-managed staff the opportunity to develop relevant knowledge and
skills through effective supervision, coaching, motivation and leadership, and coordinate the development of processing staff across the organisation;

Take lead responsibility for the co-ordination of all CA volunteers and volunteer
work programmes and schedules

Liaise and collaborate with your Line Manager and Post-Excavation Supervisors
to identify and implement ways to improve the quality and efficiency of finds,
environmental and archive processing, and record-keeping procedures,
equipment and facilities;

Monitor the work area and departmental practices and processes to ensure
Health and Safety policy and procedures are adhered to;
Sept 14
Rev: Dec 15
1

Undertake a programme of fee-earning project work commensurate with Officerlevel knowledge, skills and responsibilities;

Undertake specific duties commensurate with responsibilities as may be
required from time to time to ensure the success of the company as a whole.
Person Specification:
ESSENTIAL

Exceptional organisational, time management and problem-solving skills with
proven ability to programme and manage complex, multiple work schedules;

Excellent database and spreadsheet skills, with a detailed knowledge of MS
Access, Excel, and other software for the purposes of maintaining complex
record keeping and work programmes

Strong leadership and teamworking skills, with demonstrable ability to coach,
motivate, and monitor performance;

Knowledge of current archaeological processing techniques, and experience of
the processing of archives, finds and samples under commercial conditions;

A commitment to the care of archaeological materials and to maintaining CA’s
high quality standards;

The ability to communicate and liaise effectively with colleagues, and to deal
efficiently, diplomatically and courteously with sponsors and clients of CA, officers
of other bodies and members of the public;

Expertise in post-excavation analysis, report writing or other archaeological
specialism relevant to the work of CA;

Well developed other IT skills including MS Office suite;

Membership of the Chartered Institute for Archaeologists, and of the CIfA
Archives Special Interest Group.

A full clean manual driving licence.
DESIRABLE

An honours degree in Archaeology or a related subject;

Experience of commercial archaeological fieldwork.
Sept 14
Rev: Dec 15
2