Archive Development Officer – Birmingham Botanical Gardens

Birmingham Botanical Gardens is looking for an experienced and enthusiastic Archive Development officer to support the Engagement & Learning Team.

The Gardens are in a period of change and have recently secured a Round 1 National Lottery Heritage Fund grant towards a £13m capital project. The project aims to restore the historic glasshouses, upgrade site infrastructure and displays and improve the visitor experience for all.

Birmingham Botanical Gardens (BBG) are keen to see applications from people of all backgrounds and communities and are committed to representing the diverse nature of the city. The Gardens look forward to receiving applications from all suitable candidates and will conduct inclusive recruitment processes based on attitude, experience, and qualifications. BBG are also committed to ensuring that no-one invited to interview should be excluded due to financial circumstances and will reimburse anyone attending interview (related costs must be supported by receipts) if required.

This post is funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund as part of the Garden’s Major Project.

Role purpose

This is a new post needed to research, and make accessible core historical records, books, photographs, images and information about BBG’s plant collection and wider history. This important new post has been created to support BBG’s planned £13.8m major National Lottery Heritage Fund ‘Growing Our Green Heritage’ development project and is needed to support the Engagement & Learning Team and essential to BBG’s charitable purpose, objectives, and development.

The post has been created to ensure BBG’s Major development can utilise this information and make it accessible in all forms, including digital. Reporting to the Head of Engagement, the postholder will research original material, liaising with Birmingham City Records/Archives, to provide information to support the project initially in the Development and subject to successful funding in the Delivery phases, and prepare accessible archive resources. The postholder will be involved with public engagement activities and interpretation during the Development and later Delivery phases, such as an oral history memory project and will be responsible for the management of the library and will be expected to manage volunteers.

As one of Birmingham’s foremost heritage charities, essential records and publications dating back to 1829 need to be assessed, documented, and made accessible. The principal purpose is to research, sort, organise and document the current collection, rationalising storage, liaising with Birmingham Library who hold many original records, to ensure that important documents are held in perpetuity and that BBG has access to significant material to inform and support its education, interpretation, and wider charitable purposes.

The role has been created now to support the research and content development of the new Interpretation Strategy and increased participation and Learning programmes at BBG. The history of BBG has been identified as of great interest to both visitors and potential visitors and is a key theme in the gardens key messaging for the future. Currently largely inaccessible, the project will enable BBG to digitise core documents, photographs, and images for the project content, including exhibitions, on-line learning resources and activities for schools and students, for talks and future community projects. The work is expected to involve volunteers and create opportunities for a memory- capturing history project.

This is an opportunity for someone, passionate about historic Gardens and Birmingham heritage with archive or records management experience, to support the future development of BBG, making the unique history of BBG accessible, and engaging others in the process.

Please click here for the full job description and person specification>>

To apply: Please send your CV and covering letter to [email protected].

Closing date: Tuesday 6 June