Archives learning development officer jobs
Records Manager & Archivist
The duties within this unique role will be shared across the main London offices of the Methodist Church in Britain and United Reformed Church. The successful candidate will be a suitably qualified and experienced records and archives management professional, who is confident to work across our different sites and systems. You will be a knowledgeable manager of analogue and digital records and archives. Some familiarity with Church structures and record keeping would be an advantage.
You will need to be able to advise the staff teams for both Churches on records management strategy and practice and support them in the implementation of electronic records management systems (ERMS). You will also be able to undertake collections management tasks such as appraisal, condition assessments, basic cleaning and re-packaging and cataloguing.
You will need to be able to liaise effectively with the archive services where our collections are deposited, and work with our voluntary heritage committees and archival advisers. You will be encouraged to appoint and manage volunteers to build capacity around this work.
The Methodist Church has records from the early 18th century onwards. Its governance records (estimated at c4m items) are deposited in the John Rylands Research Institute & Library, University of Manchester, and its missionary collections in the SOAS Library, University of London. Records of the Church at a local level are deposited with local authority archive services. There are also five ‘community archives’ managed by volunteer editors.
The United Reformed Church was established in 1972, with its roots in the Presbyterian and Congregational Churches. The search for a new location for the centralised deposit and permanent preservation of URC records is a key objective for this post-holder, along with developing and supporting the management of current administrative records.
Both organisations maintain offsite record storage and occasional travel to them will be a necessary part of this role.
Our Culture, Values and Benefits
Thank you for considering joining our inclusive and welcoming team that strives for excellence and values employee wellbeing.
We value and support all those who join our team through a positive work-life balance augmented by generous annual leave (plus an extra 3 days over Christmas/New Year), TOIL, flexi-leave and an on-site Wellbeing Advisor service. We offer a generous occupational pension scheme, where the Methodist Church will pay double the employee contribution up to a maximum of 16% employer contribution.
The Methodist Church is an inclusive and supportive employer. We are actively committed to encouraging applications from people of all backgrounds. We welcome applications from people of Black, Asian and other Minority Ethnic groups. We also welcome applications from people living with disabilities.
Closing date: 9am on 5 January 2026
Interviews in person in London: 22 January 2026
The calling of the Methodist Church is to respond to the gospel of God's love in Christ and to live out its discipleship in worship and mission.
Are you a commercially minded, senior leader with strong experience in operations, company management, partnership building and income generation?
VDT is seeking an experienced Head of Operations and Business Development to spearhead the implementation of our ambitious new Commercial Strategy, driving growth and expanding income streams.
This is a crucial, high-impact role for someone who thrives on operational excellence, has excellent management skills and a passion for strategy implementation. It is ideal for someone with strong experience in partnership building, negotiating contracts, lead generation and organisational development.
Working closely with the Chief Executive / Artistic Director, the role works collaboratively across the small staff team to deliver the company’s Business Plan, Funding Agreement, Mission and Values. You will identify opportunities, generate new leads and manage the company’s wide range of production, participation and continued professional development programmes. You will grow a new customer base for our online training and E-learning and develop income from within arts academic and social enterprise settings. You will track progress and ensure the company is run in line with best practice.
You might not have worked in the arts or creative industries before. If you have experience as a Business Manager, Operations Director, Executive Director or Senior Producer within or outside of the cultural / charity sector, then you’ll have the core skills we are looking for.
Closing date for applications: Midday Tuesday 6 January 2026
Interview Date: Thursday 15 January 2026 (possible second interview 23 January 2026).
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
This new post will build on our Charity fundraising work which seeks to generate income from a portfolio of philanthropic sources, including trusts, foundations, individuals, corporate sponsors, and statutory bodies. The primary focus of this role will be to support the Reinventing Borde Hill project, helping to transform Borde Hill’s South Park and establish a community growing garden at Sugworth Farm.
The project has an am fundraising target of £1million, to be raised over the next two years. Additionally, this post will also seek and pursue opportunities to support the work of Borde Hill Garden Charity more widely. Working with the Reinventing Borde Hill project team, the role will effectively manage funders, driving the financial sustainability of the project and wider charity operations.
Your passion for heritage, the natural landscape, and community involvement will feed into compelling funder proposals and ongoing relationship-building with supporters. You will report to the Managing Director, and prepare monthly/quarterly updates for the Project Board and NLHF.