Assistant Archivist: Cataloguing

The opportunity

This is an exciting opportunity to work with unique fashion and textile archives and play a key role organising and making these important collections accessible for teaching, research and public engagement at London College of Fashion.

 

This six-month project offers the chance to work hands-on with garments, embroidery samples and archival material, and would suit both early-career archivists looking to build their cataloguing experience and experienced professionals seeking a focused project within a creative academic environment.

 

As an Assistant Archivist, you will help unlock these collections for students, researchers and the wider public, enabling new stories about fashion history and textile practice to be discovered.

 

Your key responsibilities will include:

 

• Cataloguing the denim designer Peter Golding’s archive and the Winifred Beck embroidery archive
• Creating clear and engaging archive descriptions to international standards
• Supporting inclusive cataloguing practices, helping broaden how collections are described and understood
• Handling and preserving archival objects to support their long-term care
• Making collections discoverable online by contributing records and content to online collections platforms
• Sharing fashion history through blog posts, social media and archive tours

 

Please be advised that onsite working will be the main focus for this role.

Your profile

You will need a postgraduate qualification in Archives and Records Management, or in Curation, or equivalent experience of working with archives or collections.

You will need knowledge and demonstrable experience of working to international standards in cataloguing and collections care, including appraisal and arrangement and description of archival material.

You will also need a demonstrable interest in fashion and textiles.

An understanding of how collections can support excellent teaching, professional practice, and inclusivity is equally important.

We are UAL

University of the Arts London (UAL) generates and inspires the creativity the world needs for a better future. Since 1842, our colleges have been defining creative education. With curiosity, imagination and intent we make work which creates lasting change for people and our planet. London is core to who we are, a place where we meet and share ideas with people from different backgrounds and cultures.

Our creative network influences learning, culture, industry and society on a global scale. Our academics and practitioners deliver creative education and inspire new ways of thinking through research and innovation. We work with students at every level from pre-degree and short courses to postgraduate and online learning, enabling them to build the careers they want. Together, we are a community of makers, thinkers, pioneers and storytellers redesigning the future.

As a University, we are ranked second in the world for Art and Design. We are formed of 6 Colleges with unique histories and identities: Camberwell College of Arts, Central Saint Martins, Chelsea College of Arts, London College of Communication, London College of Fashion and Wimbledon College of Arts. UAL also has 4 Institutes, 5 Research Centres, 1 Pre-Degree School and 2 subsidiary companies delivering specialist activities.

We are a global University, welcoming over 22,000 students and 6,000 staff from 130 countries. We aim to be a university where people can be themselves and feel supported to reach their full potential. That’s why we are proud to hold a Bronze Award from the Race Equality Charter (REC), are members of the Business Disability Forum and Employers for Carers, and maintain our status as a Disability Confident Scheme and Living Wage employer.

Application process

We operate a fair and open anonymous selection process. Thus, you will need to create an account and submit an application through our job board. As part of this, you will need to provide a supporting statement/answer some competency questions to demonstrate your suitability. Our recruitment process involves: Application, Shortlisting, Interview and Assessment, Offer, Onboarding.

We understand the benefits of using AI in work. But, if you are thinking of using it to submit an application, we ask you to think about what value it adds. AI tools tend to lack the personal touch and authenticity we value in candidates. We encourage you to showcase your unique knowledge and skills using your own voice.

If we receive a high volume of applications, the closing day date might close early. We aim to communicate any changes to the closing date with at least 24 hours’ notice. If you have any general questions or have accessibility needs, please refer to our Contact us page.

Start your application

Candidates are advised to submit applications early.