Job Title: Archivist in the National Archives of Ireland
Employer: Department of Culture, Communications and Sport
County: Dublin
Closing Date: 3pm, Thursday, 5th February 2026
Starting Salary: €39,474
About the Employer
The Department of Culture, Communications and Sport has a diverse business agenda, and its mission is to lead and enable the development of the culture, communications, media and sport sectors and promote North‑South cooperation in line with the Good Friday Agreement and the Government's Shared Island Initiative.
The National Archives of Ireland is a statutory body under the aegis of the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport with the responsibility for preserving and making publicly available the archival records of central government, including Departments of State, the courts, and a range of other State bodies.
The National Archives operates under the control and management of the Director, who is appointed by and answers to the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport.
Established in 1988, when the National Archives Act, 1986 came into operation, the National Archives assumed responsibility for functions and holdings of two older offices: the Public Record Office of Ireland (founded in 1867) and the State Paper Office (founded in 1702).
In discharging its statutory responsibility for the records of central government, the National Archives oversees ongoing implementation of the provisions of the National Archives Act, 1986 (and related Statutory Regulations and Guidelines) and the National Archives (Amendment) Act, 2018, with regard to the preservation or disposal of records and their transfer to the National Archives.
It also acquires records from state-sponsored bodies, business firms, and private individuals, organisations and institutions in order to secure their preservation.
The National Archives also holds records dating from the 19th and 20th centuries although some date back to the 13th century.
Archives are made available for public inspection in the reading room of its headquarters building at Bishop Street, Dublin 8.
Archives are stored onsite at Bishop Street and offsite.
The National Archives is also preparing records and archives for a new site on Sean Mc Dermott Street as part of the National Centre for Research and Remembrance.
Information concerning the holdings and services of the National Archives is disseminated in a variety of ways, including through publication on its website.
Access to archives in digital form is also provided through a range of dedicated websites.
This is an important time for the National Archives as it seeks to discharge significant statutory functions in relation to the acquisition and preservation of records and making them accessible to the public.
About the Role
Reporting to a Senior Archivist, the Archivist will perform a range of professional duties in connection with the preservation of and facilitating access to archives.
Work will be carried out under the direction and authority of the Director of the National Archives and must be carried out in accordance with the guidelines, standards and procedures of the National Archives and as instructed by management.
The National Archives Act makes no distinction between paper and electronic records, and the archivist may be expected to perform duties with regard to either medium.
Key Duties and Responsibilities
The key duties and responsibilities of an Archivist may include the following:
Participating in preserving, cataloguing and making 19th and 20th century archives available to the researching public;
Making arrangements for the transfer of records, paper and digital, to the National Archives and advising on preparing these records for transfer;
Arranging, listing and housing records worthy for permanent preservation;
Creating of a range of archival finding aids in accordance with accepted international standards and National Archives guidelines and procedures, and checking and editing finding aids for use in the public Reading Room and for publication on the National Archives website;
Assisting in work relating to the preservation of archives including the arranging, listing and packing/re‑housing of records and archives;
Appraising records held by Government Departments, the Courts and bodies subject to the National Archives Act with a view to making recommendations concerning preservation or disposal;
Surveying and cataloguing records in government departments, agencies and storage facilities throughout the State;
Advising on the management of records and archives including digital records, providing training in archives and records management; responding to queries from Government Departments, the Courts and bodies subject to the National Archives Act;
Preparing, processing and managing digital archives (digitised and born digital) using appropriate systems/software; advising on formats, methods of transfer, metadata standards;
Assisting in the invigilation and operation of the public Reading Room; the answering of enquiries by the public in person, telephone callers and correspondents;
Assisting in work relating to the management of our repositories, including the storage, movement, retrieval and location of archives held by the National Archives;
Supporting the implementation of policies to increase the capacity of the National Archives in the management and development of born digital and digitised collections, including acquisition, processing, preservation, storage and accessibility;
Assisting in the development and operation of education and outreach programmes, including digitisation projects.
About You
Candidates must have on or before Thursday, 5th February 2026:
(a) A qualification at Level 8 (Honour's Bachelor's Degree) on the National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ) or NARIC Ireland Foreign Qualifications equivalent; and (b) A qualification at minimum Level 8 on the NFQ (or NARIC) in Archival Studies and/ or records management from a course accredited by the Archives and Records Association UK and Ireland, or an equivalent professional body in another jurisdiction;
After attaining qualification at paragraph 1 (b) above, a minimum of six months relevant post-qualification archival and/or records management experience;
Experience in cataloguing archival collections;
A demonstrable knowledge of best professional practice and appropriate standards with regard to the management of records and archives;
A demonstrable knowledge of current information and governance compliance requirements and legislation;
Excellent organisational skills and attention to detail with the ability to handle multiple workloads and/or conflicting priorities to tight deadlines;
The ability to actively share information, knowledge and expertise;
Excellent communication skills (both oral and written) with the ability to present complex information in a clear and concise manner;
Excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to build and maintain effective working relationships with stakeholders at all levels;
The ability to work independently and/or as part of a team (as required), within a defined programme of work;
A high degree of motivation and a commitment to high quality output and service;
Excellent ICT skills including proficiency in working with Excel spreadsheets and archival and/or records management software and systems.
The Closing Date for this competition is Thursday, 5th of February at 3pm.
We are committed to a policy of equal opportunity and encourage applications under all nine grounds of the Employment Equality Act.
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