Project Archivist
About Compas Charity
Compas Charity is a community-based organisation based in Peterborough, working to support communities through advice provision, education, cultural activities, heritage projects and community engagement. Compas runs the Peterborough Cultural Centre and delivers projects focused on inclusion, empowerment and preservation of cultural heritage.
The Baripen Archive & Cultural Centre project aims to preserve, digitise and share Roma heritage materials, oral histories and community stories that are currently at risk of being lost.
Overview of the Commission - Lead the professional management, digitisation, cataloguing and long-term preservation of the Baripen Roma Archive, ensuring compliance with archival standards and the Heritage Fund digital and ethical requirements.
Key responsibilities
• Develop an archival preservation plan and catalogue structure
• Oversee digitisation workflow, metadata standards and digital storage
• Implement open-access standards (with sensitive materials protocols)
• Handle accessioning, conservation, and secure storage of materials
• Train volunteers and Roma community trainees in archival methods
• Work with academic partners on research & interpretation
• Ensure data security, copyright compliance and accessibility
• Produce preservation policies, cataloguing guides, and archive finding aids
• Support exhibitions and public engagement where appropriate
Person specification
Essential
• Professional archive training or equivalent experience
• Knowledge of archival metadata standards (e.g., Dublin Core)
• Experience handling sensitive collections / oral history materials
• Understanding of digital preservation and ethics
• Excellent organisational and record-keeping skills
Desirable
• Experience with community heritage projects
• Knowledge of Roma history or migration/holocaust collections
Outputs
• Fully catalogued digital archive
• Archive policies & workflows
• Volunteer training materials
• Accessible public digital interface