Job Details:
Project Archivist – Seeds of Change: Documenting the history of the Co-operative College

Job Description

Job Title: Project Archivist, Seeds of Change: Documenting the history of the Co-operative College

Fixed Term Contract 24 months fixed term Hours p/w: 35 

Salary: £30,233

Place of work: Manchester / Remote

Due to funding made possible with The National Lottery Heritage Fund, thanks to National Lottery players, we are looking for a project archivist to work on the ‘Seeds of Change: Documenting the history of the Co-operative College’ project to catalogue the collection and support the key outcomes of the project. The role is based primarily at the Co-op Archive in Manchester and will begin during the UN International Year of Co-operation in 2025.

You will be responsible for arranging, cataloguing and repackaging the Co-operative College collection to ISAD(G) standard and uploading the finished catalogue to Archives Hub and prioritizing items for conservation and digitization. During the project you will be supervising volunteers, participating in outreach events including oral history interviews, and communicating your work both internally and externally to members of the public and other stakeholders. You will also contribute to evaluation throughout the project and an exhibition towards the end of the project.

About the Co-op Archive

The Co-operative Heritage Trust is the charity which operates Rochdale Pioneers Museum and The Co-op Archive. We believe that great things happen when people co-operate. Together we collect, safeguard, and make accessible artefacts and documents from the co-operative movement. We use our heritage to create lifelong learning and research opportunities which inspire people to use co-operative values and principles to change society.

The modern global co-operative movement has its origins in Rochdale, where in 1844, 28 working class people formed a collective to improve the lives and opportunities of people in their own community. The movement developed several organizations for the education and development of global cooperatives – a significant one being the Co-operative College in the aftermath of the First World War in 1919.

About the Co-op College

The Co-operative College was established in 1919 by the Co-operative Union (Now Co-ops UK) at Holyoake House in Manchester. It pioneered new forms of learning including correspondence courses and visits to cooperatives, establishing a reputation as a centre of excellence for training, learning, consultancy and research for students from across the UK and globally. From 1946, a long-standing relationship with the Colonial Office brought students from Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean to the College.

In 1945, the College moved from bomb-damaged Holyoake House in Manchester to Stanford Hall, Loughborough. Learning at the College was aimed at all levels, from young apprentices to senior management. Students could study subjects such as co-operative finance, co-operative statistics as well as classes in citizenship and ethics. Students could also learn about the history of the movement by studying the lives of key figures such as Robert Owen and the Rochdale Pioneers. 

The College moved back to Manchester in 2001 and now has a largely digital remit.

The role is a fixed term contract for 24 months with the first month being a probationary period.

The closing date for applications is 17:00 on Friday 7^th February 2025, 

Interviews are anticipated to take place the week commencing 17^th February at Holyoake House, Hanover Street, Manchester M60 0AS. This is also where postal applications should be sent.

Please read the job description document and complete an application and diversity monitoring form available from our website.

https://www.co-operativeheritage.coop/jobs-and-volunteering

Please send informal enquiries and completed application forms to Trust Manager Liz McIvor

The Co-operative Heritage Trust recruits to reflect the values and principles of co-operation. We welcome applications from all parts of the community but as part of our approach to diversity and inclusion we take positive steps towards the employment of disabled people and people of colour.

Company pension