Chair of the UK Archive Services Accreditation Committee
The Archives and Records Association (UK & Ireland) appoints the Chair of the UK Archive Services Accreditation Committee. The term of the current Chair expires later this year and the ARA Board seeks nominations from members who are interested in standing for the role.
Archive Service Accreditation is supported by a partnership of the Archives and Records Association, Archives and Records Council Wales, National Records of Scotland, Public Record Office of Northern Ireland, Scottish Council on Archives, The National Archives; and the Welsh Government through its Culture division.
The Archive Service Accreditation Committee is responsible for reviewing policy and considering matters of quality assurance relating to Archive Service Accreditation. Members of the Committee are also responsible for approving accredited archive services through the Archive Service Accreditation Panels.
Members of the Committee are nominated by the UK Archive Service Accreditation Partners or are recruited through open competition. The ARA nominates the Chair of the Committee.
Please read on for details of this volunteering opportunity and, if you are interested, send an application statement to me stating how you meet the criteria, why you want the role and what you will bring to it. No more than one side of A4 please, as a PDF attachment, to john.chambers@archives.org.uk by 5pm on Thursday 31st July 2025.
Background
The term of our current nominated Archive Service Accreditation Committee member, Geoff Pick, expires at the end of December 2025. The Accreditation Committee comprises seven members nominated by the partners and seven members recruited from the archives sector, among whom the ARA nominee acts as Chair to the Committee. The Committee is a core part of the oversight and direction of Archive Service Accreditation, meeting at least once annually to ensure effective governance and development for the programme and forming the regular awards Panels at which award applications and reviews take place. There are typically three Panels a year.
Detail
The ARA Board will select the ARA nominee from among all nominations that we receive before the above deadline. This will allow time for the successful candidate to shadow and train with the existing Committee before starting in post in January 2026.
Nominated Committee members should meet the eligibility criteria for all Committee recruits, ie they must be:
currently employed in archive services, recently retired (within the last 3 years) or working as consultants in the sector. Conservators and records managers working in archive services or related fields are very welcome to apply.
of high standing and respected by their peers.
able to demonstrate sound and balanced judgement.
sufficiently senior to give weight to the work of the committee.
must be a good meetings chair as there is always a full agenda which needs to be managed efficiently and inclusively.
Time commitment: Archive Service Accreditation Committee members should expect to attend up to two full day Accreditation Panel meetings and normally one full day Committee meeting each year. Panel meetings are normally held remotely and the main Committee meeting in person, although there is the facility to attend this remotely if necessary. Additional time should be anticipated for travel (where required) and to read agenda papers. There will be some initial training for the role, usually through a mentoring relationship conducted remotely, and shadowing one Panel to get a feel for business. Committee members may also be invited to attend publicity events for the programme, such as certificate presentations, but this is an optional extra duty.
Term: Members of the Committee serve for an initial term of three years, renewable for a further three years.
Specifics relating to the Chair role: this is an active, ‘hands-on’ role. The Chair should attend every annual Committee meeting (next meeting: May 2026), and other Committee meetings arranged on an occasional basis. They may also need to ‘pre-meet’ with the Accreditation Manager to discuss specific issues. When unforeseen/exceptional circumstances arise, the Chair may be asked by the Accreditation Manager to resolve some time-critical issues between the formal meetings of Panels and Committee. Such matters will always be referred to a wider meeting for formal approval.
The Chair should also where possible attend and chair all Panels (normally three per year). They should also be prepared to make occasional awards presentations. You should expect the time commitment to be 4-5days of meetings in a year with an additional 2-3 days for meeting preparation.
Diversity: the ARA Board welcomes and encourages applications from groups/communities, etc. that are under-represented at senior levels in the record-keeping sector in the UK.
The Chair’s role is absolutely vital to the success of Accreditation as a UK partnership and one that the ARA Board views as one of its most important appointments.
Please contact me at the above email address if you need any further information or would like an introduction to Geoff Pick for his perspective as outgoing Chair.