Digitiser

Digitiser

Permanent, Part Time

£25,959 up to £29,083 per annum (full time equivalent)

Location: Chelmsford

Working Style: Fixed-base worker

Please note this role is part time, working 7.4 hours per week.

Actual salary earnings based on 7.4 hours £5,191 up to £5,816 per annum.

Interviews will be held in person on Wednesday 29^th July at the Essex Records Office, Chelmsford.

Essex is a diverse county with some of the highest levels of deprivation in the country through to highly affluent communities, which gives us a wide variance in life expectancy and quality. Culture and Green Spaces will deliver exceptional customer experiences, demonstrating the benefit of Essex’s strategic location, with the objective of developing a financially sustainable operation. 

The Opportunity:

You will join a small team of digitisers in the Essex Record Office’s digitisation studio, working with archivists, conservators and others in the Record Office’s collections of historical documents and on similar material from elsewhere. You will use planetary digital camera systems and flatbed scanners to digitise documents, books, maps, pictorial material, and similar items; process the raw images; and carry out cropping and other standard manipulations. These are irreplaceable original documents, and you will be responsible for handling them safely. The studio’s work ranges from single images, required for research or display purposes, to the mass digitisation of large series of records, usually for publication online. You will need to plan your own work against the requirements of each job, using a variety of equipment as the material demands.

The successful candidate will be required for initial training for a period anticipated as two months to work for one day per week on a Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday. Thereafter the successful candidate will be expected to work only on a Thursday or Friday, although it will be possible to split hours across these two days if preferred. This is an on-site role based in Chelmsford.

Accountabilities

• Create digital images using cameras and scanners to meet defined quality standards.
• Assessment of physical suitability of archival documents for digitising and ensuring the process is carried out safely.
• Responsible for checking quality of completed images and taking restorative action for those which do not meet these.
• Contribute to the income generating activities of the Essex Record Office by digitising records for internal publication and for external clients, as well as fulfilling requests for copies of individual records from institutions or individuals. 
• Collaborate with archivists, conservators and others in developing digitisation processes that are safe, effective and efficient.
• Maintain digital and paper records in respect of digitising images.
• Responsible for ensuring all equipment is correctly maintained and cleaned.
• To comply with individual responsibilities, in accordance with work role, for health and safety in the workplace.

The Experience You Will Bring

• Experience of digital photography in a professional context using cameras and scanners to create images.
• Experience of using image manipulation software in a professional context.
• Close familiarity with Photoshop or directly equivalent software.
• Evidence of demonstrating alpha-numerical skills and an eye for detail.
• Evidence of manual dexterity to work with historical documents, accuracy and attention to detail.
• Ability to maintain focus throughout a prolonged project involving repetitive work and successfully achieving deadlines.
• Educated to GCSE level or equivalent or above.
• Ability to safely undertake the lifting and handling activities required for the role, with reasonable adjustments where appropriate.
• Good interpersonal and social skills for interacting with colleagues in teams across Essex Record Office and members of the general public.

Why Essex?

As one of the largest and most dynamic UK local authorities, Essex offers a stimulating public service environment. Covering over 1,420 square miles and serving 1.8 million residents, we’re committed to transformational change and delivering better quality at lower cost. Recognised in the top three of the latest IMPOWER index for productivity, we ensure everyone matters in Everyone's Essex. With flexible working options and a focus on innovation, whether you are looking to develop your career or contribute to the local community, Essex is the ideal place for you.

In March 2026, the Government announced that councils in Greater Essex will be reorganised into five new unitary authorities from April 2028. In addition to this, Greater Essex has been accepted on to the devolution priority programme, where we will work towards establishing a Mayoral Combined County Authority. You can read more about these changes, and what this may mean for this role, on our careers site.

Essex County Council is proud to be a Disability Confident Leader. We’re committed to interview all disabled applicants who choose to apply under our Job Interview Scheme if they meet the minimum requirements of the job. Please speak to our Recruiters if you require any reasonable adjustments during the process. We’re also committed to interview all veterans and care leavers, who meet the minimum requirements of the role for which they are applying.

Once you’ve secured your role within Essex County Council you will receive many great employee benefits, including support for unpaid carers and flexible working arrangements to accommodate their needs.

At Essex County Council, we value integrity and ethical behaviour. We kindly ask that you embrace our code of conduct and the Nolan principles, including throughout the recruitment process. Your commitment to these standards helps us maintain a positive and respectful workplace for everyone.

As part of employment with Essex County Council (ECC) should your role require a DBS check you will be required to register with the DBS update service. The DBS update service ensures all registered DBS certificates are kept up to date and allows authorised parties to view the status of your certificate. This is an annual subscription, and you will be responsible for ensuring this is maintained. For further information on the DBS update service please go to https://www.gov.uk/dbs-update-service

Essex County Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults, and expects all employees and volunteers to share this commitment.

If you would like to be kept up to date on other relevant opportunities, blogs, news, events and industry related news at Essex County Council, please join The Essex Talent Community

If you have queries on this role or require anything further, please email resourcing.team@essex.gov.uk

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