Records Manager

UKRI
Salary: £37,841.
Band: UKRI Band D. 
Contract: Open Ended. 
Hours: Full Time/Part Time (Min 0.7 FTE).
Location: Swindon (Hybrid working available). The role will include occasional travel to The National Archives (TNA) in London.

Closing Date: Sunday 7th June 2026. 

Interviews: In person at Polaris House.

Purpose of role 

The Knowledge & Information Management (KIM)Team plays a vital role in championing and supporting effective lifecycle management of UKRI’s digital and legacy paper records.

You will support a range of activities, including the delivery of information management services and projects. You will act as a key contact for one or more councils and corporate functions, helping to implement the UKRI Information Management Policy, Retention Schedule, and Information Asset Register by developing guidance, delivering training and managing enquiries.

You will support teams and projects by advising on digital records retention, migration, and system decommissioning. You will help support embedding retention and records-management processes across UKRI platforms and electronic document and records management systems (EDRMS). You will also manage information access and retrieval requests for physical and digital material to meet regulatory and business needs.

You will contribute to programmes to appraise, catalogue, and destroy paper records in line with retention requirements. This will involve carrying out sensitivity reviews of paper files in Swindon and at The National Archives (TNA) in Kew, Richmond. You will help develop processes and support the future selection, appraisal and sensitivity review of both paper and digital records to TNA.

You will have line management responsibilities for one or more Records Management Support Officers.

Your Responsibilities

• Act as a key contact for one or more UKRI councils and corporate functions providing advice, training and guidance on information management issues.
• Contribute to the design, development and delivery of information management training and guidance so teams follow clear, consistent practices.
• Develop processes and support the records life cycle through appraisal, cataloguing, selection, sensitivity review, preparation and transfer of digital and legacy paper records to TNA.
• Manage access and information retrieval requests for physical and digital material.
• Support the continuous improvement and review of the UKRI Retention Schedule and the implementation of retention and disposal policies.
• Advise teams and projects, including those delivering new systems, migration, and decommissioning activities, on retention and information management procedures.
• Support the future creation and rollout of retention labels and promote strong information governance across EDRMS, including effective configuration of access controls, file plans, meta data and naming conventions.
• Engage with Information Asset Owners and Administrators to keep the UKRI Information Asset Register current and ensure assets are managed in line with best practice.
• Support account management activities, including account administration and liaison with suppliers and users.
• Manual handling of boxes including lifting, opening and reviewing files.
• Line Management of one or more Records Management Support Officers.
• Other duties as required, relating to KIM or the wider remit of information governance.

Personal Specification

The below criteria will be scored during Shortlisting (S), Interview (I) or both (S&I).

Essential

• Experience working in an information and records management role and supporting records lifecycle (S&I).
• Experience of appraising, cataloguing, conducting sensitivity reviews and/or applying retention to records (S&I).
• Experience of supporting the digital records management life cycle across platforms and systems, including EDRMS (S&I).
• Strong team working skills with the ability to network and build partnerships beyond core team (S&I).
• Effective communication skills with the ability to provide clear advice, guidance and/or training (I).
• Strong organisational skills, including prioritisation, flexibility, and multi-tasking (I).
• Proficient IT Skills (including Microsoft tools, and information systems or platforms) (S).

Desirable

• Relevant qualification (in library, records, information or archives) (S).
• Experience in developing search strategies for information retrieval (S).
• Experience using Microsoft Purview for records management (e.g. metadata, retention labels and policies) (S&I).

Benefits

 

We recognise and value our employees as individuals and aim to provide a favourable pay and rewards package. We are committed to supporting employees' development and promote a culture of continuous learning!

 

A list of benefits below:

 

• An outstanding defined benefit pension scheme.
• 30 days' annual leave in addition to 10.5 public and privilege days (full time equivalent).
• Employee discounts and offers on retail and leisure activities.
• Employee assistance programme, providing confidential help and advice.
• Flexible working options.

 

Plus, many more benefits and wellbeing initiatives that enable our employees to have a great work life balance!

 

For further information on our benefits please see:

Benefits of working at UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) 

Please note, if you will require sponsorship to work in the UK, as part of your sponsorship application, you and any dependants travelling with you, will be required to pay costs directly to The Home Office for the application before you start your role with us. UKRI is normally able to reimburse some, or all of these fees after you have become an employee and this can be discussed with the Hiring Manager. For more information, please visit https://www.gov.uk/skilled-worker-visa/how-much-it-costs or contact Recruitment@ukri.org.

UKRI - UK Research and Innovation

UKRI is an organisation that brings together the seven disciplinary research councils, Research England and Innovate UK. Together, we build an independent organisation with a strong voice and vision ensuring the UK maintains its world-leading position in research and innovation.

Supporting some of the world’s most exciting and challenging research projects, we develop and operate some of the most remarkable scientific facilities in the world. We are pushing the frontiers of human knowledge through fundamental research and delivering benefits for UK society and the economy through world-class research, skills and business-led innovation.

More information can be found at www.ukri.org.

Choosing to come to work at UKRI means that you will have access to a whole host of benefits from a defined benefit pension scheme, excellent holiday entitlement, access to employee shopping/travel discounts and salary sacrifice cycle to work scheme.  For more details, visit benefits of working for UKRI.

How we support EDI in the workforce

At UKRI, we believe that everyone has a right to be treated with dignity and respect, and to be provided with equal opportunities to thrive and succeed in an environment that enables them to do so. We also value diversity of thought and experience within inclusive groups, organisations and the wider community. For further information, please visit ‘How we support EDI in the workforce’.

Disability Confident Employer

As users of the disability confident scheme, any candidate who opts into the scheme and best meets the essential criteria, will be shortlisted for interview. We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation.

How to apply

Online applications only preferred for this role. Please submit a CV and covering letter which clearly outlines how you fulfil the criteria specified along with your motivation for UKRI and the role. Ensure that the job reference number is included in the filename description of each document uploaded. Note that failure to address the above criteria or submit an application without a covering letter may result in the application not being considered. Assessment will only be based upon the content of your submitted covering letter and CV and not the ‘experience’ section of the application.

UKRI seeks to ensure it creates and maintains a system of openness, fairness and inclusion – a collaborative, trusted environment, which is attractive to and accessible to everyone who is interested in developing their career with us.

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be rejected and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action.

As part of the pre-employment checks there is a requirement to undergo Baseline Personnel Security Screening. BPSS is a pre-condition of employment and failure to achieve it may mean that the employment offer is rescinded. UKRI reserves the right to run, or re-run, security clearance as required during the course of employment.