As the living, growing home of our national story, The National Archives is already a special place to work. We’re an institution nearly 200 years old with a collection spanning 1,000 years of history. But it’s where we go next that makes things really interesting. In our strategic vision: Archives for Everyone, we set ourselves the challenge of becoming the 21st Century national archive - a different kind of cultural and heritage institution: Inclusive, Entrepreneurial, Disruptive. We won’t become this overnight. It will take time, focus, effort and daring. That’s where you come in. Because we can’t do this without you. Job Overview Salary: £30,000 per annum Contract type: fixed-term appointment for 12 months with possibility of permanency Band: D / EO Closing date: Sunday 16th March at midnight Legislation.gov.uk is the official home of legislation in the UK, and a vital resource, transforming public access to law in the UK. It has put the statute book, once the preserve of lawyers and other specialists, into the hands of millions of people who need to reference, quote or cite the law, receiving over 20 million visits per month. It is also a sophisticated technology platform that handles both the publishing of all new UK legislation, as well as the production of revised point-in-time versions of legislation documents. The National Archives is responsible for the operation of legislation.gov.uk. This involves receiving legislation from the Parliaments, Assemblies and Government Departments in the UK, so that it can be published both in print and online in a variety of data formats. A vital part of this process is the registration of Statutory Instruments (SIs), gathering information about the legislation and associated documents (eg Explanatory Notes), carrying out quality checks, and providing support to drafting lawyers and Parliamentary clerks across Government in order to resolve legislation publication issues. The Publishing Editor will support the Publishing Services Manager in ensuring that all new legislation is published quickly, efficiently and to a high level of quality. They will collaborate with the SI Registrar and another Publishing Editor to ensure that effective and efficient systems are in place for managing the publishing of new legislation in print and online. You will also support the Publishing Services Manager in the delivery of a new online legislation drafting and amendment service - Lawmaker. This tool is being delivered in partnership with both Houses of the UK Parliament, the Office of Parliamentary Counsel, the Scottish Parliament and the Scottish Parliamentary Counsel’s Office. It is replacing the tools currently used for drafting and publishing UK and Scottish Primary and Secondary legislation, transforming the way that legislation is made and published. You will assist the Publishing Services Manager and the Lawmaker service team in ensuring a successful transition of legislation drafters and processors to this new system. The scope of the role includes the publishing of all UK primary and secondary legislation, associated documents such as Explanatory Notes and Memoranda, Impact Assessments, Annual Bound Volumes and Tables of Effect, and corrections. You will support the Official Publishing Manager in processing Command and House of Commons Papers for publication and laying. You will be a source of advice for Government and public service users, advising Government departments about the legislation publishing process. You will have excellent communication skills, engaging a range of stakeholders including government lawyers, policy officials and legislative drafting lawyers, as well as clerks in the various Parliaments and Assemblies in the UK, through email correspondence and telephone conversations. You will need to be responsive and flexible in approach as we prioritise work in line with the priorities of key stakeholders and Government partners. This is a full time post. However, requests for part-time working, flexible working and job share will be considered, taking into account at all times the operational needs of the Department. A combination of onsite and home working is available and applicants should be able to regularly travel to our Kew site for a minimum of 60% of their work time. How to apply: To submit your application please click the 'Apply' button on this page. You will be asked to provide details of your work experience and write a personal statement, not exceeding 1200 words. In your personal statement please explain, using examples, how you meet the essential criteria in the person specification below. You may draw on knowledge, skills, abilities, experience gained from paid work, domestic responsibilities, education, leisure interests and voluntary activities. Please note selection for interview will largely be based on the information you provide in this section. We understand that you might use artificial intelligence (AI) and other resources to assist with your application; however, please ensure all information you provide is factually accurate, truthful, and original and doesn’t include ideas or work that isn’t your own. We encourage you to showcase your unique knowledge and skills using your own voice. Job Description Role and Responsibilities Checking and registering new secondary legislation, providing advice, guidance and support to users of the legislation.gov.uk publishing service and legislation publishing policy, including people in government departments, according to guidance set out in the manual “Statutory Instrument Practice”. Liaising with the legislation publishing contractor, providing them with direction, arranging publication schedules, proof-reading, checking and correcting proofs Supporting the collation and preparation of the annual bound volumes of legislation for all UK legislation types, including Westminster and the devolved administrations. Contribute to the creation and publication of relevant lists and indexes You will frame corrections for legislation containing publishing errors that can be corrected via the correction slip process, working with lawyers in government departments. You will apply the corrections to live legislation data where required. You will support the work undertaken by the legislation update team who add value to legislation on the website, including editorial tasks triggered by new legislation published via the publishing system – recording what effects the legislation has on the rest of the statute book, and keeping the law up to date. Support ongoing enhancements to the legislation.gov.uk publishing service, including the transition to a new legislation drafting tool, supporting the Publishing Services Manager in managing and testing regular releases to the service. You will, as required, support the Official Publishing Manager in handling the operational delivery of Command and House of Commons Papers, supporting the process for production, laying and publishing, and issuing Command Paper numbers, and responding to queries on this process from Government departments. You will also help to answer ad-hoc enquiries from our support and development contractors, government departments and service users. Working Conditions Normal office environment Display Screen Equipment user Person Specification Essential criteria: Experience of editorial or publishing processes, ideally for an online service A demonstrable ability to interpret and apply complex legal information and make decisions using sound judgment, seeking advice as required, with an awareness of the broader impact of potentially sensitive information and the ability to deal with it appropriately and responsibly Experience of working to tight deadlines and the ability to work well under pressure, prioritising appropriately and pro-actively An understanding of the impact and importance of publishing quality standards and timescales on others, with excellent attention to detail Excellent team working skills and flexibility in approach to work Strong communications skills, both written and oral Desirable criteria: Good IT skills, especially relating to Microsoft Office Word, Access and Excel, and experience working with XML or HTML and databases or content management system A law degree or legal professional qualification would be an advantage, but not essential The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan and the Civil Service D&I Strategy. Benefits Generous benefits package, including pension, sports and social club facilities, onsite gym, discounted rates at our on-site cafe and opportunities for training and development. Annual leave entitlement of 22 days per calendar year (rising to 25 after the first year, and incrementally to 30 days after six years) and 10½ days public and privilege holidays per annum. Any move to The National Archives from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax-Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/ ( opens in new window) Reasonable adjustments If a person with disabilities is put at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes. If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should: Contact The National Archives via careersnationalarchives.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs Complete the ‘Reasonable Adjustments’ section of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment. Security Successful candidates must pass a disclosure and barring security check. People working with government assets must complete basic personnel security standard checks (opens in new window) Nationality requirements This job is broadly open to the following groups: UK nationals nationals of the Republic of Ireland nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window) nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020 Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service Further information on nationality requirements (opens in new window) Working for the Civil Service The Civil Service Code (opens in new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants. We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles. (opens in new window) The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria. The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy. This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans initiative. (opens in new window) Contact point for applicants: Name: The National Archives Recruitment Team Email: careersnationalarchives.gov.uk Further information If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles and you wish to make a complaint, in the first instance, you should contact The National Archives via email: careersnationalarchives.gov.uk If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission at https://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/recruitment/recruitment-complaints/ (opens in new window)