Appointments to the National Archives Advisory Council

The Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport invites applications to appoint 10 suitably qualified candidates, including a Chairperson, to sit on the National Archives Advisory Council (NAAC).

The NAAC was established in January 1987 under National Archives Act, 1986, Section 20. It is an advisory board whose remit is to advise the Minister with responsibility for the National Archives – the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport – in the exercise of his/her powers under the Act and on all matters affecting archives and their use by the public. The NAAC’s primary function is to be a voice and national platform for records and archival issues. It has an extremely limited governance role and primarily focuses on advocacy and awareness raising.

Candidate’s attention is drawn to the general details of the role of Chairperson as set out on page 18 of the Code which can be found here. The Principle states:-

  • The Chairperson is responsible for leadership of the board and ensuring its effectiveness on all aspects of its role.
  • The Chairperson should display high standards of integrity and probity and set expectations regarding culture, values, and behaviours for the State body and for the tone of discussions at board level.

Essential

Candidates wishing to apply must demonstrate in their application evidence of experience at the appropriately senior level in the following areas:

  • Previous experience of board membership and ideally experience of chairing a board
  • A professional background in an area which would indicate a demonstrable understanding of the context under which the National Archives operates with regard to transparency and accountability, and the evidential weight of records in general, and archives in particular.

Council Members

Essential

Candidates wishing to apply must demonstrate in their application evidence of experience at the appropriately senior level in one or more of the following profiles.

Profile 1: Archivists

Candidates must be professional archivists* with an accredited qualification, and with relevant experience in two or more of the following areas:

  • Records Management particularly experience of departmental records across all formats
  • Digital Preservation Systems
  • Records appraisal and survey experience
  • Information management compliance

* In line with National Archives Act, 1986, Section 20 members of the Council shall include at least two archivists not employed by the National Archives.

Profile 2: Senior professional

Candidates should have recognised professional experience in a relevant field, such as

  • Archival or information management sciences
  • Conservation practices
  • Law
  • Digital humanities

Profile 3: Technical/ICT

Candidates should have leadership experience of ICT, such as data management or digital preservation and experience in one or more of the following areas:

  • Data Analysis and Storage
  • Information legislation
  • Digital Preservation Systems and Processes

Profile 4: Stakeholder Engagement

As part of the National Archives’ preparation to establish the archival element of the National Centre for Research and Remembrance, applications are encouraged from candidates who have:

  • lived experienced of Ireland’s institutional and family separation systems (adoption, boarded out, Magdalene Laundries, Mother and Baby Institutions, residential and industrial schools, county homes and related institutions).

Closing Date: 15:00 on 10th of March 2026

For those wishing to read the Candidate Information Booklet and apply, see the Public Jobs website here