Historical Records Specialist

Find your magic with usConnecting people to their family stories is special. We're proud to deliver these magic moments. Through technology, data and insights, we bring people closer to their past, to benefit their future. ​​We’re a fast-growing team of smart people, on a mission to help millions. Solve meaningful, complex problems and be a part of something magical. Enjoy the agility of a scale-up with the security of real financial backing, in a place where every story matters.Why join our Content Operations team?We’re driven by the desire to create a fantastic customer experienceWe believe it is an honour to have a role in preserving and discovering people’s history.We love nothing more than taking big data and making it quick and easy for our consumers to useWe’re naturally collaborative and our cross functional teams work closely with our colleagues to build / enhance our productWe’re neatly set up for flexible working and giving people the freedom to thrive.We have small teams that give you the chance to try out different problems whilst making a real difference to the businessWe’re a supportive bunch and actively encourage mentorship, peer learning and discussion through our active engineering communities.You won’t find any bureaucracy here, but you will find:Generous holiday allowance with the chance to buy moreA pension contribution that stands out in the market (9.5% matched company contribution with a 6% contribution from the employee's side).All the health and wellbeing benefits you’d expect and some you wouldn’t (Careers Page)The chance to work with smart and fun people on products that will bring joy to millions.As a remote-first organisation, Findmypast employees choose how and where in the UK they work best, whether that's from home or at one of our offices. Yet, we recognise the value in seeing each other in person from time to time.About the Role:This position is part of our Content and Licensing department. The teams are responsible for the identification and acquisition of new historical records and newspapers, digitisation and transcription of historical material, and the publication of millions of records to Findmypast and the British Newspaper Archive every year. Findmypast works with partners in the UK and Ireland and around the world. We are known for excellence in content and digitisation.Reporting to the Head of Digitisation, you'll play a critical role in the digitisation and transcription of historical records. You'll collaborate with licensing partners, archives, and independent contributors to enhance our data, ensuring it is accurate, searchable, and valuable to customers.You’ll work alongside our licensing managers and data developers to enhance the historical records we have already published and offer our customers the best family history research experience.Here’s what the role involves: Conducting image and transcription quality assurance and user acceptance testing on sample images to ensure accuracy and reliability.Evaluate sample outputs from transcription houses to maintain high standards of data quality and consistency.Curation of search screens both test and live environments, ensuring functionality and user-friendliness.Writing comprehensive data capture documents including keying rules and examples, to guide transcription processes. Answering queries related to transcription.Train transcription operators on high-value projects, ensuring they understand project-specific requirements and standards. Compile controlled vocabularies to standardize terms and improve search accuracy.Using a project management tool to track project progress and resolve issues.Creating and standardising metadata to ensure consistency and to enrich data quality and usability.Correcting transcription errors using internal tooling to correct errors on live sites, ensuring data accuracy.Standardising and enhancing data to ensure it is consistent, accurate, and easily searchable.Identifying and addressing data gaps or issues in genealogical data to improve completeness and reliability.Working with Data Developers to efficiently deliver project tickets, ensuring seamless project execution and delivery.About you:Do you have...?Experience with archive catalogues or digitisation methodology.Knowledge of cataloguing, metadata, and information organisation.Understanding of historical research methods, academic education, and digitisation of primary sources.Experience of British and/or Irish genealogy.Can you…?Be flexible and adaptable to meet the needs of a growing, global business.A commitment to quality in all aspects of service delivery.Exceptional attention to detail.Self-motivated and able to work independently.Flexible and adaptable with a ‘can do’ attitude.Ability to multi-task and respond to changing circumstances.Strong initiative and minimal supervision required.If you said yes to these, and this all sounds appealing, then get in touch. This could be the start of something special.What to expect next:Our interview process is fast and goes like this:An initial call with a member of our team (30 mins)First interview with two members of the Content & Licensing team (1 hour)A data standardisation task (30 minutes)An interview with two members of our senior team (1 hour)We don’t want our approach to hold anyone back, so if we need to tweak this for you, please just ask. Plus we’d love to know your pronouns so please let us know when you apply.We want Findmypast to be the best company for all our diverse employees and customers. If you’d like a deeper understanding of our commitment to diversity, check out our careers page.BenefitsWe're passionate about making FMP a great place to work and setting people up to succeed. Findmypast is a remote-first organisation with office hubs in London and Dundee. This role is permanent remote-first position, working 35 hours per week, with regular team days in our London Fleet Street office. We offer a generous package including 26 Days Holidays + Bank Holidays, health cash plan, corporate gym discounts, excellent pension, a competitive salary, and many more staff discounts and benefits.We are an equal opportunity employer and want Findmypast to be the best company for all our diverse employees and customers. We encourage applications from everyone and do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, colour, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability status or any other protected characteristics. If you’d like a deeper understanding of our commitment to diversity, check out our careers page. Should you require adjustments to be made to the recruitment process, please let us know and if you’d like to share your pronouns then please do!If you are a recruitment agency, please be aware that we're not looking for additional assistance with recruitment. Please do not send us CVs. We will not be responsible for fees related to unsolicited CVs.