Starting salary: £28,620 pro rata, per year
Contract type: Permanent
Grade: 2
Location: Seven Hills Business Park, Edinburgh
Working Hours: Monday - Friday, 35 hours per week
Interviews: To be held in person at Seven Hills Business Park week commencing 16 March 2026
As a Metadata Coordinator you will undertake the cataloguing of aerial imagery, finding aids and associated records. Experienced in the cataloguing of aerial imagery with a proven track record, you will undertake and oversee cataloguing work.
For more information about the post and information about the team, please access the full job description for this post. Please note that if you don't have Office 365 installed on your device, this can be opened using your browser.
Benefits of joining us at Historic Environment Scotland
* Enrolment onto a Civil Service Pension scheme – 28% employer contribution
* 25 days annual leave, pro-rata (increasing to 30 days after 3 years public holidays
* Reimbursement for relevant professional subscriptions
* Support for further education and personal development
* Study leave for work related courses
* Flexible working hours (where appropriate)
* Free entry to all of our properties (with up to three guests)
* Free entry to English Heritage, Manx and Cadw properties
Key Responsibilities of this role
* Geo-reference finding aids and aerial imagery to prescribed technical standards, by using automation tools, and creating textual catalogue data about historical records.
* Collate all digital image data created through programmes of digitisation and cataloguing for upload to the National Collection of Aerial Photography (NCAP) data storage solution.
* Maintain and update administrative records associated with the cataloguing workflow, notably process tracking systems.
* Manage the upload of aerial imagery to the NCAP Geoportal, maintaining standards and working to deadlines.
* Collate images and relevant metadata for each website upload. Ensure accuracy for dissemination on NCAP online platforms through quality assurance checks on all imagery and metadata.
* Create and implement effective workflows for the preparation and subsequent dissemination of hundreds of thousands of images and associated metadata, working with complex datasets.
* Manage a team of metadata assistants, managing their workload and priorities. Train and lead a team of metadata assistants in the creation of geospatial data for upload to NCAP's website.
* Communicate priorities for programmes of cataloguing and website upload preparation to all teams within NCAP. Ensure relevant work is undertaken and track progress of image preparation.
* Decision making responsibility for final form of metadata output and ensuring compatibility with NCAP website.
* Ensure NCAP collection and metadata standards are maintained.
Key requirements of the role:
In order for you to be successful in this post, we will be looking for you to submit a cover letter which addresses how you can meet each of the essential and desirable criteria (in up to 1,200 words), using examples of where you have demonstrated these criteria previously. Please ensure that you provide real life examples for each of the criteria to be considered for this post. You can use examples of how you have met this criteria from your work life, home life, education or volunteer experience. Please read our CV and Cover Letter Guidance first before completing, as you will only be eligible for selection if you use examples of how you meet the essential and desirable criteria.
Essential:
* A good understanding of cataloguing, mapping and geo-referencing.
* Experience of using maps and online earth browsers.
* Good organisational skills and an appreciation of the importance of targets and deadlines.
* Previous experience of cataloguing, as part of a customer-focused team.
* Good written and oral communication skills.
* Ability to work under pressure and prioritise multiple tasks.
* Experience using standard office software packages, e.g. Word, Excel, Access and Outlook.
Find out more about desirable skills and experience in our full job description.
We are dedicated to building a workforce which is reflective of diversity within Scotland. We warmly welcome applications from candidates of all backgrounds, regardless of age, race, gender or gender identity, religious beliefs, marital status, sexual orientation, disability, or neurodiversity. In support of our Gaelic Language Plan, we welcome applications from Gaelic speakers.
We want every candidate to have the best chance to succeed during the recruitment process. If you require your application in an alternative format, please reach out to us via email at or call our Head Office at and speak to a member of our People Team.
Please note that, at this time, we are unfortunately unable to provide sponsorship as part of the recruitment process, therefore you must have current right to work in the UK to be considered for a post.
To submit your application online, please read our 'How to Apply' followed by 'Apply Now' button to begin your application.