The National Archives’ Legislation Services team is responsible for legislation.gov.uk, the official home of enacted and revised UK legislation and the only comprehensive free-to-use source of updated UK legislation.
Open data is at the heart of our legislation services. The legislation data we curate and create comprises document data in XML, graph-based data in RDF, and website usage data, metadata about legislation, including amendment and application data, bibliographic information as well as exhaust data from our publishing processes and website operations. Ensuring this data is correct, complete, high quality and consistent is vital, underpinning our ability to deliver new functionality and to aid legal certainty for users.
The Data Manager will quality assure and maintain legislation data in all its formats in line with our data strategy and reporting to our Legislation Data Service Owner, making sure that the data we hold is valid against our schemas, meets agreed standards and is as correct and consistent as possible. They will look for opportunities to improve the quality, consistency and accessibility of the data to support the continual improvement of our legislation services. Confident in working with XML, they will give advice to our contractors on the structure of published legislation and assist the editorial team in maintaining revised legislation by supporting the more complex and technical corrections and help with filling in gaps in the legislation data. The Data Manager will become expert in our various RDF datasets, carrying out analysis and seeking out improvements to the data modelling where they would bring efficiencies. Managing data projects with our contractors as required.
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.
Person Specification
Essential criteria:
* Experienced and expert data manager: Evidence of the experience and skills required to manage or commission documented technical services such as APIs, databases, search engines, editorial tools. Experience of working with structured data, with schemas and ontologies and of managing compliance with templates and rules.
* Experience of implementing data governance best practice: Evidence of the experience and skills required to effectively manage data governance, working with internal teams and external contractors, to ensure data security, consistency, standards compliance, data protection compliance, data validity and integrity, and to manage the data lifecycle effectively.
* Exceptional attention to detail, with the proven ability to work methodically: Evidence of working to a very high standard of attention to detail, with a clear and methodical approach to work and demonstrable procedural skills and abilities to ensure that data is managed to a high quality of accuracy, consistency and completeness.
* Clear communicator: Experienced at explaining technical issues to a non-technical audience with evidence of producing and delivering clear communication to different types of users, including both data re-users, contractors, and non-technical users (internal and external).
* Technical support skills: Evidence of supporting users to help them to more effectively use data and data management tools, including the proven ability to share knowledge provide advice to a range of users (for example internal teams, external contractors).
* Project management: Evidence of delivering successful projects, ideally using Agile methodologies, working as part of a multi-disciplinary team. Experienced at working collaboratively with internal teams and external suppliers to ensure changes are managed with due consideration for the impact on all creators and consumers of the data to ensure that the right solutions are found and agreed upon by all.
Desirable criteria:
* Experience of data processing techniques: Experience and skills in using data processing techniques such as AI or NLP or a demonstrable ability to learn new technical skills quickly and well.
* Experience of working with the types of data that we have: Experience of working with document data in XML, graph based data in RDF, web usage data and exhaust data. Technical capability (or evidence of an aptitude to learn) in XML schema language (Relax NB W3C schema), SPARQL, AKN, OWL and JSON.
* Demonstrable understanding of government data standards and best practices and how they relate to the role of Data Manager.
* Legislative domain knowledge, for example about how UK legislation documents are structured and how they change over time through the process of amendment.
Closing date: Monday 5th January 2025 at midnight