Background
The Society of Genealogists (“the Society”) is an educational charity founded in 1911 and is custodian of an extensive and exciting collection of diverse historical and modern, physical and digital records. The Society’s staff and volunteers include experienced and knowledgeable genealogy professionals, with remarkable knowledge and experience of genealogy.
Current Vacancies
Chair of the Trustees
The Chair of the Trustees may serve a maximum of three terms of two years before being required to step down. Following the successful tenure of the present Chair, the Society is seeking to recruit the next Chair commencing from the AGM in July 2025, to continue to lead the Society in its continuing ambition to deliver a rewarding research and membership experience to all of its members in the UK and internationally; ensuring it continues to be a thriving organisation through the next stage of transformation and explores opportunities for growth.
We welcome applications from anyone regardless of disability, ethnicity, heritage, gender, sexuality, religion or socio-economic background.
This role will best suit a candidate who resides in the UK.
Please note that this role is voluntary and unpaid.
Job Description
Role: Chair
Term of Office: up to 6 years, with renewals every 2 years.
Purpose: To chair the Board of Trustees of the Society of Genealogists, ensuring that the charity runs legally and is provided with firm strategic direction.
Responsibilities (specific to the role of chair):
- To represent the Society and act as its spokesperson at external and internal functions, meetings, conferences, exhibitions.
- To lead the Board of Trustees in setting and monitoring implementation of the Society’s Strategy.
- To monitor the performance of the Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”), including a formal annual review against objectives.
- To oversee, or directly manage, the selection of new trustees from time to time to maintain sufficient trustees with the appropriate mix of skills.
- To plan, in consultation with the CEO, the annual cycle and set agendas for the Board of Trustees meetings, the AGM and any extraordinary meetings.
- To chair and facilitate meetings of the Board of Trustees and associated special meetings/committees.
- To provide support and delegate assignments as necessary to the Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees.
- To provide direction, support and impartial objective advice to the Board, individual Trustees and the Society as a whole covering: policymaking, liaison with honorary officers and with chairs of other committees.
- To liaise with the CEO in order to maintain an overview of the affairs of the Society, and to provide support as appropriate.
- To participate in personnel management grievance and disciplinary matters as defined by the personnel policies of the Society.
- To support and contribute to the development of the Board of Trustees, facilitating succession planning, change and conflict resolution.
Essential Skills/Qualities:
- Knowledge and experience of the voluntary and community sector, understanding and acceptance of the legal duties, responsibilities and liabilities of trusteeship.
- To work at all times with integrity, objectivity and honesty.
- Awareness of the commercial realities of a not for profit organisation and ability to balance the variety of requests from membership while ensuring financial stability.
- Proven leader with insight, independent judgement, and ability to think creatively in order to drive the development and realisation of the Society’s strategic vision.
- Experience in a board or senior executive role, leading teams and chairing efficient decision making fora; through effective communication and interpersonal skills including impartiality, fairness, good listening skills, a willingness to speak out where necessary with tact and diplomacy, and an ability to respect confidences and confidentiality.
- Willingness to devote the necessary time and effort to the Society.
Desirable Skills/Qualities
- Understanding of the genealogy sector/market and the Society’s respective position therein.
- Experience in overseeing IT/digital projects and / or multifaceted change programmes.
- Experience in analysis of competitive position.
- Familiarity with and experience of reviewing financial accounts, budgeting and financial controls.
- Demonstrable ability to develop a strong public profile amongst SOG members and in the genealogy community and to provide a strong contribution to fundraising from donations, grant and legacy-giving.
General Responsibilities (with all Trustees):
- To ensure that the Society complies with its governing document (including pursuing its objects as defined therein), charity law, company law, and any other relevant legislation or regulations.
- To ensure that the resources of the Society are applied exclusively in pursuance of its objects.
- To contribute actively to the Board of Trustees in giving firm strategic direction to the Society, including setting overall policy, defining goals and evaluating performance against agreed targets and implementation of decisions made by the Board of Trustees.
- To safeguard the reputation and values of the Society.
- To ensure the effective and efficient administration of the Society.
- To ensure the Society has financial stability and aims to deliver profits to reinvest in its services.
- To protect and manage the property of the Society and the proper investment of its funds.
Respondents should email a CV and covering letter to: Recruitment@sog.org.uk by 19 March.
Trustee
The Board of Trustees is responsible for the proper governance of the Society and meets four/five times a year. Trustees may sit for up to two three-year terms.
The Society is continually looking for new Trustees with different professional skills, experience and backgrounds to help the Society in its ongoing ambition to deliver a rewarding research and membership experience to all of its members in the UK and internationally; ensuring it continues to be a thriving organisation through the next stage of transformation and explores opportunities for growth.
Examples of skills and experience that the Society looks for are:
We welcome applications from anyone regardless of disability, ethnicity, heritage, gender, sexuality, religion or socio-economic background. Non-UK residents are welcome to apply.
Please note that this role is voluntary and unpaid.
Job Description
Role: Trustee
Term of Office: up to 6 years, with renewals every 3 years.
Purpose: To sit on the Board of Trustees of the Society of Genealogists, ensuring that the charity runs legally and is provided with firm strategic direction.
General Responsibilities:
- To ensure that the Society complies with its governing document (including pursuing its objects as defined therein), charity law, company law, and any other relevant legislation or regulations.
- To ensure that the resources of the Society are applied exclusively in pursuance of its objects.
- To contribute actively to the Board of Trustees in giving firm strategic direction to the Society, including setting overall policy, defining goals and evaluating performance against agreed targets and implementation of decisions made by the Board of Trustees.
- To safeguard the reputation and values of the Society.
- To ensure the effective and efficient administration of the Society.
- To ensure the Society has financial stability and aims to deliver profits to reinvest in its services.
- To protect and manage the property of the Society and the proper investment of its funds.
Essential Skills/Qualities:
- Demonstrable expertise and experience in one or more of the skills listed in the box above
- Understanding of working in accordance with Nolan’s seven principles of public life: selflessness, integrity, objectivity, accountability, openness, honesty and leadership.
- Experience in a board or senior executive role.
- Effective communication and interpersonal skills including impartiality, fairness, good listening skills, a willingness to speak out where necessary with tact and diplomacy, and an ability to respect confidences and confidentiality.
- Willingness to devote the necessary time and effort to the Society.
Desirable Skills/Qualities:
- Understanding of the genealogy sector/market and the Society’s respective position therein.
- Knowledge and experience of the voluntary and community sector, understanding and acceptance of the legal duties, responsibilities and liabilities of trusteeship.
- Awareness of the commercial realities of a not-for-profit organisation
We are happy to accept applications (or expressions of interest) at any time and will review applications on a quarterly basis depending upon vacancies on the Board at that time. Please email: Recruitment@sog.org.uk.
Job Description
Archives Assistant
Society of Genealogists
40 Wharf Road, London N1 7GS
Position
- Four days (28 hours) per week, including one rostered Saturday per month
- Salary £26,000 FTE
- Commencing April 2025
- Member of the Collections Panel and reporting to the Collections Coordinator
Core Responsibilities
- support the acquisition of new archives collections
- catalogue the Society’s archive collections
- support and guide processing of archive collections by SoG volunteers
- support access to archive collections
Duties
- contribute to acquisition decisions taken by the Collections Panel
- liaise with depositors and their representatives in the procurement of new archival collections within the remit of the Collections Policy and according to SoG deposit guidelines
- receive, inspect and document receipt of archival collections
- process new acquisitions and reduce backlog
- create archival descriptions in line with sector standards including ISAD(G), and revise outdated descriptions prior to inputting them into the digital catalogue
- support, guide and liaise with the Volunteer Archives Team in the processing of archival collections
- enhance procedures for archives processing by staff and volunteers
- advertise archival collections and volunteering projects through articles/updates on SoG publications and website
- provide assistance to visiting researchers and counter volunteers, if and when the need arises
The above list of duties is not exhaustive. The post holder will be required to undertake such duties that may reasonably be expected within the scope and grade of the role.
Essential Skills, Knowledge and Experience
- experience of cataloguing and working in an archive
- high IT literacy and ability to manage computer-based catalogues and databases
- experience of research relevant to archival collections
- familiarity with resources applicable to family history research, and archive collections held by the society such as family and estate papers, deeds, diaries and research notes.
- excellent organisational skills
- ability to plan effectively and deliver to deadlines
- excellent communication and interpersonal skills to relate to and encourage a range of donors and collection users
- ability to work in a small team and as a team player, working with staff and volunteers
Application process
Applications including resumes may be sent by Friday 4 April to:
The Collections Coordinator, Society of Genealogists collections@sog.org.uk
Please send a CV of no more than two pages and a cover letter of no more than two pages, setting out how you meet the criteria in the ‘Essential Skills, Knowledge and Experience’ list, using the criteria as headings. Please note that we will not consider applications without a cover letter.
We actively welcome applications from minoritised community members who are underrepresented in our organisation.
Join us
As a member, you can make the most of our resources, access our experts, and find a welcoming community of people interested in family history and genealogy.
We all have roots. Let’s find them together.
