3 Opportunities in Bristol City

Closing date for applications: Monday 10th August at 5.00pm

Salary: Real UK Living Wage

Location: North Somerset

Start date: 1st September 2026

Duration: 6 months

Working hours: 3 days per week

Looking to launch your career in archives and the arts? Gain hands-on experience preserving the stories behind extraordinary public artworks while learning from leading archive professionals.

Trigger are award winning artists and producers creating artistic work in response to major issues of our time. Led by female Global Majority leaders, Angie Bual and Natalie Adams, Trigger’s vision is to see social cohesion in communities, where people are active, engaged and connected through art and culture with a common understanding and respect for one another. Trigger creates bold theatrical interventions that reimagine and revive public spaces and put audiences at the centre of the action.

Working across sectors with artists, gardeners, architects, costume designers, musicians and more, Trigger creates memorable experiences that engages communities. Recent projects include ‘The Hatchling', the world’s first dragon puppet which flew over Plymouth to an audience of over 30,000 people, and ‘PoliNations’, a spectacular city-centre garden featuring giant architectural trees that welcomed over 150,000 visitors.

The trainee archivist will support the documentation, digitisation and cataloguing of production materials. Through mentoring, training, work placements and hands-on experience, the trainee will develop practical skills and learn the principles and national standards of performance archiving, preservation and collections management. Working closely with Trigger’s head of finance & operations, executive director & joint CEO and external archivists, the trainee will learn how to curate, catalogue and preserve items from one of Trigger's nationally significant collections: ‘PoliNations.’

The trainee archivist will have access to training and a network of performance archivists through Trigger’s membership of the Association of Performance Archives & Collections (APAC). They will also receive mentoring from the head archivist at the National Theatre and undertake week long placements at two major cultural archives - the National Theatre and Theatre Collection at University of Bristol.

If you are enthusiastic, organised and keen to develop a career in archives, heritage and the arts, this could be the role for you.

Key activities

• Learning the basic principles of archiving and preserving a collection of live performance:
  • Reviewing project files to identify items for archiving including photos, videos, posters and production documents
  • Digitising, labelling and organising physical and digital archive materials
  • Supporting the cataloguing of project assets e.g. photographs, films, props, documents and evaluation materials
  • Helping preserve archive materials through handling, cleaning, packing and storage
• Supporting company marketing of the archive:
  • Researching past events using Trigger’s archive, online content and press coverage
  • Identifying stories and content from the archive for public release
  • Creating audio-visual content to support engagement and company campaigns
• Supporting the development of the archive project:
  • Attending and contributing to archive project meetings with Trigger’s team and external archivists
  • Communicating with external archivists for cataloguing advice, sharing best practice and archived materials
  • Supporting project evaluation through collecting feedback and contributing to reporting
  • Supporting fundraising initiatives including research and funding applications
• Training and professional development:
  • Attending monthly mentoring sessions with the head archivist at the National Theatre
  • Completing two week-long work placements at the Theatre Collection, University of Bristol and the National Theatre
  • Completing online training through the Archives and Records Association (ARA)
  • Attending the APAC Annual General Meeting in November 2026 to meet archivists and share knowledge and best practice

What you will gain

• Performance archiving skills
  • Knowledge of performance archiving principles, policies and procedures and national archiving standards
  • Knowledge of preservation techniques and standards for physical and digital items
  • Curation skills in cataloguing, preserving and identifying items for the collection
  • Digital skills using tools including Microsoft Word, Excel and SharePoint
• Creative and professional skills:
  • Content creation skills including video, audio and photography, and an understanding of the purpose of marketing campaigns
  • Research, curation and storytelling skills
  • Fundraising skills including researching and identifying funds and bid writing
  • Project management, administration and communication skills
  • Understanding of how an arts organisation produces, manages and evaluates projects within a charity context
  • Confidence working in a professional creative environment and building a sector network
  • Stakeholder management skills and experience working with archive partners, industry professionals and national collections

What we are looking for

• Basic IT skills and confidence using Microsoft Office applications, including Word and Excel
• Good communication skills and the ability to work collaboratively as part of a team
• Enthusiasm for the arts and creative industries, with an interest in developing a career in the sector
• A willingness to learn, develop new skills and take part in training opportunities
• Strong organisational skills, reliability and the ability to manage multiple tasks and deadlines
• Education to A-level or equivalent, including T-levels, or equivalent experience (a degree is not essential for this role)
• Some experience of working, volunteering or participating in projects within an arts, cultural, community or heritage setting would be beneficial

To apply

• Log in to your Creative Access account or register today to apply for this opportunity
• Upload your CV and cover letter as one document (applications without a tailored cover letter will not be accepted)
• Once submitted, you can no longer amend your application, so proof-read carefully
• Do not contact the company directly
• Please email any queries about this role to Creative Access at this address: recruit@creativeaccess.org.uk

This opportunity is open to Black, Asian and ethnically diverse candidates.

This role is part-funded by the Mo Siewcharran Memorial Fund which supports internships for young talent from ethnicities that are under-represented in the theatre, publishing and music industries.