Riksarkivet is looking for a National Archivist

The National Archives (RA) is a government archive authority with a special responsibility for the state archive operations and for the care of archives in the country in accordance with the Archives Act (1990:782) and the Archives Ordinance (1991:446). The National Archives shall oversee the public archive operations and have a national overview of archive issues and follow the archive operations in the country.

The National Archives is the archive authority for government agencies, bodies that store archives arising from the activities referred to in the annex to the Public Access to Information and Secrecy Act, private bodies that store state archives, and the Church of Sweden's archives of public documents.

The National Archives shall particularly work to ensure that these authorities and bodies fulfill their obligations under the Archives Act and Archives Ordinance, develop methods for the production, preservation, and accessibility of documents as part of administrative development, for appropriate disposal of documents, provide municipalities with advice on archive issues, and work for increased uniformity and coordination between state and municipal archive management, for increased knowledge based on research and collaboration with others, and disseminate knowledge within its area of operation, and provide and manage a national database with information about archives.

The National Archives may also receive archival documents from the Parliament and its authorities, the Government Offices, municipal authorities, individuals if the documents are of particular importance for research and cultural heritage, as well as publications of significance for research in the defense area. Documents received for storage must be made accessible through digitization, services for electronic access, and information about the archives. The National Archives shall publish the Swedish Biographical Lexicon and the Swedish Diplomatarium.

The National Archives shall provide services for the digitization of cultural heritage materials and may provide corresponding digitization services to authorities and other public bodies. The National Archives distributes grants to private archives and may provide advice to individuals on archive issues. There is a cooperation council for private archives within the authority. The National Archives also handles the state's heraldic activities and shall work to ensure that regulations regarding the flag of Sweden are followed. There is a board for heraldic activities appointed by the government.

The authority operates in Stockholm, Gothenburg, Härnösand, Lund, Uppsala, Vadstena, Visby, Östersund, Fränsta, and Ramsele. The authority's management is located in Stockholm.

The National Archives is a single-headed authority and is led by a head of authority with the title National Archivist. In addition to the oversight council, the National Archivist is the chair of the heraldic board and the cooperation council for private archives. The budget for the National Archives amounts to approximately 520 million SEK in 2025. The authority has 427 employees (equivalent to 391 annual workforces).

Qualifications

We are looking for someone who is a documented good manager and leader and has:

• experience in leading through other managers,
• experience in leading strategic change and development work,
• good knowledge of public administration and its decision-making processes, as well as an understanding of the political structure within which the authority operates,
• experience in internal governance, cost control, and efficient resource use,
• good language skills in Swedish and English,
• relevant academic degree or equivalent.

You should also have the ability to:

• develop a relevant operation within the framework of established goals and financial frameworks,
• work strategically with competence supply issues,
• communicate, collaborate, and represent the authority in a clear, engaged, and trustworthy manner both internally and externally,
• establish, maintain, and develop collaborations with other relevant actors and coordinate interests, both nationally and internationally,
• lead and develop the operation within the framework of a good administrative culture,
• represent employer interests and together with other heads of authorities develop the state employer policy.

It is advantageous if you have:

• experience from the archive or cultural heritage field,
• experience from digitization or digitalization work,
• experience in knowledge dissemination activities,
• knowledge of crisis preparedness issues and total defense,
• research experience and a higher academic degree,
• experience of EU cooperation and other international work.

Only Swedish citizens can be appointed as National Archivist and head of the National Archives. The position is classified in a security class. A security check with a background check will therefore be conducted before employment.

More Information

More information about the position is provided by Linda Nordin, unit manager. Questions regarding employment conditions and the recruitment process are answered by Jan Lindberg Sezer, Office for Management Supply to Authorities. You can reach them via the Government Offices switchboard, tel 08-405 10 00.

Confidentiality applies to information about individual candidates' identities.

Expression of Interest

Welcome to register your expression of interest and CV in our recruitment tool by March 31, 2025.

The Swedish public administration consists of approximately 200 authorities that are directly under the government. The government employs the heads of authorities and decides on their employment conditions. The salary is individual and determined based on the requirements placed on the position and the qualifications and experiences of the manager. Most heads of authorities are employed for a fixed term – normally the first employment period is six years.