Nicholas Archer was born on 24 December 1960, the son of Thomas Stewart Archer and Marjorie Anne Archer (née Mackenzie). He was educated at Denstone College and the University of Durham (BA 1982) and in 1999 married Erica Margaret Power, having two sons.

Archer entered the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in 1983 and his diplomatic career included: Third, later Second Secretary, Amman [Jordan], 1986–89; Near East and North Africa Department, FCO, 1989–92; Private Secretary to Douglas Hogg [later 3rd Lord Hailsham], Minister of State, FCO, 1992–94; First Secretary (Trade and Economic), Oslo [Norway], 1995–97; Assistant Private Secretary to the Prince of Wales, 1997–2000; Head of North East Asia and Pacific Department, FCO, 2001–02; Head of Near East and North Africa Department, FCO, 2002–05; High Commissioner, Malta, 2006–08; Ambassador to Denmark, 2008–12; Director, Strategic Trade, 2012–14, Managing Director, Policy and Network Development, 2014–16, UK Trade and Investment; Ambassador to Czech Republic, 2018–23.