Senior Collections & House Officer - Bury St Edmunds

Summary

Are you a proven manager of collections, country houses or museums? Can you bring your conservation knowledge to this close knit team? We need someone who can champion fantastic collections care and practise, visitor welcome and the day to day operation of managing volunteers to give great experiences.

This is a fixed term contract due to end when the previous employee returns from maternity leave.  At this point we cannot confirm exactly how long this contract will last, but it is unlikely to be more than 12 months.

What it's like to work here

The outstanding collection of fine art and artefacts are some of the main attractions of this stunning, Italian-inspired, Georgian mansion. They include internationally and nationally significant works of art by the likes of Gainsborough, Titian, Velasquez, or Vigee Le Brun, as well as furniture, ceramics, books, and other material culture, which are all to the highest quality. As one of the National Trust’s ‘Treasure Houses’, the team have exciting times ahead as they embark on celebrating this unique place, putting together a vision and plan that will bring significant changes to the property. If you enjoy providing great customer service and would take pride in supporting this very special property, the team at Ickworth would love to hear from you.

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What you'll be doing

As a senior lead in the House Team, you’ll be responsible for delivering all aspects of the visitor operation at the House, ensuring appropriate resources are in place to provide consistently exceptional service for our visitors. 

You'll line manage a team of Collections Assistants and volunteers to implement preventive conservation, environmental monitoring, and cleaning programmes in the house to ensure excellent standards of care. You'll lead on the planning and implementation of conservation projects, delivering strategies to improve collections care for the property. You’ll also be responsible for the implementation of new collections management procedures, working to sector standards to inform our understanding of the House and the collection, and to improve how we conserve, interpret and present the property.

You’ll develop imaginative ways of engaging our visitors with our fascinating history, and sharing our work caring for the collections. Leading by example you’ll ensure a culture of excellent customer care, engaging our visitors with conservation and the values of the National Trust.

Who we're looking for

We are looking for someone who is passionate about collections and inspiring our visitors, and is willing to jump into any part of the team.    

• A working knowledge of preventative conservation and its practical application. 
• An experienced people manager with excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the capability to work both collaboratively and lead a team. 
• Detailed knowledge of Museum Accreditation standards and a track record of working with digital collections databases. 
• Operational experience of collections management and preventative conservation in a historic environment. 
• Experience of managing a busy visitor operation and working with the public 
• Ability to contribute creative and practical ideas towards interpretation and the visitor experience within a museum/gallery/country house setting. 
• Some experience of managing a budget and finance. 
• Detail orientated, strong work ethic and excellent organisational skills

The package

The National Trust has the motto ‘For everyone, for ever’ at its heart. We’re working hard to create an inclusive culture, where everyone feels they belong. It’s important that our people reflect and represent the diversity of the communities and audiences we serve. We welcome and value difference, so when we say we’re for everyone, we want everyone to be welcome in our teams too.

Wherever you’re from, and whatever your background, we want to hear from you – and it doesn’t matter if you’re jam first, cream first, or even if you don’t like scones at all. Everyone is welcome.

Benefits for working at the National Trust include:

• Flexible working whenever possible
• Free parking at most locations
• Free entry to our properties for you, a guest and your children (under 18)
• Substantial pension scheme of up to 10% basic salary

Click here to find out more about the benefits we offer to support you.