Sculpture Conservator

The V&A is looking for a Sculpture Conservator to join the vibrant Conservation team.

The V&A is the world’s leading museum of art, design and performance, housing a collection of over 2.3 million objects that document 5,000 years of human creativity from across six continents. The Museum holds many of UK’s designated National Collections, including sculpture, ceramics, metalwork, têxtiles and furniture. The V&A’s sculpture collection is world famous, this includes sculpture from many cultures and periods including Europe and Asia in a wide variety of materials such as stone, wood, terracotta, ivory and other materials - often polychromed -. It is also home to the National Art Library, which holds the UK’s most comprehensive public reference library for the fine and decorative arts, as well as special collections of the art of the book, and the Archive of Art and Design, extensive archives of over 1,000 individuals, associations and companies involved in the art and design process.

As a Sculpture Conservator, within the Sculpture, Ceramics and Glass conservation team, you will have a recognised qualification in sculpture conservation with significant post-graduation experience and a good understanding of scientific analysis and techniques. You will have a good practical knowledge of the relevant sculpture materials, organic and inorganic, their structure, degradation processes and conservation techniques. This includes stone, wood, terracotta, plaster and ivory, with a focus on polychrome surfaces and mosaics. You will undertake all aspects of preventive and interventive conservation of sculpture objects and have the ability to evaluate conservation problems, develop solutions and produce practical work and documentation of a high standard. You will have experience in planning, prioritising, and delivering to deadlines objects for new gallery developments, exhibitions, loans and collections care.

You will be highly self-motivated and able to organise your workload with the minimum of supervision. You will work independently or as part of a team. You will have good interpersonal skills and be able to demonstrate good communication skills, both verbal and written. An ability to express yourself clearly and appropriately to different audiences is important.

You will be supporting the Lead Conservator for Sculpture, Ceramics and Glass and will work closely with the Conservation Operations team, the Preventive Conservation team, the Senior Conservation Scientist, and other stakeholders such as Technical Services, Curators and external borrowers.