Head of Decorative Arts Conservation

About the role 1

It’s conserving our priceless history for future generations to enjoy.

It's knowing that your work matters. And it's the satisfaction of caring for and presenting one of the world's most extensive art collections. This is what makes working for Royal Collection Trust so different.

The Royal Collection contains 800,000 works of decorative art dispersed throughout fifteen Royal residences and former residences across the UK. This internationally renowned collection comprises works of almost every type from the 16th century to the present day, including arms and armour, sculpture, English and French furniture, ceramics, metalwork, textiles and tapestries, jewellery and objets de vertu, as well as many world cultures works of art.

As Head of Decorative Arts Conservation, you’ll manage the work of the conservation teams, covering seven disciplines, oversee conservation projects and manage a portfolio of your own specialist conservation treatments.

Key responsibilities:

• Manage the conservation programme for decorative art including prioritising tasks, monitoring progress, and reporting any issues.
• Lead and manage the in-house Decorative Arts conservation teams and any contractors.
• Oversee and in some cases directly supervise all conservation work ensuring best practice.
• Coordinate with a range of internal and external stakeholders to ensure the safe storage, transportation and installation of decorative artworks, acting as a courier on occasion.
• Arrange condition surveys for objects and assess conditions in storage and display locations.
• Be an expert point of contact with regards conservation and advocate for RCT’s conservation work through lectures, publications, and appropriate media activities.

This role will be based in Marlborough House Workshops with frequent travel to Windsor.

About you 1

Essential Criteria:

• A degree (or equivalent) in one discipline of decorative arts conservation and substantial conservation experience with highly developed, up-to-date practical skills.
• People management experience gained leading a highly specialist team.
• Experience of scheduling and managing complex conservation projects in a busy setting, preferably within a working collection such as a major museum.
• Ability to work autonomously and use own initiative to solve problems and make decisions.
• Organised with excellent time management skills, able to balance the competing operational demands whilst retaining focus on the delivery of projects.
• A collaborative approach, able to build effective relationships with a range of colleagues and external stakeholders.
• Experience of lecturing, writing and publishing on the field of conservation, for both professional and general audiences.
• Competence in relevant IT (including imaging, databases and spreadsheets).

Benefits 1

We know that to deliver our best work; we need to feel at our best. That’s why at the Royal Household we offer a generous benefits package designed to support your wellbeing and life priorities.

Enjoy 25 days annual leave, rising to 30 days (plus bank holidays) dependent on the length of time you have worked for us.

Our excellent non-contributory pension plan (we’ll contribute 15% and you can contribute more if you wish) is highly valued by our employees, as is complimentary lunch on-site to keep you fuelled throughout the day.

We also offer a range of leave options to support your life priorities, such as parental pay and leave and volunteering days, as well as benefits to support your physical and mental wellbeing.

Other perks include 20% off at our Royal Collection Trust Shops and complimentary admission tickets across all our locations, along with many more exclusive employee discounts.

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