Assistant Curator (Architectural Fabric Collection)

House of Commons

The House of Commons is a unique and exciting place to work right at the heart of the UK's thriving democratic system. 

Behind the scenes, the House of Commons Service is made up of more than 3,000 employees who support and facilitate the smooth day to day running of the House. They provide professional services to Members of Parliament, their staff, and the wider parliamentary community.

Staff Benefits

In addition to your salary, we offer an attractive range of benefits including: 

• 30 days’ annual leave (increasing to 35 days after first full leave year). 
• Civil Service pension with an average employer contribution of 27%. 
• Access to training and development. 
• Flexible working. 
• Interest free season ticket loan and bicycle loan. 

Introduction

The Parliamentary Art Collection includes 10,000 artworks, the majority of which are on display across the Parliamentary Estate, and consists of paintings, sculpture, works on paper and other media ranging from ceramics to textiles, medals and political collectibles. The Historic Furniture and Decorative Arts Collection includes 11,000 objects including historic furniture, clocks, silver and ceramics. It is a working collection with many objects in daily use across the Parliamentary Estate fulfilling the role for which they were designed and made. The Architectural Fabric Collection includes over 5,000 items which were commissioned for the Palace of Westminster but have been detached from the built fabric and historic interiors.

The Assistant Curator (Architectural Fabric Collection) role sits in the Heritage Collections Team (HCT) within SE, reporting to the Curator, Architectural Fabric Collection. The HCT are responsible for the professional management of three collections of national and international importance: the Parliamentary Art Collection, the Historic Furniture and Decorative Arts Collection, and the Architectural Fabric Collection. This Team provides a bicameral service to the House of Commons and the House of Lords, and is responsible for all aspects of strategy, display, collections management, care and conservation, technical and procedural standards, documentation, loans and interpretation.

The Role 

We are looking for an Assistant Curator to join UK Parliament’s Architectural Fabric Collection team. This is an exciting new role in a small team which has been created to support the wider Heritage Collections team through a period of change and development.

The Assistant Curator will undertake essential documentation and auditing of the Architectural Fabric collection to fill gaps in knowledge, and to help further develop an understanding of how and where the collection was used in the past. The post-holder will also use their documentation skills to develop content that will advocate for the collection across the Heritage Collections website and social media platforms.

The successful post-holder should have strong collaboration and communication skills, as there will be many opportunities to collaborate with colleagues within the Heritage Collections Team, those across the wider Parliamentary Estate, and those within the Restoration & Renewal Programme (R&R).

Ideally the successful post-holder will have a passion for architectural or industrial collections and their ongoing care.

Skills and Experience 

• Experience of working in a collections-based role within a museum, historic house or other heritage environment, where you utilised your documentation skills to back up all aspects of collections work.
• A thorough understanding of heritage sector standards underpinning collections care and management across a wide range of heritage object types, specifically, cataloguing and metadata standards used in the sector and application of Spectrum primary procedures in a Collections Management System.
• Experience of object moves and collection audits and of the associated work required, including a clear understanding of the assessment and mitigation of risks to heritage assets, including potential hazards.
• Proven communication skills both written and oral with the ability to convey complex messages clearly, concisely and effectively. A clear understanding of the importance of making information accessible to a wide range of audiences.
• Excellent interpersonal skills with experience of building and maintaining collaborative and effective working relationships with people at all levels; the confidence to challenge and persuade others where appropriate whilst upholding the principles of equality, diversity and inclusion at all times.
• Ability to problem-solve and react to a fast-paced environment in a dynamic and positive way.
• Excellent organisational and time management skills, with the ability to manage multiple workstreams simultaneously, and prioritise workload to meet demanding deadlines.

Next Steps 

CV & Supporting Statement – If you would like to apply for this role, please submit your CV and covering letter with a 500 word limit. 

More information on the role and the full criteria can be found in the Job Description

Please note that most job offers will be made at the minimum of the salary range, other than in exceptional circumstances.