Heritage Collections Information Assistant

1
C
£27,500 per annum
Permanent
Full Time
Starting at 30 days per annum, pro-rata

24th February 2023 at 23:55

Interviews are likely to be week commencing 13th March

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, sculptures, 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 that were commissioned for the Palace of Westminster but have been detached from the built fabric and historic interiors.

The Collections Information Assistant role sits in the Heritage Collections Team (HCT) within Strategic Estates, reporting to the Heritage Collections Information Manager. The HCT is 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 a Heritage Collections Information Assistant to join UK Parliament’s Architectural Fabric Collection team. This is an exciting and important period for Parliament's heritage collections as preparations are made for the decant of large areas of the Parliamentary Estate for the Restoration and Renewal (R&R) project https://restorationandrenewal.parliament.uk   

The Heritage Collections team wants to improve, increase, and streamline its collection data. This will greatly benefit the planning and preparation required to decant and move the collections and provide good-quality content for the recently launched Heritage Collections website. This position will play an essential role in ensuring that the collections are recorded to a high standard in accordance with SPECTRUM and, where necessary, that other material is digitised. The Collections Information Assistant will be heavily involved in the task of carrying out data cleansing projects with a view to improving information standardization throughout the collections. This post is also a key public-facing role as it leads on responding to Member, staff, and public queries via the Heritage Collections Inbox.

Skills and Experience 

  • Good experience working with collections documentation in a museum, public art gallery, or historic building context.
  • Strong understanding of museum/gallery documentation policies and standards (Spectrum) underpinning collections management across a wide range of heritage object types.
  • Experience in using museum databases and collections management software.
  • Ability to work collaboratively and independently in a variety of environments. And to uphold the values of equality, diversity, and inclusion always.
  • Good communication skills with the ability to communicate both orally and in writing with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders.
  • An understanding of the general principles of rights management.

Next Steps 

CV & Cover Letter – 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

This Vacancy is closed to applications.