Collections Manager: Historic Furniture and Decorative Arts

The Role

The post holder will play a critical role in the understanding of collections management best practice to develop and maintain policies and standards for the care of the collections and work closely with other members of the Furniture and Decorative Arts team as well as the other relevant heritage teams. The Collection Manager leads on increasing the profile of, and access to, the collection, and safeguarding it within the working environment of the Parliamentary Estate, while also managing budgets and other resources to ensure a high standard of database management and record-keeping always.

Team information

The Collections Manager for Historic Furniture and Decorative Arts is based within the Heritage Collections Team which is responsible for the professional management of three historic collections of national and international importance (Historic Furniture and Decorative Arts, The Parliamentary Art Collection and the Architectural Fabric Collection). This Team provides a bicameral service to the House of Commons and House of Lords for all aspects of collections management, care, conservation, documentation, loans and interpretation.

The Person

The appointed candidate must have the following: 

• Degree in either history, history of art, decorative arts or in an associated art/design historical subject

It will also be desirable if the appointed candidate also obtains;

• Postgraduate qualification in Museum Studies or similar, or Associate Membership of the Museums Association
• Project management qualification
• Interest in and/or knowledge of 19th and 20th century Furniture/Decorative Arts in Britain

The Benefits

• Annual leave starting at 30 days pro rata
• Civil Service Pension scheme
• Interest-free season ticket loan
• Discounted membership of the in-house gym

All applications must be submitted on a House of Commons application form. More information on the role and the full criteria can be found on the job description.