Collections Manager: Historic Furniture and Decorative Arts (Maternity Cover)

Eligibility

This role is open to House of Commons, Parliamentary Digital Service and R&R Client Team employees only.

Introduction 

The Strategic Estates Team aims to deliver a comfortable, safe and efficient environment for Members, their staff and staff of the House to work in; as well as providing a welcoming and functional environment for all visitors to the House of Commons. The department is also responsible for looking after and managing buildings, capital projects and significant assets on the Parliamentary Estate, which itself forms part of a UNESCO World Heritage site. 

 The Collections Manager for the Historic Furniture and Decorative Arts Collection (HFDA) sits in the Heritage Collections Team (HCT) within In-House Service and Estates (IHSE). The HCT are responsible for the professional management of three collections of national and international importance (the Parliamentary Art Collection (PAC), the HFDA Collection and the Architectural Fabric Collection (AFC). 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 

The Collections Manager provides specialist, professional advice for the Furniture and Decorative Arts items and takes the lead in delivering a range of work which underpins the safety, security, storage, access, documentation and interpretation of Parliament's Heritage Collections. You will use your 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 Collections 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 at all times.

Some of the responsibilities for this role include:

• Use professional knowledge and experience to create and update Collection policies.
• Collaborate with teams across both Houses to implement best practice collection care and management procedures that makes working practices more efficient.
• Manage all collections documentation and data entry to Spectrum 5.1 standards eg cataloguing, due diligence, new acquisitions, location control, disposal, object photography, audits, spot checks and rolling valuations.
• Liaise with the Heritage Collections Information Manager to carry out the rolling Documentation Programme which will continue to improve data accuracy and uniformity on the Collections Management System (CMS).

Skills and Experience 

Qualification: A qualification in Museum or Heritage Studies, History, History of Art

• To be successful in this role you will demonstrate:
• Professional knowledge and experience in writing and establishing policies and procedures relating to collection management and documentation.
• Highly organised with excellent skills in planning and prioritising and the ability to work on several projects simultaneously to meet demanding tasks and deadlines.
• Good inter-personal and customer service skills with the ability to deal tactfully and confidently with people at all levels upholding the principles of equality, diversity and inclusion at all times.
• Significant experience of successfully inputting into and managing a Collection Management System to recognised industry standards such as SPECTRUM.

Next Steps and Additional Information

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

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

Contact Details

For more information about the role, or for an informal chat, contact Mary-Jane Tsang.