Collections Care Assistant

PURPOSE OF THE ROLE

To help maximize our visitors’ enjoyment of National Trust for Scotland managed sites by maintaining excellent standards of service, optimising opportunities to generate income, and ensuring that the site and its assets are safe and secure. 

Specifically, to provide an efficient, reliable service and high standards in collections care and general cleaning at the property. The post holder will work independently on a variety of tasks to help achieve a high level of presentation throughout the property and its associated collection and will work as part of a wider team of employees and volunteers helping to support the property where necessary.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Collections Care

• To carry out a wide range of collections care duties as directed by the Visitor Services Supervisor Collections Care in line with current NTS best practice.
• Care for the collection of furniture, ceramics, metals, textiles, other objects and historic interiors on site. 
• To undertake general conservation housekeeping tasks to ensure standards of care are maintained within the property.
• Assisting with a deep conservation-clean of collections & property and setting up/putting property to bed pre/post season opening.
• Assisting with continued documentation of the collection to ensure collections records are maintained and up to date in line with NTS collections management procedures.
• To help identify those items at risk or requiring specialist attention/remedial conservation and bringing to the attention of the Regional Conservator for Edinburgh & East.
• Help to ensure the NTS Integrated Pest Management regime is in place and monitored.
• Help to ensure Emergency Plans and related equipment is up to date.
• Work with conservation volunteers and take an active role in staff and volunteer training in liaison with your line manager.
• Ensure collections care cleaning and conservation materials are available, properly maintained and stored in accordance to NTS standards.
• Support the Trust’s obligations to minimise impact on the environment, through efficient use of water/heat/light, recycling and the disposal of waste, considered use of transport.

Visitor Services / Events

• To maintain excellent standards of site and personal presentation at all times, and ensure site is ready to open and welcome visitors by the set opening time. 
• Deliver excellent customer care to foster a friendly and inviting atmosphere for visitors, staff and volunteers.
• To assist with the set-up, stewarding and break-down of events in relation to collections across Forth Valley properties in liaison with your line manager.
• To aid property staff and the wider collections care team in creating and delivering specialised public tours and events for the property. 
• To develop collection’s conservation engagement opportunities through participating in public programmes such as Conservation in Action and promote an understanding of preventive conservation and collection care works.
• Contribute collections care content to Culross social media. 
• Work with collections care volunteers and take an active role in volunteer training in liaison with your line manager.
• To support staff and volunteers in the seasonal running of the property, when required, by welcoming visitors and undertaking administrative duties to ensure the delivery of a continuously high standard of visitor care.  
• To provide information to visitors about the site, its history and collections, events and tours. 
• To promote the National Trust for Scotland brand via the membership scheme, events and promoting other NTS properties.

Health & Safety

• To ensure the site meets with Health and Safety legislation in liaison with your line manager and to help instil a Health & safety culture across the property. 
• To assist the property team in reducing the risk of incidents and accidents by being vigilant and identifying collections care hazards.
• To liaise, under the direction of the VSS-Collections Care, with any contractors working onsite to ensure the collections physical security and those working do not contravene Health and Safety legislation.
• To use PPE and safety equipment as provided and directed by your line manager.

DIMENSIONS AND SCOPE OF JOB

Tools / Equipment / Systems

• All equipment and cleaning materials are provided. 
• Conservation and collections care training will be provided.
• This job involves good manual dexterity and special awareness and will include lifting and carrying heavy materials and collections, working at height and use of ladders & scaffold towers.

Workplace Context

• This role is based at Culross Palace but will involve frequent travelling to other Forth Valley properties to help support the wider Collections Care team and Regional Conservator, specifically Alloa Tower and House of the Binns. 
• There will be the requirement to attend work related activity in other properties, e.g. for training events. 
• This role will include keyholding duties and short periods of lone working on site. 
• This role will include weekend working and occasional evening work to help run or support events. 
• This job does not require you to undertake a criminal records check.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS, SKILLS, EXPERIENCE & KNOWLEDGE

Qualifications

• No formal educational qualification required.

Essential Skills, Experience & Knowledge

• The ability to work within a wider team and independently to a high standard.
• Self-motivated with the ability to work alone or with minimal supervision and to do so safely. 
• Willingness to learn new techniques & activities, e.g. collections care, object handling etc. 
• Strong organisational skills and ability to manage and prioritise multiple tasks and busy workloads. 
• A keen interest in history, historic properties, and conservation of their collections.
• A flexible approach to work, with the ability to work at other properties and be adaptive to change while working in a variety of situations. multitasking and working with staff across various departments. 
• Experience of engaging the public in talks or events and providing excellent customer care. 

Desirable Experience & Knowledge

• Demonstrable experience in collections care or cleaning within historic buildings. 
• Good understanding of preventive conservation and environmental monitoring. 
• An interest in history, conservation and the care of collections. 
• Experience of working with volunteers. 
• Knowledge of Health & Safety and emergency procedures. 

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