Grade 5: – £22,417 – £25,941 per annum
Fixed Term – Full Time
Contract Duration: 18 months
Contracted Hours per Week: 35
Closing Date: 14-Jul-2021, 12:59:00 AM
The Department and role purpose
In January 1833 Bishop William van Mildert donated 160 volumes to found the University Library, located on Palace Green and in the same year Durham’s first university museum opened to the public. Today the University Library and Collections offers spaces, collections, expertise and services supporting education, research, the wider student experience and cultural and educational outreach. Collections and services operate across a wide estate of libraries, archives, museums, galleries and exhibition spaces, including the UNESCO World Heritage Site on Palace Green. Our nationally and internationally recognised collections span early books, archives and manuscripts, museum objects and art, print and electronic materials and include a repository of digitised materials, research outputs and research data. Our users encompass anyone engaging with our collections, services and facilities in person or remotely, this includes university staff, researchers from around the globe, students in higher education from Durham and other universities, school pupils and teachers, Durham’s local residents and tourists.
We are an ambitious and developing team with a focus on providing the best experience for our students, researchers and the wider community. We are valued partners working with students, professional services and academics across the University, and professionals and organisations regionally, nationally and internationally.
The University Library and Collections is made up of six sections: Collections; Customer Services; Education, Learning and Engagement; Research and Systems; Museums, Galleries and Exhibitions; and Finance and Administration. Staff work flexibly between the sections, 7 enabled by cross-cutting groups, Collections, Education, Engagement, User Experience, Operations, Research, Staff Development and a Programme and Project Steering Group.
The Museums, Galleries and Exhibitions team, under the leadership of the Head of Museums, Galleries and Exhibitions, is responsible for world-class museum and art collections, supporting their care, curation, and discovery, as well as facilitating public and research access to those collections. Our spaces include the Oriental Museum, Palace Green Library (including the Museum of Archaeology) and Durham Castle Museum. We work with pre-school children, primary and secondary schools, undergraduates, postgraduates, researchers and the wider community, both within our venues and through our loans and outreach programmes, as well as increasingly through digital engagement.
The post holder is responsible to the project Assistant Curator, supporting the Curator of Contemporary Art in the management of the University’s Western Art Collection. The post holder will specifically support the project Assistant Curator in the continuation and completion of a full collection audit and the associated tasks this involves.
Core responsibilities:
- Act as more knowledgeable team member without responsibility for team members.
- Plan and organise own workload with or without involvement.
- Resolve queries and requests for information and advice and escalate more specialist and complex queries or issues to more experienced team members.
- Respond to stakeholder needs to deliver and shape an excellent stakeholder experience.
- Apply theory and practice, from professional development and previous knowledge within a service team.
- Contribute to collaborative decision making within the team with joint planning to deliver an excellent stakeholder experience in accordance with policy and procedures.
- Work collaboratively across the organisation and/or externally with colleagues and stakeholders to deliver a service.
- Provide guidance and advice to resolve problems and queries for a broad range of service users.
- Provide feedback to team members about the monitoring and achievement of team objectives and performance expectations.
- Collaborate with team members to implement service alterations.
- Organise and schedule resources and activities
- Analyse work activities to ensure the effective and efficient use of capital and consumable equipment and resources.
- Provide demonstrations and instruction to others outside the team.
- Advise others and make recommendations into work processes and procedures for consideration by senior management to improve services.
- Work with collections management colleagues to ensure that storage, conservation, collections care and records management for the collections meet national industry standards.
- Identify priorities and monitor processes and activities to ensure success.
- Provide more in-depth independent research and analysis activities within the role.
- Liaise with contacts internally and externally contributing to effective collaborative working.
Role responsibilities:
- Deliver support services to ensure the effective and efficient running of outreach, internal and external activities that enhance the Durham reputation.
- Monitor feedback and identify service changes to meet service level agreements.
- Collaborate within the service team and across other services to ensure the seamless provision of products and services.
- Contribute to service user engagement, promotion and communication activities, events and presentation with or without team members.
- Welcome and induct external service providers, contractors and specialists to deliver a range of opportunities, activities and events to enhance the reputation of Durham.
- Liaise across the organisation to update and exchange key service information to ensure advice given to users is the most up to date and accurate.
- Implement and update processes and procedures, including related documentation where appropriate.
- Work with internal and external partners and suppliers to deliver cross-functional products and services.
- Accurately record information, data, and prepare written reports for consideration by management where required.
- Support the management and coordination of activities.
- Prepare and set up equipment and facilities for the delivery of activities.
- Any other reasonable duties.
Specific role requirements:
- Role includes working across multiple sites, often in non-office environments.
- Role involves working on step ladders.
Job Family: Community, Participation and Engagement Services
Our Characteristics: We are a globally outstanding centre of teaching and research excellence, a collegiate community of extraordinary people, in a unique and historic setting.
Our Values: We are inspiring, challenging, innovative, responsible and enabling.
Durham University
Durham University is one of the world’s top universities with strengths across the Arts and Humanities, Business, Sciences and Social Sciences. We are home to some of the most talented scholars and researchers from around the world who are tackling global issues and making a difference to people’s lives.
The University sits in a beautiful historic city where it shares ownership of a UNESCO World Heritage Site with Durham Cathedral, the greatest Romanesque building in Western Europe. A collegiate University, Durham recruits outstanding students from across the world and offers an unmatched wider student experience.
Durham University seeks to promote and maintain an inclusive and supportive environment for work and study that assists all members of our University community to reach their full potential. Diversity brings strength and we welcome applications from across the international, national and regional communities that we work with and serve.
It is expected that all staff within the University:
- Contribute to our learning culture by engaging in mentoring, training and coaching.
- Positively contribute to fostering a collegial environment; as well as demonstrating commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion.
- Have due regard to Health and Safety requirements appropriate to grade and role.
Family key attributes
Roles in this family provide an excellent stakeholder experience for our diverse and supportive community.
Overall family purpose
- Provide excellent student support services, development and extra-curricular activities.
- Align and deliver programmes and activities to meet operational and strategic objectives to enhance the stakeholder experience.
- Respond to stakeholders at the point of service delivery, either in situ or remotely.
- Facilitate the development of excellent colleague and academic engagement.
- Provide a stakeholder focussed service designed to increase widening participation and diversity.
- Promote the Durham reputation by establishing and broadening national and international community links to enhance the cultural and economic viability of the City and region.
- Enhance the Durham wider student experience by developing extra-curricular activities.
- Contribute to and enhance active, inclusive and supportive communities of stakeholders.
- Work collaboratively and network across the University with staff in other families to ensure a smooth, timely and high-quality delivery of service.
- Engage with suppliers, consultants and specialist professionals to deliver programmes and activities to enhance the stakeholder experience.
- Engage and encourage outreach and participation with external professionals, schools, alumni and donors.
- Engage and network with both internal and external stakeholders to facilitate knowledge exchange and impact through local, national and international communities.
Link to key strategic plan
- An economically and environmentally sustainable approach to delivering stakeholder focussed services across the University;
- A world-class student, alumni and donor experience;
- Focussed on the needs of all users working together to deliver front-line services as part of the
- Wider Student Experience;
- Learn from and match best practice in the Wider Student Experience around the world;
- Opening up our world-class sporting facilities to local clubs and athletes;
- Support and facilitate activities as part of the Widening Student Experience at Durham;
- A stakeholder-focused orientation, offering satisfying careers to all staff;
- Ensure that an increasingly diverse workforce is treated equally, fairly and with respect, and that all staff are demonstrably valued and actively engaged.
Recruiting to this post
In order to be considered for interview, candidates must evidence each of the essential criteria required for the role in the person specification.
In some cases, the recruiting panel may also consider the desirable criteria, so we recommend you evidence all criteria in your application.
Please note that some criteria will only be considered at interview stage.
How to apply
We prefer to receive applications online. Please note that in submitting your application Durham University will be processing your data. We would ask you to consider the relevant University Privacy Statement which provides information on the collation, storing and use of data.
What you are required to submit
1. A CV;
2. A covering letter that details your experience, strengths and potential in the requirements set out above;
3. Examples of how you satisfy the essential criteria in the person specification, this will require completion of the ‘Questionnaire’ application section.
The Realising Your Potential Approach criteria is for information only, but may be referred to during the interview process.
Please ensure that you submit all documentation listed above or your application cannot proceed to the next stage.
Contact details
For further information please contact; Alix Collingwood-Swinburn, Curator (Contemporary Art), Alix.j.collingwood-swinburn@durham.ac.uk
At Durham University, our aim is to create an open and inclusive environment where everyone can reach their full potential and believe our staff should reflect the diversity of the global community in which we work. We welcome and encourage applications from members of groups who are under-represented in our work force including people with disabilities, women and black, Asian and minority ethnic communities.
We will notify you on the status of your application at various points throughout the selection process, via automated emails from our e-recruitment system. Please check your spam/junk folder periodically to ensure you receive all emails.
Person specification – skills, knowledge, qualifications and experience required
Essential Criteria:
- Excellent oral and written communication skills and the ability to develop effective working relationships, both internally and externally.
- Proven IT skills, including use of Microsoft Office.
- Possession of, or working towards, a Masters degree in Museum/Gallery Studies (or equivalent) or equivalent experience.
- Relevant experience in a similar role / environment.
- Demonstrable ability to proactively work with team members to ensure the delivery of high quality services
- Ability to solve problems as part of a team and resolve issues, plan solutions and make pragmatic decisions.
- Ability to contribute to planning at operational level.
- Experience of using museum database systems.
- Demonstrable specialist knowledge of 20th and 21st century western art.
Desirable Criteria:
Hold a clean UK driving licence and be comfortable driving a manual gear shift van.
Demonstrable knowledge of differing artist printing methods and techniques.
