Assistant Curator: Parliamentary Art Collection

House of Commons

The House of Commons 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 Strategic Estates (SE) Team manages all property and engineering infrastructure across the Parliamentary Estate. The Estate consists of around 14 main buildings ranging from the historic Palace of Westminster to the modern Portcullis House, is located within a UNESCO World Heritage site, and spans 4 conservation areas. SE has an annual budget of several hundred £m, split between around 100 ongoing capital projects and operations, and has several multi-million refurbishment projects planned over the next decade to refurbish some historic buildings and replace ageing engineering infrastructure.

The Heritage Collections Team are responsible for the professional management of three collections of national and international importance the Parliamentary Art Collection (PAC), the Historic Furniture and Decorative Arts Collection (HFDA) 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

You will deliver a wide range of duties which support the curatorial activities of the Heritage Collections team working across the House of Commons and the House of Lords. Based in the Works of Art team, the postholder will have the opportunity to work with a national collection ranging from Victorian commissions for the historic Palace to contemporary artworks and portraiture. Working across a range of collections including paintings, prints and drawings, sculpture, medals, commemoratives and digital art, the postholder will share these diverse collections with internal and external audiences.

You will contribute to interpretation projects for internal and external audiences, support collections research and documentation, respond to collection enquiries and communicate the collections across a range of mediums.  The postholder will manage the administration and documentation of curatorial projects and support the work of the wider Heritage Collections Team as required.

This is an amazing opportunity for an individual to work as part of a busy team, and develop their curatorial skills and experience in a fast paced environment with opportunities for professional development.

Some of the responsibilities for this role include:

• Support the curatorial team with the delivery of their projects and outputs, particularly administrative and logistical tasks.
• Respond to public, member and press team enquiries related to the Heritage Collections in a professional and timely manner.
• Support the management of curatorial resources, including the library, physical and digital files.
• Review and edit collections information on the Collections Management System for consistency and accuracy, contribute to enriching collections information, and carry out other CMS updates as required.

Skills and Experience

Experience:

• Experience of working with collections in a public sector museum, art gallery or historic house context.

To be successful in this role you will demonstrate:

• Planning and Organising – Time management and organisational skills – the ability to manage workloads and prioritise tasks, while successfully working to deadlines.
• Working with People – A mutually supportive and collaborative team working style whilst, upholding the values of equality, diversity and inclusion at all times.
• Communication – Ability to communicate collections information effectively to a wide range of audiences and through a variety of media.
• Knowledge and Skills
  • Strong written skills – ability to produce high quality written content on a range of topics, and also for project documentation and communications.
  • Good research skills – specialist research and advanced information gathering ability in the field of art history.
  • Knowledge of working with Collections Management Systems and improving collections catalogue information.

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.

Please note that most job offers will be made at the minimum of the salary range, other than in exceptional circumstances.

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