Assistant Curator Cultural Heritage - National Trust : Job Details

Are you knowledgeable, creative and ready to build your skills with the National Trust?

We're looking for an Assistant Curator whose knowledge and insight will inspire our understanding, care and celebration of some of the UK’s best-loved historic houses, gardens, landscapes and collections of art and precious objects. You’ll also support and build our capability and capacity to gather and use oral histories across National Trust properties.

If you’d like more information about this role before applying, please contact .uk

You’ll be part of the National Trust’s London & South East Consultancy: a multidisciplinary team of experts, from curators and coastal specialists to project managers and archaeologists, who provide specialist consultancy support to the places we care for, to help make things happen.

As this role covers the London & South East region, your contractual place of work will be one of the National Trust consultancy offices. We can discuss the best location at interview. Our hybrid working policy means you can balance office and home working with site visits and meetings at other National Trust places. We’ll talk about this in more detail at interview, but you should expect to be at a National Trust site for 40–60% of your working week.

You'll join a team of Cultural Heritage Curators, working closely with property-based teams and providing all aspects of curatorial support. You’ll use your knowledge of cultural heritage to inspire colleagues and help them engage people with places. You’ll develop high quality interpretation and create diverse and inclusive experiences for existing and new audiences. You'll build positive working relationships with colleagues across the National Trust, and with external partners.

You’ll spend two days per week supporting the work of the National Trust’s sound archive in London, coordinating requests for oral history help and training from NT properties and projects. You’ll co-ordinate a bursary for oral history, as well as work with external and academic partners. You’ll also help to manage oral history guidance, including compliance and GDPR, equipment, and deposits with the British Library. You’ll be thinking about how to embed oral histories into our collections, and use them for engagement through publications, exhibitions, onsite interpretation and online access. You’ll also be exploring potential research partnerships and funding bids.

You don't need to have all the knowledge, skills and experience listed in the role profile to apply. The successful candidate will be supported through induction, and a generous programme of curatorial CPD.

We’d love to hear from you if this sounds like you:

• Confident and knowledgeable in one or more of the following areas: history, art and design history, architectural history, landscape history, museum studies, cultural heritage and social history
• Experience or interest in oral history
• Experience developing engaging and accessible interpretation and visitor information
• Up to date with standards, guidance and innovations relating to the care and management of collections, buildings or landscapes
• an effective communicator, able to build good working relationships
• good at listening, building trust and giving a high-quality service to colleagues
• someone with an eye for detail, good organisational skills and able to work at pace and keep to time
• champion inclusion and always think ‘everyone welcome’

The National Trust has the motto ‘For everyone, for ever’ at its heart. We’re working hard to create an inclusive culture, where everyone feels they belong. It’s important that our people reflect and represent the diversity of the communities and audiences we serve. We welcome and value difference, so when we say we’re for everyone, we want everyone to be welcome in our teams too.

• Substantial pension scheme of up to 10% basic salary

• Free entry to National Trust places for you, a guest and your children (under 18)

• Tax-free childcare scheme

• Rental deposit loan scheme

• Season ticket loan

• Perks at work discounts such as gym memberships, shopping discount codes, cinema discounts

• Holiday allowance up to 32 days relating to length of service, plus holiday purchase scheme, subject to meeting minimum criteria.

• Flexible working whenever possible

• Employee assistance programme

• Free parking at most Trust places

• Independent financial advice

Click here to find out more about the benefits we offer to support you.