Conservation Manager

Historic Environment Scotland; City of Edinburgh; Hybrid; GBP 39,000 - 48,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Civil Service Pension (28% employer)

25 days annual leave + 11.5 holidays

Subscriptions reimbursement

Study leave and education support

Flexible working hours

Free entry to properties

Liaison with heritage organisations

Job summary

Historic Environment Scotland is seeking an experienced Archivist Conservator to lead the care and conservation of the HES Archive. You will manage strong rooms, environmental monitoring, and risk procedures while guiding a team of paper conservators and coordinating conservation projects.

You will support conservation studio operations, oversee off-site programmes, and contribute to exhibitions, digitisation, and public engagement.

Qualifications

• recognised qualification in Paper Conservation or other relevant conservation discipline
• Significant knowledge of ethics and best practices in conservation
• Experience managing a conservation studio with paper, photographic and preventive conservation
• People management experience
• Experience in an archive setting providing support and advocacy
• Project management experience with work programmes and contractors
• Ability to work autonomously with competing priorities
• Excellent IT skills including Excel and document writing
• Experience delivering exhibition programmes
• Experience implementing Archive Accreditation Standards
• Full UK Driving Licence or willingness to convert
• Knowledge of risk management including COSHH and manual handling

Responsibilities

• Care and conservation of the HES Archive with risk management
• Manage a team of professional paper conservators and staff development
• Oversee conservation studio, strong rooms and off-site programmes
• Develop and deliver conservation programmes and commissioning projects
• Provide incident planning training and risk management
• Lead public order, digitisation and display activities within conservation services
• Procurement and tender writing for equipment and services
• Undertake R&D in conservation
• Align work with HES Corporate plan for heritage care
• Enable public access through improved handling and digitisation readiness
• Lead tours of conservation facilities for engagement
• Develop departmental policies and processes
• Disseminate conservation standards and provide staff training
• Respond to inquiries and contribute to research and publications
• Collaborate with internal and external stakeholders including travel to off-site locations
• Contribute to Archives Department management and planning
• Supervise contractors and coordinate with Facilities on storage and safety
• Provide specialist conservation training to staff and external audiences
• Perform other duties as requested by senior leadership

Skills

People management

Project management

Autonomy

Exhibition programme management

COSHH and health & safety

Excellent IT skills

Driving licence

Education

Qualified in Paper Conservation

Full UK Driving Licence

Tools

Excel

Database documentation

Email management

Job description

Job Description

Starting salary: £43,227

Contract type: Permanent

Grade: 4

Location: John Sinclair House (with hybrid working)

Working Hours: Monday - Friday

Interviews: To be held in person at John Sinclair House on Tuesday 3 November 2026

You will be responsible for the remedial and preventive conservation service for the HES Archive Collections. You will manage a programme delivering projects that focus on key conservation objectives such as improving the condition of the archive to support access, exhibitions or digitisation, managing risk to collections through environmental monitoring and incident preparedness, and managing physical storage and infrastructure in the Strong Rooms. You will work closely with conservator colleagues in the department, to deliver on priorities and programmes of work and to provide a seamless archive service for HES.

For more information about the post and information about the team, please access the full job description here for this post. Please note that if you don't have Office 365 installed on your device, this can be opened using your browser.

Benefits of joining us at Historic Environment Scotland

• Enrolment onto a Civil Service Pension scheme - 28% employer contribution
• 25 days annual leave, pro-rata (increasing to 30 days after 3 years) + 11.5 public holidays
• Reimbursement for relevant professional subscriptions
• Support for further education and personal development
• Study leave for work related courses
• Flexible working hours (where appropriate)
• Free entry to all of our properties (with up to three guests)
• Free entry to English Heritage, Manx and Cadw properties

Key Responsibilities of this role

• Responsible for all aspects of the care and conservation of the HES Archive including risk management procedures of associated activities. This includes day to day management of strong rooms; environmental monitoring; housekeeping and pest trapping programmes; supporting management of the conservation studio and managing improvement projects.
• You will assist with managing a programme of work for a team of professional paper conservators including objective setting, appraisal, performance management, training, development and wellbeing.
• You will assist with management of the conservation studio, strong room and off-site programmes of collections care.
• Responsible for the development, progress reporting and delivery of conservation programmes, including occasional commissioning or outsourcing remedial conservation projects.
• Provision of the Incident Planning programme and annual training to key staff in response and recovery procedures. Management of risks to the archive through survey, assessment and benchmarking exercises, and programmes of work. Management of health and safety and compliance within the Department. You will prepare and implement Health and Safety risk assessments, including COSHH assessments, and manage procedures for staff required to handle both archive and equipment, often at height, within safe manual handling parameters. You will also be expected to participate in such activities.
• You will contribute to managing a Conservation Service for public orders, digitisation and internal or small-scale displays. Contribute to the management and delivery of temporary exhibition programmes, in accordance with current loan agreements and meet agreed conservation standards for display and transit.
• Contribute to procurement, including writing tender documents; procuring services for specific equipment maintenance and looking for sustainable options to deliver on the HES Climate Action Plan.
• Undertake research and development in specialist conservation areas.
• Your input is essential to deliver the outcomes of HES' Corporate plan, particularly that the historic environment will be looked after, protected and managed for the generations to come
• Ensure that the Conservation Service enables public access through improving the condition of objects to be handled in the Search Room or prepared for safe digitisation for online access.
• Contribute to and lead tours of the conservation and strong room facilities as part of engagement with audiences (external and internal).
• Contribute to the development and revision of departmental policies and effective operational processes.
• Responsible for the provision and dissemination of relevant conservation standards and procedures to ensure better care and condition of the archive, and for providing staff training to ensure the standards are communicated and upheld, including managing improvements on areas such as display, condition, environment and access.
• Using your knowledge of the content of the archive, you will answer enquiries and contribute to and sometimes lead on the development of research, exhibition, writing articles and publications which promote the archive to encourage use and engagement by a wide range of audiences.
• Work both internally and externally to build and manage stakeholder relationships to ensure collections care standards are met, and it is expected that you will travel to visit off-site locations, external stakeholders or to represent HES at conferences or events.
• As one of the managers in the Department, you have a role to play in the overall management of the Archives Department, contributing to the implementation and delivery of organisational plans.
• You will also be expected to work with and manage or supervise contractors and to work with Facilities in matters relating to maintenance of the strong rooms. This will include making sure that contractors are briefed, supervised and follow set protocols on storage, handling, transit and risk.
• Provide specialist advice and training on all matters of conservation and collections care (including incident response and risk management) to Archive Staff as well as other relevant departments across HES responsible for the care of cultural heritage, and on occasion to external audiences.
• Other duties as requested by the Head or Deputy Head of Archives.

Key requirements of the role:

In order for you to be successful in this post, we will be looking for you to submit a cover letter which addresses how you can meet each of the essential and desirable criteria (in up to 1,200 words), using examples of where you have demonstrated these criteria previously. Please ensure that you provide real life examples for each of the criteria to be considered for this post. You can use examples of how you have met this criteria from your work life, home life, education or volunteer experience. CV and Cover Letter Guidance first before completing, as you will only be eligible for selection if you use examples of how you meet the essential and desirable criteria.

Essential:

• A recognised qualification in Paper Conservation or other relevant conservation discipline.
• Significant knowledge and understanding of the ethics, principles, standards and best practice of the conservation profession.
• Demonstrable experience of managing a conservation studio, with strong knowledge and skills in paper, photographic, and preventive conservation.
• People management experience
• Good knowledge, skills and experience of working in an archive setting, including demonstrable ability to provide support, advice and advocate, in a cultural heritage setting
• Demonstrable experience of project management, setting up and managing work programmes, as well as including commissioning and overseeing contractors.
• Ability to work autonomously and manage competing priorities
• Excellent IT skills including email management, word processing (writing high quality reports), good knowledge of Excel and experienced in database documentation.
• Experience of managing and delivering exhibition programmes.
• Experience of implementation of Archive Accreditation Standards
• Full UK Driving Licence or if non-UK driving license holder a willingness to convert within first 12 months of employment
• Knowledge and experience of managing risk management procedures and assessment including COSHH alongside completing manual handling tasks and working at height.

Find out more about desirable skills and experience in our full job description here.

We are dedicated to building a workforce which is reflective of diversity within Scotland. We warmly welcome applications from candidates of all backgrounds, regardless of age, race, gender or gender identity, religious beliefs, marital status, sexual orientation, disability, or neurodiversity. In support of our Gaelic Language Plan, we welcome applications from Gaelic speakers.

We want every candidate to have the best chance to succeed during the recruitment process. If you require your application in an alternative format, please reach out to us via email at [e-mail] or call our Head Office at 0131 668 8600 and speak to a member of our People Team.

Please note that, at this time, we are unfortunately unable to provide sponsorship as part of the recruitment process, therefore you must have current right to work in the UK to be considered for a post.