Curator - North East

The National Trust For Scotland; Banchory; On-site; GBP 32,000 - 42,000; Full time

Job summary

The National Trust for Scotland is seeking a Curator for the North East region to safeguard and interpret our collections and interiors for public audiences. You will coordinate curatorial duties across properties, support regional teams, and contribute to research, interpretation, audience engagement and policy-compliant collections management.

Responsibilities include training colleagues, researching objects, developing exhibitions, and helping shape Masterplan projects while ensuring accuracy

Qualifications

• Undergraduate degree in a relevant subject (e.g. art/architectural history, Scottish history, social history) or suitable equivalent experience.
• Experience of working with historic collections and period interiors and/or cultural landscapes.
• Demonstrable experience of curatorial and collections management responsibilities in a museum/gallery or heritage environment.
• Experience of building effective working relationships in a complex, changing work environment and matrix-management structures.
• Competent object recognition and analytical skills, with proven ability to curate a wide range of object types.
• Sound understanding of SPECTRUM documentation standards and the requirements for Museum Accreditation.
• Experience of research from primary sources, producing and sharing research outputs.
• Experience of object cataloguing and use of collections management databases.
• Demonstrable experience of planning audience-focused exhibitions and displays.
• Demonstrable experience of creating and enabling audience-focused interpretive and visitor experience solutions.

Responsibilities

• Undertake curatorial duties for a defined region or sub-regional cluster of properties, supporting regional and property teams to ensure collections, interiors, gardens and landscape elements are well researched, understood, and interpreted for the public.
• Training and development of colleagues.
• Researching collections, interiors, people and places.
• Interpreting our properties and their stories in creative and relevant ways, informed by audience feedback and evaluation.
• Ensuring collections information is accurate and recorded in a manner consistent with policy and best practice.
• Support the development of and ensure work is consistent with policy and guidance on curatorial work, especially research, interpretation, and management of collections, with particular reference to the Curatorial Vision and Strategy.
• Support the development of Masterplan Projects at properties within the region, ensuring strategic direction is informed by strong understanding of cultural heritage and assets.

Skills

Historic collections experience

Curatorial & collections management

Stakeholder management

Object recognition

SPECTRUM standards

Primary source research

Exhibition planning

Visitor experience design

Education

Undergraduate degree in a relevant subject

Tools

Collections management databases

Job description

The National Trust for Scotland’s curators are storytellers. The team co-ordinates research, helps to disseminate stories and supports property and central teams with the knowledge, tools and training that they need to share the histories of our places with our visitors and supporters in engaging ways.

The Curator North East provides curatorial support for the National Trust for Scotland’s North East region, excluding Fyvie Castle which is the responsibility of the Project Curator – Reimagining Fyvie Castle. They ensure that the cultural heritage of the properties in the region is well researched, understood and interpreted for the public. They have particular curatorial responsibility for the object collections and interiors at the region’s properties, but will also work with landscapes, gardens and intangible cultural heritage (ICH), facilitating cross-disciplinary research and ensuing integrated interpretation across all aspects of properties.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES AND ACCOUNTABILITIES

Undertake curatorial duties for a defined region or sub-regional cluster of properties, supporting regional and property teams to ensure collections, interiors, gardens and landscape elements are well researched, understood, and interpreted for the public.

This will include:

• Training and development of colleagues
• Researching collections, interiors, people and places
• Interpreting our properties and their stories in creative and relevant ways, informed by audience feedback and evaluation
• Ensuring collections information is accurate and recorded in a manner consistent with policy and best practice
• Support the development of and ensure work is consistent with policy and guidance on curatorial work, especially research, interpretation, and management of collections, with particular reference to the Curatorial Vison and Strategy
• Support the development of Masterplan Projects at properties within the region, ensuring strategic direction is informed by strong understanding of cultural heritage and assets

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS, SKILLS, EXPERIENCE & KNOWLEDGE

Qualifications and Experience Essential

• Undergraduate degree in a relevant subject (e.g. art/architectural history, Scottish history, social history) or suitable equivalent experience.
• Experience of working with historic collections and period interiors and/or cultural landscapes.
• Demonstrable experience of a wide range of curatorial and collections management responsibilities in a museum/gallery or heritage environment.
• Experience of building effective working relationships in complex, changing work environment and matrix-management structures.
• Competent object recognition and analytical skills, with proven ability and willingness to curate a wide range of object types.
• Sound understanding of SPECTRUM documentation standards and the requirements for Museum Accreditation.
• Experience of research from primary sources, producing and sharing research outputs.
• Experience of object cataloguing and use of collections management databases.
• Demonstrable experience of planning audience-focused exhibitions and displays.
• Demonstrable experience of creating and enabling audience-focused interpretive and visitor experience solutions.

Desirable

• A post graduate qualification in relevant subject (e.g. history, heritage interpretation, museum studies)
• Specialist knowledge expertise and a track record of publications in a relevant subject
• Experience of effective leadership in a dynamic environment
• Experience of developing and managing collaborative research projects
• A strong understanding of how to use evaluation and visitor research to inform exhibitions and interpretive developments.