Head of Collections Access, Conservation and Management

NATIONAL TRUST; England; Hybrid; GBP 74,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading heritage organization in the United Kingdom is seeking an experienced Head of Collections Access, Conservation and Management. This role involves overseeing conservation and management at over 300 heritage sites, providing national leadership for collections practices, and developing tools to enhance visitor access. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in conservation or collections management and exhibit excellent leadership and collaborative skills while innovating strategic initiatives that support the organization's goals. The position offers flexible working arrangements and a competitive salary.

Benefits

Substantial pension scheme

Free entry to National Trust places

Rental deposit loan scheme

Season ticket loan

EV car lease scheme

Gym membership discounts

Holiday allowance up to 32 days

Qualifications

• Strong background in collections/heritage conservation or collections management.
• Proven experience delivering conservation projects collaboratively.
• Ability to work within a leadership team to achieve strategic goals.

Responsibilities

• Oversee collections conservation and management at over 300 sites.
• Lead national teams responsible for studio conservation and preventive efforts.
• Develop tools to increase visitor access and support conservation research.

Skills

Leadership

Strategic mindset

Collaboration

Creative problem solving

Education

Professional qualification in conservation or collections management

Job description

We are looking for a Head of Collections Access, Conservation and Management to join us to help us deliver increased access to collections and heritage interiors. You will support the application of collections and interiors conservation practice and collections management at sites across England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

As an experienced museum collections professional with a background in collections management or conservation you will provide inspirational and collaborative national leadership organisation wide. You will support the evolution of our work, setting us up to deliver our new strategy and provide national leadership to our preventive and remedial conservation, collections management and information communities.

You will work among some of the most remarkable heritage sites and their varied collections across three nations. Our sites attract over 8 million indoor visitors annually and your impact and reach will be significant.

This role involves regular travel and occasional overnight stays.

Salary: £74,724 - £89,700 dependant on skills and experience.

What it's like to work here

You will oversee collections conservation and management at over 300 sites and lead national teams, responsible for the delivery of studio conservation, preventive conservation, collections management functions and the delivery and implementation of a new collections database.

You will lead through advocacy working closely with regional Assistant Directors and through the specialisms of your direct reports and their teams who lead for:

• Collections access and conservation practices
• House team training and development
• Science and research
• Studio conservation and partnerships
• Collections registrars
• Collections management
• Collections management information.

You will lead on a new collections policy (in 2026) and key relationships with external bodies, develop high level initiatives to support strategic delivery and develop and support effective communities of practice.

As this is a national role, there is flexibility on your contractual place of work. Our hybrid working policy means you can balance office and home working with site visits and meetings at other National Trust places. You will be required to be in an office or property 40-60% of working week and to come to our office in either Swindon on London around once or twice a month.

What you'll be doing

As high performing, experienced collections conservation or and/or collections management professional you will bring a strategic mindset and a key interest in how you can contribute to the new strategy implementation. You will develop tools to enable increased visitor access and support the review of our conservation guidance and procedures focusing on topics such as embedding a new significance framework and conservation principles, championing data management, and new property procedures. With the oversight of our centrally run conservation studios (at Knole in Kent and Blickling in Norfolk), you will support the pipeline for remedial conservation and critically increase conservation engagement, as well as ongoing projects.

Critically, your strategic leadership skills will allow you to set an enabling and creative culture among your team, supporting evolution in practice and leading for change to increase access. You will maintain and enhance our external reputation for collections conservation and care, collections management and support conservation research.

Who we're looking for

Applications from redeployees are assessed against the minimum criteria for the role. In your application, please provide details of how you meet the criteria below:

• The ability to work pragmatically as part of a wider leadership team to achieve organisational strategic goals to increase public access to collections and interiors.
• A strong background in collections/heritage conservation or collections management leadership
• Experience as a creative and pragmatic team leader delivering conservation projects and initiatives through collaboration with others (internal and external)
• Experience of leading for, enabling and delivering strategic change
• Professional qualification in preventive and remedial conservation or collections management or equivalent in-depth knowledge and experience of conservation/management of collections.

Additional criteria for all other applicants

• Broad knowledge and experience in the application of conservation principles in heritage settings.
• Experience building mutually effective relationships with related professionals internally and externally.

The package

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)
• Rental deposit loan scheme
• Season ticket loan
• EV car lease scheme
• 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