Senior Collections & House Officer - Bury St Edmunds

Are you a proven manager of collections or houses? Can you bring your enthusiasm and knowledge of visitor experience to this team? We need someone who can champion visitor engagement, support in creating an inclusive and diverse environment, and lead on the effective management of our significant volunteer team.

Working within a bustling atmosphere as part of passionate team, you’ll be at the forefront of creating an exceptional, museum quality, visitor programme, including exhibitions and displays for the collections and house, with fantastic collections care and practise at heart.

This is a fixed term contract due to end when the postholder returns to the role. At this point we cannot confirm exactly how long this contract will last, but it is unlikely to be more than 12 months,

What it’s like to work here

Reporting to the Property Curator, you’ll join a close-knit team to care for and celebrate a collection of national importance. We benefit from working across departments, delivering an exceptional visitor welcome and audience focused programming throughout the year, as well as ensuring the experiences of our staff and volunteers are positive, inclusive and meaningful.

New and exciting projects means that the team will be looking for committed people to join them. If you would take pride in supporting this very special property, the team at Ickworth would love to hear from you., As a senior leader in the Collections and House team, you’ll work closely with the Property Curator and others to think strategically about the future ambitions of this treasure House.

We have our people at heart. You’ll therefore help build on a positive and inclusive environment for our team members, ensuring everyone feels welcome, safe and nurtured. Leading on the management of over 150 department volunteers, you’ll look to develop the volunteering opportunities available, considering flexible approaches, training needs, solid communication, and ensuring that our volunteers feel valued and have a voice.

You’ll champion strong visitor experience, sharing our values, and ensuring our work links back to our spirit of place. Utilising your creativity, you’ll help deliver an inspiring visitor programme, including displays and exhibitions, as well as engaging activities. We’re looking for someone innovative to evolve our presentation and visitor offer in the mansion, encouraging repeat and new visits, helping visitors connect with our cause, and making a mark within the arts world. With your input, we’ll widen access, deepen relationships, and enable more people to get involved in supporting the work we do.

You’ll also be part of a duty management team, ensuring that day-to-day operations run smoothly and creating a memorable day for our visitors. You’ll be required to work weekends, both as part of a duty management rota and visitor programme activity delivery.

We’d love to hear from you if you’re:

• a skilled leader of people, with experience of managing and working with volunteers

• experienced in caring for collections in a historic setting, with knowledge of collections management systems

• familiar with preventative conservation and how to apply it, both practically and strategically, through programmes of routine and deep cleaning

• aware of health and safety and emergency procedures

• highly organised, with a strong attention to detail

• confident in communicating with all kinds of people

• can demonstrate experience designing and implementing creative programming, interpretation, and museum quality displays

• an understanding of audience insight and how we can use this to better develop our offer

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