Assistant Conservator in Winchester

This is an exciting opportunity for a qualified archive or paper conservator to join the small conservation team at Hampshire Archives and develop their skills through the preservation and conservation of a range of archive materials.

Hampshire Archives is a busy local authority record office, based in Winchester, that collects, preserves and makes accessible archives in all formats, from paper and parchment to audio-visual and digital, relating to the administrative county of Hampshire. The Archives have recently secured external funding to conserve, digitise and re-package some of Winchester Cathedral’s medieval parchment rolls many of which are in a very fragile condition.

In this role, you will help with some of the day-to-day conservation tasks, allowing the Conservator to focus on conservation of the Cathedral rolls. However, you will also have training in parchment conservation and participate in the rolls project alongside your other duties.

As a part-time role this could suit someone with caring responsibilities, and we would be flexible around how the hours are delivered.

What you’ll do:

• Under the guidance of the Conservator, you will undertake a wide variety of tasks to help look after the collections. These will include:
• Assessing the condition of damaged items
• Cleaning and packaging items
• Carrying out remedial conservation treatments
• Keeping up to date documentation on the collections management system
• Monitoring the strongroom environment and implementing the Integrated Pest Management system
• Ordering materials and equipment as necessary

What we’re looking for:

You will have a recognised qualification in archive or paper conservation with ideally some post qualification practical experience. Good attention to detail and excellent manual dexterity is also a must. We require a self-motivated person with good interpersonal skills who is comfortable working both independently and as part of a team. The work can be varied with different challenges so someone with a can-do attitude who can adapt to change is essential!

The role is based on site, and therefore this is not suitable for homeworking. This 12-month contract provides an excellent chance for a recently qualified or early career conservator, or someone returning to conservation after a break, to gain hands on experience working in a busy record office. You will develop your skills in conservation through preserving and conserving a range of archival materials. Practical training in parchment conservation is planned as part of the project.

Hampshire County Council is recognised nationally as one of the highest performing local authorities in the UK. A modern, forward-looking local authority, it offers a pleasant, supportive, and collaborative working environment. Our benefits package includes details of the holiday entitlement, pension scheme, flexi-time scheme, family friendly policies and interest free travel loans and discounts. We offer a flexible, motivating and inclusive workplace. We have created an environment that you can look forward to being a part of, where you are empowered to be your best and a workplace built on teamwork where people can grow and develop in their roles.

Hampshire County Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults. We expect all employees, workers and volunteers to share this commitment. We will ensure that all our recruitment and selection practices reflect this commitment. In order to combat discrimination, no unnecessary conditions or requirements will be applied which could have a disproportionately adverse effect on any one group. All sections of the population will have equal access to jobs. No applicant or employee will receive less favourable treatment because of age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, marriage or civil partnership and pregnancy or maternity, unless a Genuine Occupational Requirement (GOR) applies. We are a Disability Confident Employer - committed to ensuring that our recruitment and selection process is inclusive and accessible.