Collections Services Manager in Edinburgh

Starting salary: £34,721

Contract type: Permanent

Grade: 3

Location: Longmore House (with hybrid working)

Working Hours: Monday - Friday, 35 hours per week

Interviews: To be held in person at Longmore House on Wednesday 15 July 2026

The Collections Manager (Services) role is responsible for managing a team of Collections Assistants to carry out a programme of collections management work across the Historic Environment Scotland (HES) estate. The programme includes collections projects and day-to-day work like inventory and audit, preventative conservation, cataloguing and documentation and supporting the management of objects on display and in storage. You will also be responsible for the day to day management of the HES object stores in Edinburgh and associated workflows.

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:

• Delivery of collections management projects
• Working with colleagues to scope and plan collections management project work, including various documentation backlog projects, as well as delivering a regular audit programme
• Working with colleagues to ensure that budgets and expenditure for project work are managed appropriately.
• Ensuring project work is completed to agreed targets, to monitor, assess and measure progress, and ensure that work is completed within time and budget expectations.
• Scheduling multiple streams of project work and ongoing collections management tasks.
• Line management of four Collections Assistants, including managing team rotas, holding regular 1:1 and team meetings, arranging training and development opportunities.
• Working closely with departmental colleagues to support matrix management of four Collections Assistants
• Providing opportunities for trainees, apprentices and volunteers to work with the team to develop staff and support the wider department.
• Managing conservation, transport and other contractors to support the work of the team.
• Ensuring team’s work meets sector collections management standards and health and safety standards
• Performing quality assurance processes for the team’s work to ensure data recorded in collections management system meets agreed sector standards.
• Providing training to the team to ensure consistency in procedures.
• Contributing to written procedures.
• Preparing and implementing health & safety risk assessments.
• Act as a central point of contact for collections store access and have an overview of maintenance, H&S compliance, and emergency response needs.
• Ensure regular audits of equipment and materials are undertaken and supplies restocked.
• Implement housekeeping plans and ensure the spaces are clean and tidy and collections management procedures are correctly implemented.
• Coordinate incoming material requests and quarantine and monitor capacity to manage use of the spaces.

Key requirements of the role:

• Demonstrable experience of managing and motivating people, including managing rotas, developing people, promoting wellbeing, promoting health and safety
• Sound working knowledge of museum ethics, principles and best practice
• Substantial relevant experience in key aspects of collections care and management including collections audits, risk assessments, object handling and movement, stores management, storage and packing, collections object photography
• Substantial relevant experience in collections information management including data entry, working with collections management systems to improve data, promoting and monitoring data accuracy and compliance with standards and procedures, developing and/or managing methodologies for project work.
• Demonstrable experience of setting up work programmes and managing projects, including monitoring budget spend and reporting to a budget holder.
• Able to work effectively in a team and individually.
• Excellent team and cross-organisational working skills, with experience of working on projects as part of a team.
• Able to travel across Scotland with overnight stays as required.
• Full UK Driving License or if non-UK driving license holder: willingness to convert within first 12 months of employment
• Good working knowledge of Scottish history, archaeology and built environment and demonstrable interest in a relevant aspect of Scottish material culture
• Excellent IT skills including email management, word processing (writing high quality reports), good knowledge of Excel and experienced in database documentation.

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.

If you require your application in an alternative format, please reach out to us via email at recruit@hes.scot 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.

To submit your application online, please read our ‘How to Apply’ followed by ‘Apply Now’ button to begin your application.