Collections & House Officer

Job Description

Summary Do you have a passion for people, collections, and conservation We are looking for an experienced professional to join our team at Polesden Lacey.This is a 12-month fixed-term contract opportunity.Salary £22,500 pa. What its like to work here Polesden Lacey is one of the most visited National Trust estates in the South East.The property boasts glorious views of the surrounding Surrey Hills; everything in the garden reflects the former owners desire to impress their guests with lavish displaysthroughout the year and plenty of open space for visitors to enjoy. At the heart of the garden sits the mansion filled with sumptuous interiors as well as an impressive collection of paintings, ceramics, and object dart.The large National Trust shop, caf,and coffee shop are popular additions to the visitors experience.Its an exciting time to lead the Collections and House team.The property is looking to broaden the experiences that it offers for visitors including a major exhibition in the mansion and the delivery of a large-scale Christmas programme.Youll play animportant part in the propertys Collections and House team, a committed group of individuals with a desire to bring the house and its collection to life for visitors. Colleagues have a great team spirit with close links to the local community and neighbouringNational Trust estates.This picturesque property is just four miles outside of Dorking, however, youre likely to need your own transport to get here.Click here for more information about this location What youll be doing Youll be responsible for the daily opening of the house, ensuring appropriate resources are in place to be able to provide a consistently excellent service for our visitors. You will lead a large team of volunteers to welcome visitors into the mansion aswell as care for its collection. Youll manage and supervise a team of Collection Assistants to implement conservation routines, preventive conservation, and an annual deep cleaning programme within the house to ensure excellent standards of care, deliveringstrategies to improve conservation.Youll collect and record information during housekeeping cleaning routines to inform our understanding of the house and the collection and use preventive conservation techniques to improve how we conserve, interpret and present the property. Youll enjoytelling visitors about our fascinating history, sharing tales from the past, creating interpretations, and contributing to property programming. Who were looking for

• Knowledge of customer care and approaches to optimising visitor enjoyment.

• Good team player with day to day line management and supervisory skills.

• Good interpersonal skills enabling relationships to be maintained.

• Some knowledge and experience of managing costs and expenditure.

• Willing to contribute original or imaginative ways to make elements of the collection or house that are difficult to reach accessible to all visitors.

The package The National Trust has the motto For everyone, for ever at its heart. Were working hard to create an inclusive culture, where everyone feels they belong. Its important that our people reflect and represent the diversity of the communities and audienceswe serve. We welcome and value difference, so when we say were for everyone, we want everyone to be welcome in our teams too.Wherever youre from, and whatever your background, we want to hear from youand it doesnt matter if youre jam first, cream first, or even if you dont like scones at all. Everyone is welcome.Benefits for working at the National Trust include:

• Flexible working whenever possible

• Free parking at most locations

• Free entry to our properties for you, a guest and your children (under 18)

• Substantial pension scheme of up to 10% basic salary

Click here to find out moreabout the benefits we offer to support you.