Curatorial Assistant

Description:

The Curatorial Assistant will be a member of the Collections Department and is responsible for professional and administrative support to the Curatorial and Collection Management teams in a range of daily activities and project work.

You will participate in an ambitious and inclusive permanent display and exhibitions programme, and will work closely with the Senior Curator, Senior Collections Manager and other colleagues deliver the strategy for care, access and engagement for the Collections. You will contribute to the efficient day-to-day running of the Collections Department, creating a sense of common purpose, with an openness to innovative thinking and awareness of best practice. You will participate in the strategy for Waddesdon and the RF as a whole and the representation of the Collections within it so that learning and skills are valued and the Collections Department is recognised as an exemplar of excellence. You will work with a wide range of other departments and require good people and communication skills.

The role profile outlines the key responsibilities and duties of the post-holder but it is not exhaustive and you will be expected to undertake other reasonable duties within the remit of the post and which arise out of changes to legislation, regulations or working practices or methods from time to time.

Key Responsibilities:

• Become familiar with the whole collection and develop interests in particular subject areas. Those that would benefit from particular focus include (but are not limited to) paintings (specifically Dutch 17th century), textiles, photographs, books, prints and drawings, sculpture and contemporary art

• Undertake research and information gathering for projects and reports

• Support the delivery of exhibitions, projects and permanent displays

• Assist with planning of events, activities and visits by groups and individuals to the Department. Act as point of contact for these arrangements and liaise with relevant teams to deliver these activities

• Schedule and support meetings of the Collections Department and assist with the preparation of agendas

• Manage the distribution of incoming enquiries about the collections, passing on to relevant colleagues, taking action as appropriate and drafting some communications as required. Keep track of progress on enquiries

• Support research and cataloguing campaigns and assist with inputting information onto the Collections Management system including tidying of information such as checking for duplicate records, checking for missing/inaccurate data)

• Ensure that bibliographic citations about collections, history of Waddesdon, archives and research are up-to-date. Maintain and research bibliographies – other than those through image requests

• Support the Collections Management and Curatorial teams with the maintenance of information about the Collections (analogue and digital). Ensure that Object, Research and Project files are up-to-date and that relevant information is transferred appropriately to catalogue records and other relevant locations

• Provide support to the Image Library, including chasing outstanding publications and contributing to the Digital Asset Management project

• Carry out day-to-day management of the Library, including book ordering, renewing subscriptions and creating catalogue records. Conduct regular audits and ensure that database records are up-to-date and that all library locations are orderly

• Assist with inventories of the Collections

• Assist conservation campaigns and surveys • Undertake digital filing and assist with transferring documents to Sharepoint

Key Skills & Experience Required:

• Undergraduate degree or equivalent

• Passion for art history, history or social history

• Area of interest or expertise in one or more area of the Collections, or demonstrable willingness to develop this

• Meticulous approach to information gathering and record keeping and/or evidence of research skills

• Good organisational and time management

• Good IT skills

• Good communication skills with both internal and external stakeholders

• Able to work collaboratively and independently

• Good team player with a friendly, open attitude

• Enthusiastic and willing to learn and share your knowledge