Collections Assistant

We protect everything from bats to buildings to beaches – and we want to share them with everyone too. But how do we care for our special places, while helping everyone to enjoy them and their fascinating stories? It’s no small task. In fact, it’s a big team effort and it’s why our Collections Assistant are so important.

Collections Assistants play a key role in looking after fascinating objects and ensuring that the House is presented to an excellent standard for our visitors.

Salary: £11.64 an hour

Duration: Permanent

Hours: 22.5 hours a week. Weekends, bank holidays and school holidays are often our busiest times, so you'll be required to work regular weekends - usually one weekend day per week with a day off during the week. 

Interview date: Thursday 21st November 2024

Because Oxburgh Estate is in a rural area, please think about how you’d be able to get here for work, before you apply for this job.

For this role, you’ll need to complete our online assessment instead of using a C.V. or online application form. This will help us understand more about your strengths and give you more information on the role.

This romantic 15th century manor house has a real ‘wow’ factor. With its castle-like exterior and panoramic views, Oxburgh Estate’s Collection team love working in this beautiful environment. We have a collection of over 5000 items, ranging from household fittings to the internationally significant Oxburgh Hangings – embroideries created by Mary Queen of Scots and Bess of Hardwick. 

It is an exciting time at Oxburgh, as we continue to develop our visitor offer in different ways and share the wonders of the collection and interiors of the Hall with our many visitors. 

Click here for more information about this location

Reporting to a Collections & House Officer, you’ll be working with a friendly and supportive team in an incredible place, helping with day-to-day cleaning and the more in-depth care of the collections. No detail will go unnoticed, and you’ll keep a keen eye on everything from the environmental conditions in a room, to signs of wear and tear. You’ll keep accurate records too, helping to make sure our electronic collections database is kept up to date. Conservation-based events form an important part of our visitor offer and we’d love you to talk to visitors about the work you’re doing and the collections we have.

 As part of the Collections team, you will help to open the House to visitors, and brief our Volunteer Visitor Hosts and sometimes be their point of contact throughout the day.

We’re keen to help you develop in the role and will ensure you get the on-the-job training you need, as well as encourage you to take up relevant learning opportunities where available.

You can view the full role profile for this role in the document attached. You don't need to have all of the knowledge, skills and experience listed in the role profile; this is just to provide a full picture of what’s possible in this role.

We'd love to hear from you if you're;

• A team player, but can also work on your own initiative
• Well organised and adaptable?  
• Customer focused with a positive attitude?  
• Willing to learn new skills?  
• Someone with good manual dexterity and hand-to-eye skills and ability to work from ladders and tower scaffold 

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

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