Collections & House Manager

We’re looking for a Collections and House Manager to lead on the management of the team in delivering outstanding conservation, presentation, and compliance standards here at Saltram. As part of the Discovery Houses programme and one of the most iconic places in the care of the National Trust, our ambition for Saltram is to create an outstanding 'must visit' cultural destination.

You’ll ensure our indoor visitor offer continues to grow in relevance and accessibility for existing and new audiences through our National Lottery Heritage Fund Project, create a culture of excellent customer care, improve opportunities for visitor engagement with conservation, and work with our Property Curator and others to plan and manage the care and management of Saltram's collection.

Accommodation is provided to the postholder for the proper or better performance of their duties in accordance with Trust criteria and HMRC rules. The two bedroom flat provided on the 3rd floor of the mansion with views over the parkland is accessed via stairs. This comes with Key representative duties as described in the annex. 

Saltram is a magnificent early Georgian mansion at the heart of an 18th century designed landscape overlooking the Laira estuary and Plymouth. Grade I listed for its collection and interiors including those designed by Robert Adam and with a beautiful garden and over 900,000 visits to the parkland last year, Saltram is ideally positioned as an urban property serving a range of audiences. The vision of Discovery Houses is to provide the ambition, create the conditions, and supply resources to improve the quality of presentation and interpretation at the high-profile houses and collections in the programme. Future Saltram and our National Lottery Heritage Fund Project strive to deliver significant change across the property to improve access, deepen audience engagement and improve commercial potential. A capable and engaged team make Saltram a fun place to work. It’s certainly an exciting time to be at Saltram.

As the Collections and House Manager, you’ll be part of the Senior Leadership Team, playing a key role in decision-making and driving improvements in case and visitor experiences.

For more information about our property please visit saltram

Reporting to the Property Curator, you’ll work in partnership with them and your peers across the leadership team to ensure operational efficiency, championing conservation and cultural heritage and working flexibly with other departments to achieve shared goals.

Working with our regional Conservator and the Property Curator, the Collections and House Manager is responsible for developing our understanding of, and caring for, the house and our significant collection. Developing new ways to tell the conservation stories of this precious place and its collection to our visitors is a key part of the role as is using conservation stories to support our fundraising ambitions.

You’ll manage the Senior Collections and House Officer and two Collections and House Officers, ensuring high standards in conservation, collections care and management, and visitor services. The Senior Collections and House Officer manages the Collections Assistants and oversees management of our Collection Care volunteers.  

Your usual working pattern will be Monday to Friday. You’ll act as one of the property’s Duty Managers which includes occasional weekend and bank holiday shifts.

We’d love to hear from people with the following:

•   A proven ability to deliver high standards of collections care and conservation, compliance, and collections management in a historic setting
•   A proven ability to deliver high presentation standards and customer care in the display and interpretation of historic buildings and collections
•   An awareness of current developments and approved practices in the heritage sector around visitor engagement, innovation and access, and passion for promoting inclusivity and diversity in the interpretation and presentation of history
•   Familiarity with Museum Accreditation standards
•   Experience of the operational management and responsibility for a historic house and collection including implementing Health & Safety, compliance and emergency procedures
•   Experience of managing budgets, finances, projects and contracts
•   Leadership skills including coaching, team resourcing and development, motivation, communication and setting strategic direction
•   Experience of working with and managing volunteers
•   Strong resilience and positivity in managing change
•   An ability to build effective and collaborative working relationships with internal and external stakeholders and teams, including delivering through others, this will contribute to building our desired organisational and property culture, ways of working and vision to improve access.
• Experience of undertaking Legal Ownership and Provenance Procedure for Retrospective Inventory Management, Acquisitions and Loans in. 

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.