Senior Remedial Furniture Conservator

Job content

The National Trust’s furniture collection is as significant as it is varied. With approximately 55,000 individual pieces, the Trust’s holdings of furniture rank amongst the largest and most important international collections in the world. With much gratitude to the Royal Oak Foundation’s significant gift of £3 million we can develop the Trust’s in-house furniture conservation offer in the Royal Oak Foundation Conservation Studio at Knole, Sevenoaks.

We are recruiting for a full-time, permanent Senior Conservator specialising in the conservation of furniture. There are opportunities to work flexibly and we will consider part-time working for the right candidate. The role brings a wealth of opportunity for an experienced and forward-thinking candidate to scope and integrate their expertise in conservation treatment and develop this conservation facility.

What you’ll be doing

As an emerging in-house service, we are building a team of conservators to deliver remedial conservation treatments and provide a facility that enables properties to fulfil their conservation and access plans.

You will be supporting new ways of working to deliver sustainable conservation treatments and excellent customer service. As part of the team you will be assisting decision making around shared equipment for technical examination and treatment. Most of your time will be spent at the Studio delivering conservation work on furniture. Site work at National Trust properties will also be required to undertake condition surveys, prepare estimates and in-situ conservation, overnight stays will on occasion be required.

Your work will be focussed around delivering the National Trust’s cause for conservation. As a flagship studio, which is open to the public Wednesday – Saturday, we are working to deliver a strong visitor engagement programme based around the best of the National Trust, including collections, conservation practise and accessibility.

Who we’re looking for

You will need to have the following skills and experience, but not limited to:

• Accredited in your specialism or able to demonstrate proficiency in the required subject according to ICON’s accreditation standards.
• Experienced in remedial conservation treatments and a confident decision maker, with a strong network of colleagues to call-on for addressing challenges.
• Great interpersonal skills, able to motivate and inspire others in your work to develop a sustainable programme for furniture in the Studio.
• Have the drive to develop and deliver project outcomes to agreed deadlines.
• Able to prioritise across multiple workstreams
• Enjoy working in a team environment alongside specialists and non-specialists, encouraging inclusive ways of working and demonstrating respect for others.
• Inspire volunteers and provide training and guidance that enhances visitor engagement
• Be able to communicate in a clear way to a wide range of people both verbally and in writing.
• Demonstrable consulting skills of listening, building trust and acting to deliver a high-quality service
• Participate in public engagement activities, using a range of formats, e.g. social media, presentation, workshop, demonstrations and more