Head of Preventive Conservation and Operations

The National Archives' Collection Care Department has a strong and growing reputation for its outstanding expertise in caring of archival collections. Our collection is one of the largest and most important archival collections in the world, with more than 220 shelf kilometres of paper, parchment, photographs, textiles and other materials.

The long-term preservation of our collection provides unique challenges, as we are balancing the needs of the materials against demands for access and sustainability. We are looking for a highly motivated, very experienced, well respected, and creative expert to build on the success of recent years and to further develop The National Archives' preservation and operations agenda. You will leverage the existing expertise within the department, drive innovation and bring new perspectives to approaching the long-term preservation of our entire collection.

Working in tandem with our Heritage Science Conservation Research, Conservation for Imaging, Conservation and Treatment Development, and Engagement teams, as well as relevant departments across the organisation, you will constantly benchmark our preservation practice against national and international standards and best practice. You will use your deep understanding of value and risk assessment, material deterioration, and data modelling to inform our approach to managing our repositories and access to our collection. You will work closely with peers around the world to find ever new and innovative solutions to our complex preservation challenges and you will expand our professional network to the benefit of the team's professional development and that of our collection. Your commitment to operating sustainably will help us to meet our ambitious sustainability targets for our site, and you and your team will effectively support all of Collection Care’s operations.

A highly effective communicator, you will lead on The National Archives' approach to the long-term preservation of our physical collection, support our exhibition and public engagement agenda, provide leadership for the sector, and will push our publication output and presence at international conferences. Responsible for managing teams supporting the delivery of on-going preservation programmes and Collection Care operations, you will define priorities, manage risks, and will align our approach to preservation with The National Archives' strategic plan.

As Head of Preventive Conservation and Operations you will form part of Collection Care's Senior Management team, and you will assume strong leadership in the development and delivery of key strategic initiatives for the whole department in line with current and future objectives of The National Archives.

This is a full time post. However, requests for part-time working, flexible working and job share will be considered, taking into account at all times the operational needs of the Department.

A combination of onsite and home working is available and applicants should be able to regularly travel to our Kew site for a minimum of 60% of their work time.

For full details and to apply, please click the link following 'Museum Website' below.

Museum Website: https://nationalarchives.wd3.myworkdayjobs.com/Careers/job/Kew/Head-of-Preventive-Conservation-and-Operations_JR200737