Jobs

CONTEXT

Brodie Castle is set within a 75 acre “policies” estate, it is the ancestral home of the Brodies of Brodie and consists of a number of listed buildings including the main 16th century Z plan Castle, stables, walled garden, gate houses and gardener’s bothy, as well as a number of estate houses currently used as holiday lets. The Castle consists of dressed rooms used as a guided tour visitor experience and houses a collection worth over £6m. Within the Castle is the main catering outlet and retail facility as well as housing the main estate offices. There is also the Lairds wing, a luxury 7-bedroom holiday let within the Castle.

The wider estate consists of a nationally significant designed landscape with Victorian Shrubbery, tree lined avenues, commercial forestry, agricultural land, and mature mixed woodlands surrounding a manmade lake. Within the old walled garden is a Playful Garden, consisting of imaginative play area, formal gardens, and the national daffodil collection. This area is served with separate catering and retail facilities.

The VSA Collection Care Assistant is responsible for ensuring that the collection at Brodie Castle is looked after and protected.

PURPOSE OF THE ROLE
As a Collections Care Assistant, you will be responsible for the day-to-day care of collections at Brodie Castle , Hoovering and Dusting of the Castle and making sure the Castle is ready for opening to the Public.
The post holder will be responsible for ensuring that best preventive conservation and collections care practices are followed through the implementation of an effective collections care regime in line with Trust policies and procedures.
The role will include engaging with visitors about the collection care work of the National Trust for Scotland when undertaking cleaning activities in the house. The post holder will also work closely with the function and event team ensuring all functions and events are operated in such a manner as to minimise risk to the collection without compromising the event itself.
The post holder will be part of a wider team of employees and volunteers, helping to support the property where necessary.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
The Collections Care Assistant is responsible for a wide variety of duties in connection with the care of the property. These duties involve the correct handling and conservation-cleaning of the collections following best-practice at all times and general housekeeping duties throughout the Castle and other buildings.

Specific duties include:

• Best-practice conservation-cleaning of the collections (furniture, metals, ceramics, glass, works of art, textiles, rugs, books, and other artefacts), using property-specific cleaning plans and approved and recommended methods, materials and equipment;
• Conducting a deep conservation-clean of collections & property pre/post-season opening and setting up/putting property to bed pre/post season opening;
• Monitoring the condition of the collections, both through routine, informal checking and formal record keeping (e.g. environmental conditions, pest damage, condition reporting mechanical wear and tear, completing Accidental Damage Reports). Any concerns, damage or loss should be reported immediately to the Duty Manager and the Regional Conservator and Curator;
• Contributing to the Trust’s Integrated Pest Management strategy and facilitating required treatments under the guidance of the Regional Conservator;
• Conservation cleaning of historic fabric surfaces (e.g. window-sills, dado rails, skirting boards, doors) and the vacuuming/cleaning of all floors and staircases as appropriate;
• Informing requirements for conservation and cleaning material/ equipment supplies with assistance from the Duty Manager and Regional Conservator, to ensure adequate sufficient stocks are maintained/ordered;
• Assist/ support with the collection care to facilitate functions and events ensuring safe handling and storage of collections and implementation of appropriate preventive measures.
• Work with Collection Care Volunteers with support and assistance from the Regional Conservator, Curator and Visitor Services Supervisor.
• Adhere to the property’s quality standards including wearing of uniform dependant on the role;
• Ensure health and welfare of property staff, volunteers and visitors by adhering to the Trust’s Health, Safety and Environment policies and guidelines. This includes working within the property’s “Safe System of Work” (the system for managing Health & Safety).
• Develop conservation and collection care knowledge and skills to ensure the highest levels of conservation-cleaning and collections care are adhered to/maintained at the property through attendance at the Trust’s annual Collections Care training programme and any other relevant training courses;
• Continued documentation of the collection to ensure collections records are maintained and up-to-date in line with NTS collections management procedures.

The current duties of this job do not require a criminal records (Disclosure Scotland) check to be carried out.

Application Deadline: Friday 09/09/2022