Collections Access Manager
Historic England |
||
Portsmouth, UK |
||
What you will be doing
Fort Cumberland Laboratories provides a national facility for the study of the historic environment through time, delivering applied research and advice to Historic England, the English Heritage Trust through a shared service agreement and to the wider sector. It holds unique scientific reference collections, an array of equipment and facilities, and comprises a multi-disciplinary team of heritage scientists who also deliver teaching and supervision of undergraduate/postgraduate students and manage learning placements for external clients.
We require a Collections Access Manager to develop physical and digital access and use of Historic England’s research and reference collections and those of Portsmouth Museums. You will be ensure the accessibility, preservation, and promotion of the collections to maximise their research potential, meet sector needs and ensure their long‑term preservation. This will involve managing the physical and digital collection resources and coordinating the development of outreach initiatives to engage diverse audiences. The role requires strong project management skills and a passion for cultural heritage to foster meaningful connections between collections and their users.
You will play a key role in the delivery of the Heritage Science Collections Hub: South (which is part of the Research Infrastructure for Conservation and Heritage Science (RICHeS) programme, funded by the UKRI Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) through the UKRI Infrastructure Fund.
As part of this project, you will review the collections Historic England and Portsmouth Museums hold and their catalogued status, creating an action plan to improve their accessibility under the direction of the Archaeological Archives Principal and in close collaboration with internal and external specialist collection curators. You will also work to improve and expand access to the collections, facilities and expertise enabling their study under the direction of the Head of Fort Cumberland Laboratories.
You will work up to 20% of your time with colleagues at Portsmouth Museums reporting to the Head of Service. You will also work closely with the Heritage Science Technician, based at Fort Cumberland, and with technical staff based in sister collection hubs at the University of Sheffield and University of Aberdeen.
Who we are looking for
Fort Cumberland Laboratories provides a national facility for the study of the historic environment through time, delivering applied research and advice to Historic England, the English Heritage Trust through a shared service agreement and to the wider sector. It holds unique scientific reference collections, an array of equipment and facilities, and comprises a multi-disciplinary team of heritage scientists who also deliver teaching and supervision of undergraduate/postgraduate students and manage learning placements for external clients.
We require a Collections Access Manager to develop physical and digital access and use of Historic England’s research and reference collections and those of Portsmouth Museums. You will be ensure the accessibility, preservation, and promotion of the collections to maximise their research potential, meet sector needs and ensure their long‑term preservation. This will involve managing the physical and digital collection resources and coordinating the development of outreach initiatives to engage diverse audiences. The role requires strong project management skills and a passion for cultural heritage to foster meaningful connections between collections and their users.
You will play a key role in the delivery of the Heritage Science Collections Hub: South (which is part of the Research Infrastructure for Conservation and Heritage Science (RICHeS) programme, funded by the UKRI Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) through the UKRI Infrastructure Fund.
As part of this project, you will review the collections Historic England and Portsmouth Museums hold and their catalogued status, creating an action plan to improve their accessibility under the direction of the Archaeological Archives Principal and in close collaboration with internal and external specialist collection curators. You will also work to improve and expand access to the collections, facilities and expertise enabling their study under the direction of the Head of Fort Cumberland Laboratories.
You will work up to 20% of your time with colleagues at Portsmouth Museums reporting to the Head of Service. You will also work closely with the Heritage Science Technician, based at Fort Cumberland, and with technical staff based in sister collection hubs at the University of Sheffield and University of Aberdeen.
Who we are looking for
- Proven experience in working with collections, collections management, access facilitation, or cultural resource management
- An undergraduate degree or equivalent experience in relevant subject (e.g. archaeological science, biological science, museum studies)
- Experience of cataloguing systems, metadata standards and collection management systems
- Experience with undertaking outreach programmes, public events, and/or exhibitions
- Good organisational skills, including scheduling self and others and attention to detail
- Works collaboratively and communicates effectively including sharing information effectively within a team