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House of Commons

The House of Commons a unique and exciting place to work right at the heart of the UK's thriving democratic system.

Behind the scenes, the House of Commons Service is made up of more than 3,000 employees who support and facilitate the smooth day to day running of the House. They provide professional services to Members of Parliament, their staff, and the wider parliamentary community.

Staff Benefits

In addition to your salary, we offer an attractive range of benefits including:

• 30 days’ annual leave (increasing to 35 days after first full leave year).
• Civil Service pension with an average employer contribution of 27%.
• Access to training and development.
• Flexible working.
• Interest free season ticket loan and bicycle loan.

Introduction

The Strategic Estates (SE) team aims to deliver a comfortable, safe and efficient environment for Members, their staff and staff of the House to work in; as well as providing a welcoming and functional environment for all visitors to the House of Commons. The department is also responsible for looking after and managing buildings, capital projects and significant assets on the Parliamentary Estate, which itself forms part of a UNESCO World Heritage site.

The Heritage Collections Team (HCT) are responsible for the professional management of three collections of national and international importance: the Parliamentary Art Collection (PAC), the Historic Furniture and Decorative Arts Collection (HFDA), and the Architectural Fabric Collection (AFC). This Team provides a bicameral service to the House of Commons and the House of Lords, and is responsible for all aspects of strategy, display, collections management, care and conservation, technical and procedural standards, documentation, loans and interpretation.

The Role

The Heritage Collections team want to improve, increase and streamline their collection data. This will greatly benefit the planning and preparation required to move the collections and provide good quality content for the recently launched Heritage Collections website. This position will play an essential role in ensuring that the collections are recorded to a high standard in accordance with Spectrum and, where necessary, that other material is digitised.

The Documentation Assistant will be heavily involved in the task of carrying out data cleansing projects with a view to improving information standardization throughout the Historic Furniture & Decorative Art Collection. This post is also a key public facing role as it leads on responding to Member, staff and public queries via the Heritage Collections Inbox.

Some of the responsibilities for this role include:

• Assist in the implementation of the ongoing documentation work, data cleansing, and documentation backlog to improve the accuracy and uniformity of data on the Collections Management System.
• Manage the HFDA moves and maintenance system, triage requests and forward to relevant member of the team or reply as appropriate
• Co-manage the Heritage Collections’ Inbox, triage emails and forward to the relevant member of the team or reply as appropriate.
• Partake in carrying out audits and spot checks of the HFDA collection as needed.

Skills and Experience

Experience

• Experience working with collections documentation in a museum, historic building or other heritage institution.

To be successful in this role you will demonstrate:

• Knowledge and Skills:
  • Strong understanding of museum/gallery documentation policies and standards (Spectrum) underpinning collections management across a range of heritage object types.
  • Experience of using museum databases and collections management software. Excellent attention to detail and a demonstrated ability to manage and manipulate large volumes of data accurately.
• Planning and Organising:
  • Good organisation and time management skills.
  • The ability to work pro-actively and independently.
  • The ability to deliver to agreed deadlines
• Teamwork: Ability to work collaboratively and independently in a variety of environments, and to uphold the values of equality, diversity and inclusion at all times.
• Communication and Interpersonal Skills: Good communication skills with the ability to communicate both orally and in writing with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders.

Next Steps and Additional Information

• CV & Supporting Statement – If you would like to apply for this role, please submit your CV and supporting statement with a 500-word limit.

More information on the role and the full criteria can be found in the Job Description.

Please note that most job offers will be made at the minimum of the salary range, other than in exceptional circumstances.

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