Head of Conservation
Salary (Grade 8) - £48,692 - £50,213 per annum (dependent upon experience)
Hours: 37.5 hours per week - permanent contract
Location: National Museum of the Royal Navy, Portsmouth Historic Dockyard with travel to other sites and the opportunity to adopt hybrid working (combination of working onsite and from home)
Our epic story is of the Royal Navy, and its impact on Britain and the world. Here you can come aboard the most famous ships, planes, and submarines of the Royal Navy and experience them through those who served on them. Aswell as being truly captivated by the thousands of unique, emotional, and sometimes quirky stories that have shaped the Royal Navy into what it proudly stands for today.
Our vision is to be the world’s most inspiring Naval Museum, linking Navy to Nation. You are pivotal in us achieving our vision, and to support this we embrace diversity and want everyone to feel valued and have a sense of belonging.
This is a great opportunity to join the team
The Head of Conservation leads on the protection of our diverse collection of ships, aircraft and 2.5 million objects. NMRN’s collection of historic ships is one of the largest in the world, including amongst others, HMS Victory, the sole surviving line-of-battle ship from the age of sail; HMS Warrior, the world’s first iron-hulled armour-plated ship; and HMS Holland 1, the Royal Navy’s first submarine. Complementing the ships collection is some 100 airframes, located at the Fleet Air Arm Museum in Yeovilton and extensive archival and artefact collections covering half a millennia of Royal Navy history.
This role delivers through leadership, representation, planning and cross-museum collaboration, whilst ensuring the collections are preserved for future generations to access and study. The role will include leading and managing a team of conservators, aircraft and ship specialists, along with oversight of conservation science research activities.
You will be joining the Museum at an exciting time - HMS Victory is three years into a decade-long conservation project, blending traditional shipwright skills with cutting-edge conservation science approaches. At the Fleet Air Arm Museum in Yeovilton the conservation team are progressing ‘Barracuda Live: The Big Rebuild’, with the aim of reconstructing a Second World War-era Fairey Barracuda Torpedo-bomber from material recovered from crash sites over the past fifty years. The Head of Conservation role is a key part of the project teams delivering this work, responsible for the conservation approach and ethical considerations in both projects.
In Portsmouth, the project to deliver a new Royal Marines Experience Museum is underway, and the successful candidate will lead the conservation team in ensuring the new gallery spaces meet the needs of the collections. More broadly, the role will oversee the development and implementation of NMRN’s Collections Care Strategy as we move forward with an ambitious programme of capital investment over the next decade.
What you can bring:
In-depth knowledge of contemporary principles and practice in the conservation of industrial, large objects or related discipline and a strong understanding of mechanisms involved in material deterioration. With a thorough understanding of conservation theory and ethical decision-making, you will have good interpersonal and relationship-building skills ensuring effective communication at all levels in the organisation, with good stakeholder-influencing abilities. You will be competent to lead on topics at meetings with Senior Leaders and Management and be adept in communicating complex principles to wider audiences.
What we offer:
• The opportunity to be part of a friendly and diverse workplace within a unique heritage environment.
• Group pension plan with Royal London (6% employer contributions, 2% employee contributions and death in service benefit).
• Free onsite parking - (with a valid base pass)
• 25 days’ annual leave (plus bank holidays) pro rata for part time employees, increasing to 30 days’ annual leave (plus bank holidays) after 5 years’ service, pro rata for part time employees, with the option to purchase additional annual leave.
• Enhanced maternity/adoption and paternity pay.
• Flexible working.
• Hybrid working.
• Employee Assistance Programme.
• Free admission to other national museums and attractions within the reciprocal agreement.
• Discounts at our shops and cafes.
• Free and discounted tickets for family and friends.
• A range of other benefits including cycle to work and employer supported volunteering leave.
• Paid reservist leave.
We want you to succeed and showcase your skills and experiences, so if you are invited to interview, we will share our interview questions with you ahead of time. If you would like to have an informal discussion regarding the role, or ask any questions, please contact Andrew Baines, Executive Director of Museum Operations, on email andrew.baines@nmrn.org.uk
All applicants are asked to apply viahttps://jobs.nmrn.org.uk/by midnight on Sunday 15 June 2025. The selection processes will be held on site in Portsmouth Historic Dockyard w/c 23 June 2025.
If you require reasonable adjustments to be made to the application process because of a disability, please contact the People team on recruitment@nmrn.org.uk for support.
This post requires a DBS check as a requirement of working on the naval base, as well as the right to work in the UK. Please note we cannot currently sponsor work visas.
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