Dear colleagues – please find below a call for applications for a training post we are advertising here at the Hunterian (deadline  2 Oct.). This is part of an exciting 3-year project, ‘Endangered Specimens, Endangered Skills’, kindly supported by the John Ellerman Foundation and the Trustees of the Hunterian Collection, to address the conservation needs of the ‘wet’ specimens in our collection and to fill a skills gap in natural science museum conservation.

 

I would be grateful if you might forward this to any students, volunteers, colleagues, lists etc. that you think might be interested. The candidate need not have specific skills in this particular area – it’s a training post – but rather a commitment to museum conservation. (http://www.jobs.ac.uk/job/ADF963/assistant-conservator)

 

Dr Sam Alberti | Director of Museums and Archives

The Royal College of Surgeons of England | 35-43 Lincoln’s Inn Fields | London WC2A 3PE

t: 020 7869 6570 | f: 020 7869 6564 | e: [log in to unmask] w: http://www.rcseng.ac.uk

Assistant Conservator

The Royal College of Surgeons of England

£20,000 pa (36 month contract starting 4 January 2012) Central London

With a worldwide reputation for educational excellence and state-of-the art teaching facilities, the Royal College of Surgeons of England is committed to enabling surgeons to achieve and maintain the highest standards of surgical practice and patient care. Our Museums and archives, including the renowned Hunterian Museum, offer a fascinating and vital insight into medical history and are an invaluable teaching aid that need constant care and attention.

As part of the Museums and Archives team, in this training post you will learn the skills involved in caring for comparative and human anatomy across the RCS collections. As well as auditing, monitoring and recording the integrity of our collections, you'll clean and maintain items, monitor the environmental conditions in the museums and stores and dispose of conservation waste material safely. Remedial conservation such as preserving, mounting and refurbishing will also be an important part of the role, as will ordering the necessary materials and equipment and working with the Head of Conservation to refine and develop efficient and safe conservation techniques. Last but not least, you'll recruit, induct and supervise the volunteers working on zoological materials within the museums.

Ideally with a relevant degree or museum qualification, but definitely holding a level 3 vocational qualification or equivalent, you also have practical experience of working in a museum or similar environment. A sound understanding of safe practice in the workplace is also essential, including awareness of Health & Safety issues. Reliable, consistent and with a 'can-do' approach, you're adept with Microsoft Office applications such as Word, Outlook and Excel. What's more, you have clear communication skills, an openness to new ideas and the ability to follow technical instructions. The post involves coming into contact with heavy objects and some hazardous chemicals for which full training will be given. Any experience of handling human or animal tissues in a museum or laboratory context would also be an advantage.

For further information on this role and to apply please visit www.rcseng.ac.uk/about/working using reference 25/11.

Closing date: 2^nd October 2011

We are an employer fully committed to our equality and diversity policies. We will judge you on your abilities and nothing else.