4207 - Collections and Castle Manager

Job summary

Cadw’s mission is to care for Wales’ historic places, inspiring current and future generations. As part of this mission, we care for a nationally important collection of monuments, including Castell Coch, a site of international significance renowned for its richly decorated interiors, which stand apart from the roofless ruins typical of other sites.

This role is central to delivering Cadw’s conservation objectives, most significantly at Castell Coch. The postholder will lead the strategic care and conservation of the site’s unique interiors and collections, which include wall paintings, wallpaper, textiles, furniture, stained glass and other heritage assets. To ensure that these collections are cared for, the post holder will utilise effective conservation planning, environmental monitoring, research, cleaning, and storage while still enabling meaningful public access. This role will ensure that heritage is experienced as living and relevant, presenting collections and interiors in ways that resonate with today’s audiences and celebrating their significance.

Job description

In tandem with caring for the site and its collections, the post holder will also oversee visitor operations at Castell Coch and Caerphilly Castle, ensuring high-quality visitor experience that aligns with Cadw’s conservation priorities. The postholder will line manage the Head Custodian and support them to ensure that the site team of staff and volunteers are well managed and high functioning. In this capacity, the post holder will also work collaboratively with Cadw’s conservation and capital project teams to support any development activity planned at either monument.

Beyond site-specific responsibilities, the role also contributes to Cadw’s wider strategic goals by advising on collections care, practical conservation, loans and collections acquisition and disposal across the estate and shaping collections management policy and practice.

Person specification

• Develop and implement long-term conservation plans for Castell Coch and its collections.
• Ensure preventive and remedial conservation practices are put in place.
• Maintain and enhance documentation for interiors and collections including, but not limited to, a comprehensive asset list and salvage plan.
• Conduct research as needed, condition check collection items and employ conservation measures as needed.
• Design and deliver remedial treatment plans.
• Integrate conservation with presentation and live visitor experience.
• Manage the Head Custodian and oversee site operations and visitor experience, balancing conservation with public access.
• Develop and deliver training plans for conservation practices.
• Advising on collections care, loans and collections acquisition and disposal across the estate and shaping collections management policy and practice (there is limited collection across the rest of Cadw).

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Communicating and Influencing
• Managing a Quality Service
• Changing and Improving

Technical skills

We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:

• Demonstrate an understanding of applying preventive conservation and collections care, familiarity with Museum Accreditation standards and knowledge of documentation standards and record management.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £37,111, Welsh Government contributes £10,751 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).

• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills.

Welsh Government, like all other Government Departments use Success Profiles when we recruit. For each role we consider what you will need to demonstrate to be successful. This gives us the best possible chance of finding the right person for the job. It raises performance and improves diversity and inclusivity.

The selection process and stages are:

Number of Stages:2 stage processStage 1Application FormStage 2Interview

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a basic (or equivalent) criminal record check.People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see theCivil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : cadw.hr@gov.wales
• Email : cadw.hr@gov.wales

Recruitment team

• Email : ResourcingHub@gov.wales

Further information

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition. Please see the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles on the Commission's website.

If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with these principles and wish to make a complaint please email complaints@gov.wales. Please ensure that you refer to the vacancy reference number.

If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Welsh Government, you can contact the Civil Service Commission: info@csc.gov.uk.