We protect everything from bats to buildings to beaches - and we want to share them with everyone too. But how do we care for our special places, while helping everyone to enjoy them and their fascinating stories? It's no small task. In fact, it's a big team effort and it's why our Collections Assistant are so important.

Hours: 18.75 hours per week. Claydon is open for 5 months a year and your working pattern will change depending on the season. When the property is open it is likely you will be working Fridays and Saturdays with an additional day during the week. When the property close, the hours will be mostly weekdays and not on weekends.

Contract: Fixed term contract until September 2022

Salary: GBP17,375 per annum

What it's like to work here

Built for entertaining on a grand scale, Claydon has been home to the Verney family since 1620. Part of the Stowe and Aylesbury Vale portfolio, Claydon keeps good company with a medieval tower and duck decoy at Boarstall, Long Crendon Courthouse and Buckingham Chantry Chapel, along with 245 acres of landscaped gardens at Stowe.

What you'll be doing

As a Collections Assistant, you'll be working with a great housekeeping team in an incredible place, helping with the day-to-day cleaning and care of the collections. No detail will go unnoticed, you will ensure the house is opened and presented ready for visitors and safely closed at the end of the day. You'll keep a keen eye on everything from the environmental conditions in a room to pest management. You'll keep accurate records too.

In this visitor facing role, we'd love you to talk to visitors about the work you're doing, and the collections we have. You will form excellent relationships with our volunteers, guiding them in their stewardship and supporting their volunteering. The team at Claydon is small but our ambition is not! You will be an essential part of the operational team, involved in signing-in contractors, supporting events and activities and stepping up to be a Duty Manager. As part of a team of three, you will be a Key Representative and live on site in a studio flat.

We'd love to hear from you if you have;

• A keen interest in history, historic properties and conservation of their collections
• A good understanding of preventive conservation
• Knowledge of the approach required when working with fragile historic collections as well as Health & Safety and emergency procedures
• Good manual dexterity and eye-to-hand skills and ability to work from ladders and tower scaffold
• The ability to support volunteers to perform at their best
• Good interpersonal and communication skills, and are a great team player
• A willingness to undertake continuing professional development and personal skills development and have an enthusiasm to learn