ABOUT THE GALLERY – ABOUT OUR TEAM

The National Gallery is one of Australia’s leading visual arts institutions. The National Gallery is based in Canberra and is a vital part of the Australian cultural landscape. Our Purpose is to collect, preserve, promote and share the national collection of art. The Vision of the National Gallery is to be the international reference point for art in Australia, inspiring all people to explore, experience and learn. Our Values include excellence, creativity, courage, respect, and accountability.

WORKING AT THE GALLERY

When you work at the National Gallery you will be exposed to some of the world’s leading Australian and international art and artists.

The National Gallery is committed to the health, safety and wellbeing of our people and we expect our people to always share this commitment and work safely.

We value the contribution that a diverse workforce brings and encourage people from a diverse background to apply. This might include identifying as First Nations peoples, people with a disability, culturally and linguistically diverse people and LGBTQIA+ people.

WHAT YOU WILL GAIN FROM THE EXPERIENCE - OVERVIEW OF THE ROLE

The Senior Conservator, Objects will lead a small team of conservators and a technician to manage all aspects of the care of objects, outdoor sculpture and time based and electrical/kinetic works of art from within the national collection and on loan to the gallery.

The National Collection has an exciting and diverse collection of works of art that fall within the category of objects. The Gallery is a leader in lending, touring and exhibiting traditional and contemporary art and this role will play a key role in meeting these requirements. To achieve this, you will work closely with a wide variety of internal stakeholders, external contractors and clients. This role is also responsible for sculptures in the sculpture garden that due to their size and complexity require a light level of project management to contract external supplies for treatment due to the size and complexity of the works of art.

This position reports to the Head of Conservation and is responsible for managing staff, research, resources, and the workflow through the Objects Section to manage the permanent collection and to meet the Gallery’s exhibition, touring and lending program. This position of Senior Conservator, Objects an ongoing full-time role with the conservation team.

THE KEY DUTIES OF THE POSITION - WHAT WILL YOU DO?

In accordance with the APS EL1 work level standards, you will:

Develop, monitor and maintain the workflow of the Objects section to ensure exhibition, loan and travelling exhibition deadlines can be managed and resourced effectively. Manage and supervise staff within the section and promote their development.

Supervise the conservation, documentation and research of objects within the National Collection and on loan to the NGA. Carry out examinations, treatments and maintain conservation records of objects to the highest professional standards.

Provide expert advice on all matters relating to the preservation of the wide variety of media that falls within the area of objects conservation. This may include internal stakeholders, exhibition development, scheduling, storage, movement and transportation of works of objects within the collection. Develop and contribute Risk Assessments to assist with caring for the collection.

Initiate and coordinate research and development into conservation methods and materials and into the techniques of works of art. Participate and encourage staff to develop lectures and research projects relevant to the NGA collection.

Participate in preventative conservation activities including design and manufacture of packing and display systems, design and maintenance of storage systems, integrated pest management, environmental control activities and disaster response.

Undertake other duties as required by the Head of Conservation, including preparations of policies, guidelines, corporate and financial reporting for the Department.

ELIGIBILITY:

Citizenship – To be eligible for employment with the Gallery, you must be an Australian citizen.

Police Check – to be eligible for this role you must complete a police check.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION - Qualifications, Certifications and Registrations

Role specific mandatory qualifications certification and/or registrations include:

Tertiary qualification in the conservation of cultural materials

Licences -Drivers Licence

Accurate colour vision excellent manual dexterity and the ability to lift, climb ladders and use tools and equipment.

Physical capability to undertake the duties of this role.

HOW TO APPLY

To apply for this role please go to the National Gallery's Careers portal.

You should provide a tailored CV (maximum of three pages) along with a statement of no more than two pages that outlines your skills, capabilities and experience, against the information above.

In your statement response you should keep in mind the capabilities and behaviours required to be successful for this role, as identified in the information above. Try not to duplicate information that can be found in your CV but do highlight any specific examples or achievements that demonstrate your ability to perform the role.

An order of merit may be established from this selection process and may be used to fill future identical vacancies over the next 12 months. Selection may be based on application and referee reports only. If you do not wish to be added to an order of merit, please notify us in your application.