Collections Assistant

We're looking for a Collections Assistant! If you have a passion for history and enjoy sharing your knowledge with others, along with a keen eye for detail and enthusiasm for preserving and presenting collections and historic buildings, we would love to hear from you.

Salary: £13.25 per hour

Contract Duration: Permanent

Working Pattern: You will work 936 hours per year, including regular weekend and Bank Holiday working to meet the needs of the business.This role is based on annualised hours, where theamountof hours you work each month may vary, however your salary will be paid in 12 equal instalments over the year.

Proposed Interview Date:Monday 24th August

Joining the Collections and House Team at Rufford, you'll report to the Property Operations Manager, working alongside the Senior Collections and House Officer, two other Collections Assistants, and a large team of dedicated volunteers.

You'll be working in a property with nearly 500 years of Lancashire history which holds a varied collection of objects, from 16 th Century armour and 17 th Century tapestries to Victorian books and ceramics.

The work will be a balance between caring for the house and collection, monitoring the environment, supervising and leading a team of volunteers, and ensuring the thousands of visitors that come through our doors can access and engage with Rufford and its fascinating stories.

What you'll be doing

As a Collections Assistant, you'll be part of a great housekeeping team, responsible for the daily opening, closing, cleaning and presentation of the house. No detail will go unnoticed, and you'll keep a keen eye on everything from the environmental conditions in a room, to signs of wear and tear.

You'll collect and record accurate information during housekeeping cleaning routines to inform our understanding of the house and the collection, and use preventive conservation techniques to improve how we conserve and present the property.Sharing with other colleagues, you will help cover Duty Management responsibilities to ensure the smooth running of the property on operational days.

In this visitor facing role, we'd love for you to talk to visitors about the work you're doing and collections we have. You'll also work closely with our room guides and conservation volunteers, helping to cover and support where necessary.

You can view the full role profile for this role in the document attached. Youdon'tneed to haveallthe knowledge, skills and experience listed in the role profile; this is just to provide a full picture ofwhat'spossible in this role.

Who we're looking for

We'd love to hear from you if you're:

• good hand-to-eye skills, and happy to work from ladders or scaffold towers
• comfortable working in a flexible and adaptable way
• focused on giving great service to everyone you meet
• a team player, but also happy to work on your own initiative
• well-organised and versatile
• willing to learn new skills.

The package

The National Trust has the motto 'For everyone, for ever' at its heart. We're working hard to create an inclusive culture, where everyone feels they belong. It's important that our people reflect and represent the diversity of the communities and audiences we serve. We welcome and value difference, so when we say we're for everyone, we want everyone to be welcome in our teams too.

• Substantial pension scheme of up to 10% basic salary
• Free entry to National Trust places for you, a guest and your children (under 18)
• Season ticket loan
• EV car lease scheme (for roles that meet the salary criteria)
• Perks at work discounts such as gym memberships, shopping discount codes, cinema discounts
• Holiday allowance up to 32 days relating to length of service, plus holiday purchase scheme, subject to meeting minimum criteria.

National Trust place

Rufford Old Hall, 200 Liverpool Road, Ormskirk, L40 1SG

Documents

Collections Assistant - Grade 10 - Career Level A2.pdf

Requirements

Compliance.Eligibility to Work in the UK

Additional information

Closing Date: 16th August 2026

Equal Opportunities Statement

The National Trust celebrates diversity and is committed to creating a fair and equal society, free from discrimination. You can read more about our commitment to inclusion and diversity here .

Safeguarding Statement

The National Trust is committed to a safe recruitment processes to help the organisation attract and appoint the right staff/volunteer for the role and responsibilities as set out in the vacancy advert. We will not accept applicants who are not suitable to work with children, young people or adults at risk. If you have any questions around your suitability for this vacancy, please contact the people service centre.