Job Description

JOB DESCRIPTION

JOB TITLE: Loans Officer (maternity cover FTC)

SECTION/BRANCH: Fine Art and Library (Prints and Drawings)

REPORTING TO: Head of Prints and Drawings

Job Context

Royal Collection Trust (known internally as the Royal Collection Department) is a department of the Royal Household. It is the only Royal Household department that undertakes its activities without recourse to public funds. It incorporates The Royal Collection Trust (a charity regulated by the Charity Commission and the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator), and its subsidiary trading company, Royal Collection Enterprises Ltd.

Royal Collection Trust is charged with the care and preservation of the Royal Collection and its presentation to the public. The Royal Collection is one of the largest and most important art collections in the world. It comprises almost all aspects of the fine and decorative arts, runs to more than a million objects and is spread among some thirteen royal residences and former residences across the UK. At The Queen’s Galleries in London and Edinburgh, aspects of the Collection are displayed in a programme of temporary exhibitions. Many works from the Collection are on long-term loan to institutions throughout the UK, and short-term loans are regularly made to exhibitions around the world (including touring exhibitions drawn solely from the Royal Collection) as part of a commitment to broaden public access and to show parts of the Collection in new contexts. The works of art in the Royal Collection are held by The Queen in trust for her successors and the nation.

Royal Collection Trust is responsible for the management and financial administration of the public opening of Buckingham Palace (including The Queen’s Gallery, the Royal Mews and Clarence House), Windsor Castle (including Frogmore House) and the Palace of Holyroodhouse (including The Queen’s Gallery). The monies generated from admissions, and from associated commercial activities, are invested in the care and conservation of the Royal Collection and the promotion of access and enjoyment through exhibitions, publications, loans and educational activities.

The Prints and Drawings section is part of the Fine Art and Library section of the Royal Collection. It is responsible for the works of art on paper in the Royal Collection (both within the Print Room itself, and hanging in the royal residences), including old master drawings, eighteenth- and nineteenth-century watercolours, and prints – over 150,000 items in all. This includes all matters relating to care, conservation, access, exhibitions, cataloguing, maintenance of records, and research.

Organisational Chart

Head of Prints and Drawings

Loans Officer Senior Curator Head of Paper (maternity of Prints and Conservation cover) Drawings

Job Purpose

The Loans Officer is responsible for all aspects of the loan of works of art from the Prints and Drawings, Library, Photographs and Archives sections of the Fine Art and Library branch of the Royal Collection, and (in consultation with the Paintings section) the loan of miniatures, most of which are housed within the Print Room. This is a fixed-term maternity cover post.

Principal Accountabilities

To manage the loans of works of art from the Prints and Drawings, Books and Manuscripts, Photographs and Archives sections of the Royal Collection, including:

 Drawing up loan contracts with borrowing institutions worldwide, covering all requirements relating to security, gallery conditions, installation, design, transport, insurance and other costs, as bound by UK and international law.  Ensuring that satisfactory insurance is in place for all outgoing loans; obtaining up-to-date insurance valuations for items to be loaned.  Making arrangements for the safe packing and transportation of works of art, in liaison with Royal Collection conservators, art-handling companies, airlines, and borrowing institutions.  Liaising with conservators in the preparation of condition reports for outgoing loans.  Allocating courier duties to other members of staff, preparing courier packs and briefing couriers, and acting as a courier when required.  Preparing loan request forms for consideration by the Royal Collection’s Curatorial Committee.  Entering loan information onto the Royal Collection’s computerised database (CMS).  Archiving electronic and paper records for all loans.

Job Dimensions

The post-holder reports to the Head of Prints and Drawings (in close consultation with the Head of Exhibitions), but also manages loans from the Library, Archives, and Photographs sections, and assists the Pictures section in the loans of miniatures. Within the Royal Collection Department, the post- holder has regular contact with conservators and other curators, and with the Exhibitions, Learning, and Press and Marketing sections. The post-holder also has contact with other departments within the Royal Household, with staff of museums and galleries and with agents and external suppliers worldwide.

The post-holder is authorised to approve purchases to an agreed approval level of £1,500. However the post-holder deals with transactions to a total value over £200,000 p.a. that are settled externally.

Decision Making Responsibilities

The post-holder will be expected to resolve most of day to day issues but will refer regularly to the Head of Prints and Drawings and the Head of Exhibitions on matters relating to policy and procedures.

Practical Requirements

The post-holder will divide his/her time between St James's Palace and Windsor Castle as required and by agreement with the Head of Prints and Drawings and the Head of Exhibitions. The post-holder will on occasion also be required to work at other locations, including travelling within the UK and abroad. Normal hours are 37.5 hours per week, Monday to Friday 9am - 5.30pm with one hour for lunch, but due to the nature of the post there will be a requirement to work occasional weekends and evenings, and flexibility is required.

Person Specification

 Extensive knowledge and experience of the administration of loans of works of art within the UK and internationally, including a thorough understanding of issues relating to insurance, indemnification and relevant international law.  Experience of working with works of art on paper, principally drawings and prints but ideally including books and photographs, with a thorough understanding of the conservation issues involved in their storage, transportation and display.  Excellent and proven organisational and time-management skills, and the ability to work under pressure and to deadlines.  Excellent verbal and written communication skills, and meticulous attention to detail.  A broad knowledge of European history and the history of art.  Self-motivated, with the ability to work as a member of a team, with a flexible and cooperative approach.  Excellent IT skills, particularly word-processing and database.  A working knowledge of major European languages (particularly French, Italian and German).