Recruitment Pack Treasure Trove Manager Treasure Trove Manager £34,151 - £37,136 per annum plus membership of Civil Service pension scheme The Treasure Trove system ensures that significant objects from Scotland’s past, which are discovered either by chance find or through organised archaeological fieldwork, are protected for the nation and preserved in museums across Scotland. The Treasure Trove Unit based at National Museums Scotland is responsible for the operation of the system for the benefit of all Scottish museums, and is the first port of call for new discoveries and finders. Based at the National Museum of Scotland, this permanent, full-time post will manage and develop the work of the Treasure Trove Unit, providing advice and support to the Queen’s & Lord Treasurer’s Remembrancer and the Scottish Archaeological Finds Allocation Panel on all Treasure Trove matters in Scotland. With a post-graduate qualification in an archaeology-related subject or equivalent experience, a demonstrable knowledge of best practice in archaeology and collections management, and specialist curatorial knowledge of artefacts passing through the system, you will implement effective processes relating to finds of archaeological material in Scotland. With your knowledge of UK and other treasure systems, and your understanding of the Scottish archaeological sector, you will promote best practice in the recovery, reporting and recording of finds through outreach initiatives and events, and develop positive relationships through the museum, archaeological, heritage and metal-detecting sectors. With excellent communication and creative thinking skills you will liaise with stakeholder organisations and contribute to the development of strategy and policy to enhance the efficiency and visibility of Treasure Trove. To make an online application for this post and to find further details of this post and of all our vacancies please visit www.nms.ac.uk. If you require further information telephone 0131 247 4094 (answerphone) or email [email protected], stating reference NMS18/873 Closing date for completed applications is Friday, 26 October 2018. It is anticipated that the selection event will take place on/around Friday, 23 November 2018. Please note that CVs are not considered as/as part of applications and will not be forwarded to the shortlisting process. National Museums Scotland is committed to being an Equal Opportunities Employer THE TREASURE TROVE UNIT Treasure Trove in Scotland creates a pathway to ensure Scotland’s archaeological heritage is protected for the benefit of the nation in museum collections across the country. Discoveries of artefacts by the public and archaeologists play an important role in connecting us to the past, helping us to better understand the story of Scotland’s people and culture. The Treasure Trove Unit forms a hub within a far-reaching network connecting partners across the heritage sector and public sphere and with the purpose of providing a continuous link from initial discovery to museum allocation. The Treasure Trove Unit is the public face of the Treasure Trove system in Scotland. The unit is funded by the Scottish Government and supports the Queen’s and Lord Treasurer’s Remembrancer). The Treasure Trove Unit is responsible for facilitating all aspects of the Treasure Trove system providing specialist archaeological expertise regarding material culture and public outreach. The unit is committed to helping public and professional stakeholders navigate Treasure Trove laws and procedures, creating a pathway to ensure objects of archaeological significance are protected for the benefit of the nation in museum collections across Scotland. The Treasure Trove Unit assesses the significance of all reported chance finds to determine their suitability for claiming as Treasure Trove by ensuring that identification research takes place The unit also ensures that excavation assemblages reported as organised fieldwork by professional archaeologists are reviewed and assessed. The Unit benefits from the environment and expertise of National Museums Scotland while operating for the benefit of all Scottish museums. Treasure Trove Unit staff work closely with the Scottish Archaeological Finds Allocation Panel, whose recommendations on Treasure Trove cases are forwarded to the Queen’s and Lord Treasurer’s Remembrancer for final allocation of finds to museums. The Treasure Trove Unit processes approximately 2500 finds through the system every year, overseeing a rich variety of artefact types and dates. Recent highlight finds include a Pictish Cross Slab (allocated to Orkney Museum), a late Bronze Age penannular gold ring (allocated to Cromarty Courthouse Museum), a Romano-British decorated wine cup handle (allocated to Dumfries Museum), a medieval gold pendant cross (allocated to Coldstream Museum), and the 10th century Galloway Hoard (allocated to National Museums Scotland). Efficient procedures and transparency within the Treasure Trove process are paramount to ensuring confidence of both public and professional stakeholders. The Treasure Trove process is governed by a Code of Practice, which is periodically reviewed to ensure it is effective and relevant to the needs of stakeholders. Reports are published regularly providing information on reported objects, museum allocation and performance statistics. Outreach and engagement is essential in raising awareness of the legal requirement to report archaeological objects to Treasure Trove Unit and to ensure all stakeholders are informed and engaged with the Treasure Trove system. The Treasure Trove Unit works closely with colleagues within the Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS), which operates in England and Wales. This close working relationship is valuable and encourages the sharing of information and experience. The Treasure Trove Unit is international in its outlook and works with colleagues across Europe and North America. The Treasure Trove Unit is operated and managed by National Museums Scotland on behalf of the Queen’s & Lord Treasurer’s Remembrancer. Treasure Trove Unit staff are managed within the Museum’s Department of Scottish History & Archaeology. NATIONAL MUSEUMS SCOTLAND BACKGROUND National Museums Scotland is one of the UK’s leading museum organisations and has a broad national and international reach. It is responsible for over twelve million objects from across the globe, built up over 200 years. Our largest site, the National Museum of Scotland is one of the leading museums in Europe and is the most visited museum or attraction in the UK outside London. Our objects encompass a huge range of internationally important collections covering science and technology; art, design and fashion; the natural world, cultures across the world; and the story of Scotland itself. These unusually broad ranging collections enable us to explore, to debate and to celebrate our nation and the world around us - past, present and future. Bold ideas and a track record of success have served us well in securing support for ambitious goals. Inspired by the pioneers and thinkers who founded our institution and created our collections, National Museums Scotland is committed to take every opportunity to realise its vision: Inspiring people, connecting Scotland to the world and the world to Scotland. We work with museums and communities across Scotland and internationally, introducing our collections to a much wider audience than can physically visit our museums through touring exhibitions, loans, community engagement, digital programmes and research. Continuing Investment Over the last decade, we have invested over £120 million in our sites and have more than doubled our visitor numbers, with over 3 million people now visiting our four museums. We have also significantly redeveloped the National Museums Collections Centre, an internationally significant facility for the storage, research and conservation of Scotland’s wide-ranging national collections. This has included new conservation laboratories and new storage and research facilities. We have recently completed two further major projects. A £3.7 million redevelopment has enabled a step change to be made in the visitor experience at the National Museum of Flight, restoring two historic aircraft hangars and re-presenting 100 years of aviation history. A further £15 million investment at the National Museum of Scotland has created ten inspiring galleries of fashion, decorative art and design, science and technology and a new public piazza in front of the Museum. Opened in the 150th year of the National Museum of Scotland, this penultimate phase of the Museum’s Masterplan marks a historic transformation. In 2019 we plan to complete the Masterplan for the National Museum, with three new galleries of East Asia, Ancient Egypt and the art of ceramics. We also look forward to beginning a reconsideration of the Museum’s Scottish galleries, where we will aim to explore afresh the contemporary and historic identity of the nation through the lens of the twenty-first century. Further leading-edge facilities at the expanding National Museums Collections Centre will transform that site into an international hub for the conservation, research and sharing of our collections. Consideration is also being given to further significant investment at the National Museum of Flight. Our Museums Over the last decade, we have more than doubled our visitor numbers, with 3.14 million people now visiting our four museum sites: the National Museum of Scotland