Curator
Permanent Part Time Contract 24 hours, Immediate Start
Closing Date: Midnight Friday 26th July 2024
The Curator’s principal concern is for the collection. They will ensure that proper practices and standards are maintained in the care and development of the collection that meet or exceed the requirements of Museum Accreditation, and the additional responsibilities placed on an institution that holds a Recognised collection. They will develop subject-specialist knowledge related to the collection and the heritage that it represents, and promote wider research and scholarship.
The Curator will lead and support a team of museum volunteers involved in digitisation, transcription, historical research, and other digital content creation to serve the museum’s virtual presence and social media engagement. In the future, volunteer participation might be extended to support a broader range of museum functions including public-facing duties.
Working closely with the Learning & Engagement Manager, they will lead on interpretation and storytelling throughout the Museum. They will also advise on the design, planning and implementation of events and wider engagement activities, including our educational programme, ensuring that heritage themes are woven into the wider visitor experience.
The full job description and how to apply can be Curator
Learning & Engagement Manager
Permanent Full Time Contract 40 hours, Immediate Start
Closing Date: Midnight Friday 26th July 2024
This is a new role, reflecting our ambitions to further amplify our work in the area of public and school learning and engagement and presents an opportunity for an ambitious Learning & Engagement practitioner to play a lead role in shaping our work in this area.
Building upon our success to date, the Learning and Engagement Manager will work with internal and external stakeholders to create and implement a dynamic, highly innovative and imaginative STEAM based events and learning programme aimed at visitors and our growing network of schools who regularly frequent Almond Valley Heritage Centre.
Harnessing our unique collection, rich natural and cultivated environment and illustration of sustainable and non sustainable sources of energy you will be responsible for conceiving and delivering public facing events aimed at a diverse family visitor base. In addition, you will work in collaboration with schools to enrich our school learning programme, responding to national priorities, which align with the Curriculum for Excellence and Learning for Sustainability.
Working across the organisation and harnessing the diverse skill set of our workforce and engaging with artists, scientists, storytellers and community and corporate leaders, you will contribute significantly towards our long term strategy and inspire the imaginators and innovators of the future.
The full job description and how to apply can be Learning & Engagement Manager
Join the team
We're a seasonal business, and our small core team grows each spring to meet the demands of the summer to come. Most seasonal vacancies are for visitor services, catering, and tidy team members.
A group of redundant coal miners outside the labour exchange in West Calder. An image from our museum collection; LVSAV2013.053
Application Guidance Notes
We understand that the thought of an application can send some people into a cold sweat so we have produced a helpful guide to help with the process.
A copy of the guide can be downloaded here
About Us
The story of Almond Valley begins in the late 1960's with a campaign to save the historic buildings of Livingston Mill from demolition. A volunteer group won the support of the new town development corporation, and over the course of a decade worked to restore the derelict watermill and farm-steading. Members of the local community then established a city farm on the site, and a little later, one of the outbuildings became home for the Livingston Oil Museum.
In 1990 the Almond Valley Heritage Trust was created to take forward these diverse interests. Ever since, we've continually extended the attractions and facilities of the site, exploring new activities, and developing new services. As a social enterprise, we've built a sustainable business that involves and serves both our visitors and the wider community. We've ambitious plans for continued progress.
As an accredited museum, Almond Valley works to provides a local museum service for those areas shaped by the shale oil industry, and represents the national importance of Scotland's shale oil industry.
Our shale oil industry collection is recognised as being of National Significance, and a vigorous programme of research and digitisation enables knowledge of Scotland's shale oil industry to be shared internationally through our Scottish shale website
Almond Valley holds particular appeal to families with young children, who have an immediate affinity with the farm animals and run wild in the green spaces and play facilities. We aim to be a happy carefree place that can be enjoyed by all of the family, and hope that the experiences shared will inform, inspire and be reflected upon. This gentle approach to learning links and underlies everything that we do.
Almond Valley is committed to advancing the Scottish Government’s ‘Fair Work First’ policy, including paying the Real Living Wage and ensuring staff have an effective voice.
Our Charitable Purpose
We are a registered charity in Scotland and our charitable purposes are:
- To advance arts, heritage, culture and science by safeguarding and celebrating the heritage and environment of West Lothian
- To preserve the heritage of Scotland’s shale oil industry by holding collections and engaging in museum activities that reflect the national and international significance of the industry
- To advance education and promote community well-being through activities that support popular enhancement in heritage.
Organisational Structure
Staff Benefits
- Pension
We’ll automatically enroll team members into a workplace pension (subject to qualifying conditions) - Annual Leave
Almond Valley offers 32 holidays per year, inclusive of Bank Holidays (pro-rated for part time team members) - Occupational Health
Team members health and well-being is a priority for us, so we ensure team members get the support and guidance that they require. - Professional Qualifications
We supports our team members to gain qualifications relevant for their work and their development - Learning and Development
We invest in our team members with learning and development with training programmes, courses and conferences. - Cycle2Work Scheme
Team members are eligible to take part in the Cycle to Work scheme, a salary sacrifice is scheme. - Gift Shop Discounts
Team members can take advantage of the 20% discount which is offered within the gift shop - Staff Discount in the Tearoom
Whilst at work team members can take advantage of the generous staff discount which is offered on certain products sold within the Tearoom - Staff Pass
When a team member joins the team they are given a staff pass which will give them access to the site for free - ASVA Card Access
Team members have access to The Association of Scottish Visitor Attractions card which allows free entry to a huge range of visitor attractions throughout Scotland. - Free Car Parking
Whilst at work team members can park their car for free at the on-site car park