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Join the V&A's renowned Costume Mounting team and bring history to life through your expert conservation skills at a world-leading museum
Overview
Salary
£39410 - £52547
Location
Cromwell Road, London
Expires
Expires at anytime
The Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) stands at the forefront of celebrating creativity, with a commitment to advancing cultural knowledge and inspiring innovation. The V&A is not just a museum; it's a breeding ground for imagination and a champion of design in all its forms.
Role Summary:
- Conducting costume mounting for gallery displays, temporary exhibitions, and international tours.
- Designing and preparing complex mounts and soft packing for a wide range of costume types.
- Crafting bespoke replica garments for display purposes.
- Leading and training teams for large-scale exhibition projects.
Role Requirements:
- Proven advanced costume mounting skills, preferably in a museum or conservation setting.
- Expertise in pattern-cutting, sewing, and garment construction.
- Experience with major fashion/costume exhibitions and knowledge of display mannequins.
Benefits:
- Generous pension scheme.
- 29 days of annual leave plus bank holidays.
- Flexible working options.
- Free tickets to V&A exhibitions.
- Subsidised staff canteen and discounts in V&A shops.
- Bicycle loan scheme and interest-free loans for season tickets and rental deposits.
- Comprehensive training and professional development opportunities.
The V&A is an equal opportunities employer, welcoming applications from all backgrounds and is committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.
The V&A is a family of museums dedicated to the power of creativity. Our mission is to champion design and creativity in all its forms, advance cultural knowledge, and inspire makers, creators and innovators everywhere. We are looking for a senior costume display mounter/conservator to join the Costume Mounting team. This role will support the museum with the mounting and packing of objects for loans, gallery displays and large temporary exhibitions, many of which go on to tour internationally. Tasks will include the planning of costume mounting, the masterminding, design and preparation of complex mounts and soft packing for contemporary and historic dress, including the construction of bespoke replica garments. The role will also include supervising and training contractors, managing teams of mounters, mentoring less experienced staff and leading the costume mounting for large complex exhibitions. The senior costume mounter will have advanced costume mounting skills gained through working in a museum, conservation workshop or private conservation practice. You will be able to demonstrate pattern-cutting with a high standard of sewing and construction. Experience of working on large fashion/costume exhibitions and an extensive knowledge of display mannequins is also essential.
Benefits include a generous pension scheme, 29 days plus bank holidays, flexible working, tickets to V&A exhibitions, subsidised staff canteen, 25% discount in V&A shops, a bicycle loan scheme, interest-free season ticket and rental deposit loans, and a wide range of training and professional development opportunities.
At the V&A, we are committed to equality, diversity and inclusion for all and strive to go above and beyond public duty placed upon us by the Equality Act 2010. We are a Disability Confident Employer Level 2 and make commitments to all applications to provide an inclusive and accessible recruitment process and support employees and adjustments during employment.
