4207 - Collections and Castle Manager

Cadw’s mission is to care for Wales’ historic places, inspiring current and future generations. As part of this mission, we care for a nationally important collection of monuments, including Castell Coch, a site of international significance renowned for its richly decorated interiors, which stand apart from the roofless ruins typical of other sites.

This role is central to delivering Cadw’s conservation objectives, most significantly at Castell Coch. The postholder will lead the strategic care and conservation of the site’s unique interiors and collections, which include wall paintings, wallpaper, textiles, furniture, stained glass and other heritage assets. To ensure that these collections are cared for, the post holder will utilise effective conservation planning, environmental monitoring, research, cleaning, and storage while still enabling meaningful public access. This role will ensure that heritage is experienced as living and relevant, presenting collections and interiors in ways that resonate with today’s audiences and celebrating their significance.

In tandem with caring for the site and its collections, the post holder will also oversee visitor operations at Castell Coch and Caerphilly Castle, ensuring high-quality visitor experience that aligns with Cadw’s conservation priorities. The postholder will line manage the Head Custodian and support them to ensure that the site team of staff and volunteers are well managed and high functioning. In this capacity, the post holder will also work collaboratively with Cadw’s conservation and capital project teams to support any development activity planned at either monument.

Beyond site-specific responsibilities, the role also contributes to Cadw’s wider strategic goals by advising on collections care, practical conservation, loans and collections acquisition and disposal across the estate and shaping collections management policy and practice.

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills.

Welsh Government, like all other Government Departments use Success Profiles when we recruit. For each role we consider what you will need to demonstrate to be successful. This gives us the best possible chance of finding the right person for the job. It raises performance and improves diversity and inclusivity.

The selection process and stages are:

Number of Stages:2 stage process

Stage 1Application Form

Stage 2Interview

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.