Job Description

The Role
About the V&A Doctoral Placement Scheme
To provide opportunities for early-career training for PhD students, the V&A has made available a range of doctoral placements based in collections departments, archives, the National Art Library, research, and collections care and access. In addition to on-the-job experience and mentoring from supervisors, placement students will have access to the Museum's workshops, talks, and postgraduate training events, alongside a bespoke training package for the student cohort.
Where the project allows, there is scope for some remote work; however, all students will be required to come to the Museum at certain points during the placement and must be based in the UK during any remote work. V&A doctoral placements are unpaid and open only to students currently studying on a funded PhD programme. Applicants must evidence that they are in receipt of a stipend for the duration of the placement that is at least equivalent to the UKRI national minimum doctoral rate. International students are welcome to apply but must meet any UK visa/residency requirements.
Placement Description
This placement will focus on cataloguing a group of works by Mary Headlam (1873-1959), including drawings, watercolours, illustrations, prints, and sketchbooks. Headlam continued British art's romantic tradition into the 20th century, producing restrained, quiet, and personal works that have remained largely unknown until recently.
By cataloguing these items, the placement researcher will contribute to the development of accessible catalogue entries and enhance engagement with Headlam's work via the V&A website and the Prints and Drawings Study Room. There will also be opportunities to contribute to wider cataloguing, display, and research projects around modern works on paper and women artists.
The V&A
The V&A is the world's leading museum of art and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.8 million objects, books and archives that span over 5,000 years of human creativity. The museum holds many of the UK's national collections and houses some of the greatest resources for the study of architecture, furniture, fashion, textiles, photography, sculpture, painting, jewellery, glass, ceramics, book arts, Asian art and design, theatre and performance.
Our mission is to be recognised as the world's leading museum of art, design and performance, and to enrich people's lives by promoting research, knowledge and enjoyment of the designed world to the widest possible audience. We strive to make the V&A matter to more people and in that context we work to the following six strategic objectives:

• To create a world class visitor and learning experience across all V&A sites and collections.
• Focus and deepen the relevance of our collections to the UK creative and knowledge economy.
• Expand the V&A's international reach, reputation and impact.
• To operate with financial and organisational initiative and efficiency.
• Showcase the best of digital design and deliver an outstanding digital experience.
• Diversify and increase private and commercial funding sources.

The Benefits
Benefits
Generous pension scheme
29 days plus bank holidays
Flexible working?
Tickets to V&A exhibitions
Subsidised staff canteen
25% discount in V&A shops
Give as you earn scheme
Bicycle loan
ED&I at The V&A
At the V&A, we are committed to equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) for all and strive to go above and beyond public duty placed upon us by the Equality Act 2010. As such, we are delighted to share that we are a Disability Confident Employer Level 2. The V&A makes the following commitments to all applications:

• The Guaranteed Interview Scheme - Interviewing applicants with a disability who successfully evidence the essential criteria on a person specification and consider them on their abilities;
• Providing an inclusive and accessible recruitment process.
• Making reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process so disabled job applicants have the best opportunity to demonstrate that they can do the job.
• Supporting employees and adjustments during employment.

s are currently uploaded as PDF's, if for any reason you require the documents in Word Format, please email Contactpeopleteam@vam.ac.uk with your request.

Skills Required