£23,114 (£18,491 pro rata) (& pension contribution to the Greater Manchester Pension Fund)
Contract Fixed Term for 18 months
This is an exciting opportunity to join People’s History Museum’s (PHM) Collections & Engagement Team at a time of key development for the museum and the collection. The Collections Team are currently reviewing key policies, including the Collecting Policy, to develop more equitable practice, as well as working on key projects including upcoming exhibitions, a research project exploring the use of the raised fist motif in political posters, and a large scale digitisation project. We want our collections to represent all members of society, and the Collections Assistant will be pivotal in helping the museum build representation in our catalogue and share the museum’s collection with our audiences.
We are looking for an enthusiastic and organised colleague, who is interested in discovering, documenting, and sharing untold stories of the past from PHM’s collection of over 60,000 objects. This role will report to the Collections Manager and will play a vital role in documenting the museum’s collection, researching and photographing new acquisitions and collection highlights, and supporting ongoing collection projects. The post holder will be responsible for logging and answering museum collection enquiries, helping to provide information and supervision for researchers, as well as advising colleagues in the museum on key resources, objects, and stories for use in upcoming programmes of events and exhibitions, social media, and website content, and PR and press opportunities. Good organisational and collaborative skills are vital.
The successful applicant will work closely with the Collections Manager and Collections Officers to care for, curate, and manage the museum’s collection, and will collaborate with our Conservation, Communications & Marketing, and Engagement Teams to share stories with our audiences.
The role would be ideal for someone looking to start their career within museum collections, with strong problem solving, organisational, and communication skills.
You do not need to have any previous experience of working with museum collections as full training will be given.
We are an equal opportunities employer and are fully committed to providing opportunities to all; however, this role involves working in our off-site collection store, which is not as accessible as we would like. Please do contact us if you would like to discuss any adjustments you may need, or would like more information about the accessibility issues.
Please outline how your experience, skills and knowledge meet the job description and provide details via our online application form. Your application will be assessed and scored against the job description using the information provided.
Deadline for applications: 9.00am on Monday 4 December 2023
Interviews: Thursday 14 December 2023, in person
If you have any questions or would like to arrange to discuss the role please contact Jackie Royle, Finance & Operations Officer at hr@phm.org.uk.
PHM prides itself on being a welcoming and inclusive organisation, profoundly committed to advancing equality and diversity in the broadest sense. We highly value the benefits that diverse perspectives bring to PHM’s mission.
We recognise the museum currently underrepresents people of colour, disabled people, LGBTQI+ people and those with intersecting identities in our workforce; PHM is actively working to address this and encourages applications from these backgrounds. While the successful candidate will be selected purely on merit, in the event of a tie between two candidates with equal experience, we may select a candidate who helps us better represent the communities the museum serves.
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