Job vacancy – Heritage Manager at West Midlands Police

Do you have experience of working with museum collections and bringing their stories to life in new and compelling ways? 

Grade: Management Band 1
Salary: £47,982- £54,657 per annum (Starting salary will be £47,982)
Closing Date: 12 August 2020

About the role

Following West Midlands Police success in securing a major National Lottery Heritage Fund award, a new and exciting opportunity has arisen for the right person to lead, manage and develop our force museum.

Plans will shortly be underway to start work on transforming the Victorian cells at the former Steelhouse Lane Lock-up in Birmingham into a showcase for the city, telling the stories of prisoners and staff – including the real ‘Peaky Blinders’.

As well as bringing to life our compelling history, the museum will also display some of the latest tech we have available.

The Heritage Manager will be responsible for a small team of staff including a museum manager, engagement officer, heritage assistants and a large team of volunteers who give up their free time to help keep the force’s history alive.

The manager will be responsible for creating a sustainable business model for the museum, identifying new income streams and achieving additional revenue from existing assets to generate sufficient funds to cover the costs of the museum.

They will also be responsible for the preservation of the museum assets and building and for developing new and innovative ways to tackle the challenges faced by the museum.

Apply here.

Key Responsibilities

  • Lead on the development and implementation of WMP’s heritage and museum strategy and methodology and ensure its continuous improvement.
  • Lead on the plan and co-ordination of activities and funding bids to generate funding of c£300,000 per annum to cover the staff and running costs of the museum.
  • Develop and monitor the Museum’s business plan, budget control and other strategies
  • Lead on the digitisation of museum assets – making them more readily available to internal and external audiences
  • Responsible for the conservation and preservation of the museum and its artefacts, ensuring staff are trained and able to take necessary action to protect the collection
  • Make decisions on ownership, disposal, loans and purchases of historic items – liaising with Legal Services wherever necessary
  • Influence senior leaders from around the force to understand the importance of the museum and the force’s heritage, and encourage their staff to be involved, volunteer and identify items to be donated
  • Translate high-level strategy and scope into objectives and actionable implementation plans (e.g. business plan, delivery plans, communication plans, engagement plans)
  • Develop and deliver a programme of engagement with hard to reach communities, improving the relationship with and perception of WMP
  • Develop a schedule of fundraising activities, using innovative and different ways to generate income
  • Working with Information Management to ensure that all museum activities comply with Information Security, Records Management and Data Protection legislation and guidance
  • Maintain a long term, strategic and tactical view of changes to equipment, uniform, estates rationalisation and significant cases in order to identify risks and opportunities to document the continuing history of the force and obtain material for the museum before it is disposed of, in conjunction with the Records Management Team and Corporate Asset Management
  • Complete applications and bids for various heritage and museum grants, assessing the various sources of funding available and prioritising activity on the most productive grants
  • Evaluate and monitor activities carried out at the Lock-up including school tours, open days, corporate events etc. to understand customer satisfaction levels, ensure value for money and continuously evolve and improve the museum’s offering
  • Assess the impact and effectiveness of different fundraising activities and key service offerings such as educational inputs for schools, working with teachers to understand what works and what can be improved
  • In line with force priorities, agree the topics and content of specific inputs and activities for different groups such as schools, Prince’s Trust, young offenders, for example guns, youth violence, drugs
  • Lead on engaging with stakeholders including West Midlands Police, the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner, local businesses, National Lottery Heritage Fund, West Midlands Museums Development, local heritage attractions and other police museums, any other grant providers
  • Ensure appropriate systems are in place to engage and consult with stakeholders in a timely fashion, ensuring everyone remains informed and involved
  • Prepare reports and updates for senior management within West Midlands Police and the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner and be prepared to regularly report to governance boards such as the Organisational Change Board and the Strategic Crime and Policing Board
  • The oversee the Museum’s Manager’s day to day running of the museum, including management of health and safety and ensuring a safe and secure site for visitors, volunteers and staff
  • Lead a centre of excellence by sharing knowledge, best practice and setting standards for fundraising, audience development, building stakeholders and organising events
  • Own and develop the museum’s social media strategy including identifying innovative regular and ad hoc features over multiple platforms to increase reach, setting up a professional website and identifying future development and proposed public use of the website
  • Oversee management of volunteer team including ensuring volunteers are appropriately trained and mentored and managing ongoing recruitment and retention of volunteers
  • Work collaboratively with essential corporate functions (e.g. Corporate Comms, L&D, People and Organisation Development, Information Management) to ensure alignment and delivery of key activities
  • Speak publicly at events about the museum, including delivering talks on aspects of policing history or items within the collection, delivering a positive image of West Midlands Police and generating potential sponsors
  • Ensure systems are in place to effectively analyse and respond to customer feedback
  • Oversee the accreditation process for the museum, ensuring that accreditation is achieved and sustained – taking the necessary steps to ensure that all required activities are carried out, policies created etc

The working hours for the role are generally Monday- Friday from 9am until 5pm but will also include evenings and weekends (on a duty rota basis when museum operational).

For further information about the job contact Dan Barton, Assistant Director Corporate Communications on [email protected].

Essential requirements:

  • The postholder must be educated to degree level or demonstrate an equivalent level of experience and show clear evidence of continuing professional development &/or membership of an appropriate professional body.
  • Senior management experience which demonstrates the ability to initiate, plan, monitor & develop service provision & deliver complex projects while leading and motivating others and fostering team work
  • Significant experience of challenging a team and driving change
  • Experience of managing substantial financial, staff & collections resources
  • Experience & understanding of planning & project management in a leadership capacity
  • Excellent reputational management skills
  • Excellent understanding of the Arts Council and National Lottery Heritage Fund frameworks for engagement & grant giving
  • To predict and drive change in a rapidly changing environment to deliver a performance based culture
  • A broad and deep specialised, technical knowledge base gained through experience built on concepts and principles around managing a large and high value museum collection
  • Strong relationship development and leadership skills with senior management, peers and direct reports
  • To communicate effectively with a wide range of staff stakeholders, agencies and partners
  • Most importantly of all you must have a passion for museums and culture with the belief that they can change lives.

Desirable Requirements:

  • Knowledge of or interest in the heritage of West Midlands Police or related collections
  • A museum related qualification

What you’ll get in return

We offer an extensive benefits package including:

  • Competitive salary
  • Agile and flexible working in a modern working environment
  • Excellent employee benefits programme
  • Access to WMP clubs & associations
  • Travel discounts
  • Childcare vouchers

West Midlands Police are currently undertaking a long term review of staff pay and conditions.  The grade, pay and other terms of employment are therefore subject to review and may change in the future. 

West Midlands Police is a Disability Confident Leader – the highest level an organisation can achieve under the scheme run by the Department of Work and Pensions.  As part of our commitment we operate a Guaranteed Interview Scheme – all candidates who declare a disability and meet the essential criteria for the role will be guaranteed an interview.

“Diversity and Inclusion Vision:  Maximise the potential of people from all backgrounds through a culture of fairness and inclusion to deliver the best service for our communities”

Click here to make your application