Trustee vacancy – Pendon Museum

Pendon Museum is looking for a Financial Director to join the Trust to lead and oversee the Museum’s finances and to bring new experiences, skills and ideas to the Trustee body.

About Pendon

Founded in 1954, Pendon Museum offers a truly unique experience and has developed an international reputation for excellence. The museum consists of three scenes that explore life in the 1930s. The centerpiece of the museum consists of a highly detailed representation in miniature of the Vale of White Horse at a period in time in which changes in the transport system transformed the way of life. The models are used to explain the vernacular architecture of the villages, the appearance of the countryside, and the social, economic and transport systems that existed to support the population who lived in the Vale at that time. The models are complemented by an extensive photographic archive documenting  the buildings, transport, and the socio-economic environment in which people in the area lived in the 1930s.

Pendon is an accredited museum that is primarily volunteer run,  supported by a small staff team including a recently appointed Museum Manager. Pendon Museum Trust Ltd is both a company limited by guarantee and a Registered Charity. It has a trading subsidiary, Pendon Museum Sales Ltd. Pendon also has a vibrant Friends community which supports the activities of the Museum.

Opportunity

It is an exciting time to join Pendon Museum. The Trustees recognize that Pendon needs to update aspects of its culture and offer for the modern audience  We are currently exploring opportunities to update the visitor experience and interpretation, develop our events and learning offer as well as increase accessibility to the photographic archive. In order to achieve this, we recognise that we will need to secure funding from bodies such as the National Heritage Lottery Fund.

We would expect the Financial Director to contribute to these initiatives and ensure that the financial aspects of change are properly managed. We are looking for a pro-active strategic thinking person with a passion for our heritage and how we explain it to the audiences of the future.

Key areas of responsibility

Specifically, the Financial Director role is to:

• Own and oversee the Museum’s financial policies
• Ensure that the Trust achieves high standards of financial governance at all times
• Work with the senior management team to set and oversee budgets and projects
• Ensure appropriate internal examination of the accounts
• Work with the external accountants to complete Companies House and Charity Commission annual reports
• Advise the Trustees on appropriate investment strategies
• Report to Trustees on the financial health of the Museum.

Knowledge and experience

Ideally you will have:

• Significant experience in a business management or other relevant financial role
• Knowledge of accounting requirements, terminology, and processes
• Knowledge of financial controls
• Understanding of best practice within the charity sector
• Ability to manage external financial relationships, e.g., bank, accountants, fund-raising bodies
• Excellent interpersonal skills
• Ability to deal with sensitive issues.

Trustees meet 4 times a year, with two additional trust General Meetings.  We do expect that the Financial Director role will consume up to two days a month, A DBS Check will be required for the role.

Pendon Museum Trust recognise that diversity is key to success, we would be interested in hearing from people with different backgrounds, skills and experience.

If you would like to find out more about the museum, please see our website www.pendonmuseum.com or for an informal discussion about the role please contact the Museum Manager by email: [email protected].

Closing date: 28 February.