Curator and Museum Manager – The Rifles Museum

The Rifles Museum is a rapidly developing museum in the heart of Winchester and we are looking for an enthusiastic and proactive Curator and Museum Manager to develop the museum further. Located in Peninsula Barracks in the heart of Winchester, alongside 5 other military Museums, The Rifles Museum tells the story of The Rifles regiment through its stories and collections, while engaging with service personnel, and members of the public who visit the displays in person and investigate our history through our website and popular social media presence.

Over the past eight years, the museum has opened to the public, become fully Accredited, changed to a Charitable Incorporated Organisation with a new Board of Trustees, taking on accounting and employee payroll responsibilities, established and continued to develop an online presence and ventured into retail.

The new Curator and Museum Manager will be expected to continue this progress developing new areas such as online retail and continuing to develop a Regimental Archive and the collection of oral history, while overseeing the management of the Trust, Museum and the collections. This is an opportunity to take the lead in telling the story of the British Army’s largest Infantry Regiment while building on the foundations of this fledgling Museum.

Purpose of the job

The Museum Manager is responsible to the Chairman and Trustees of The Rifles Regimental Museum Trust for the overall management of said Trust, the Museum and its collections, as well as line managing the Assistant Curator.

Selection of the main duties and responsibilities: 

• Responsible for overseeing and managing all financial aspects of The Rifles Museum including: budgeting; keeping accounting records; payroll; processing donations; and grant applications.
• Responsible for managing legal requirements for The Rifles Museum such as, Firearms Licence, Health and Safety policies and risk assessments.
• Oversee the development of The Rifles Regimental Archive including sourcing funding, staffing resources, selecting digital archive management and storage solutions and planning regular acquisitions of material from the Regiment.
• Manage every aspect of the object and archival collections, covering: Cataloguing on paper and in the MODES database; Location controls and audits; Environmental monitoring and conservation.
• Continue developing the collections through pro-actively sourcing and acquiring new objects, archives, including oral history, and images and video to engage the public.
• Manage object loans into and out of the Museum collections organising required paperwork, transport (where required), insurance or Government Indemnity and suitable display cases (for Loans In).
• Running a temporary display programme of in-house and/or externally sourced exhibitions, working with the Assistant Curator to develop an associated activities schedule.
• Managing the existing touring exhibition, ‘I Am A Rifleman’, and any future touring exhibitions, designing displays, identifying potential venues, working with contractors and transporting material, as required.
• Manage and oversee Museum advertising, balanced with ongoing Museum marketing carried out through Winchester’s Military Museums.
• Support the Assistant Curator with public engagement tasks when required, such as: Overseeing Museum events and activities; Delivering greeting and introduction talks or tours for regimental and some other group visits; and giving talks to external groups, cadets, serving personnel and the public.
• Oversee The Rifles Museum retail offer: Monitor stock levels and purchase stock; Develop supplier list and increase retail lines; and monitor sales through the Museum shop, in conjunction with the Royal Green Jackets (Rifles) Museum.
• Implement and manage an online retail offer through the Museum website.
• Line manage and support the Assistant Curator, promoting Continuing Professional Development opportunities and additional training.
• Support Winchester’s Military Museums by taking on responsibilities in joint ventures including education and marketing.
• Support The Rifles Heritage Committee by taking on the role of Secretary and providing a direct link to The Rifles Museums Network.
• Help to instigate and provide Regimental support for the Museums affiliated with The Rifles, alongside providing leadership for The Rifles Museums Network as a whole.

The Applicant

The successful applicant will demonstrate the following essential and desirable requirements:

Essential:

• Good level of professional knowledge indicated by a relevant degree or equivalent experience.
• Experience of management of staff and volunteers.
• Proven ability to prioritise workloads and meet deadlines.
• Personable and confident with good oral and written communication skills.
• Project management experience.
• Understanding of budget management and basic accountancy skills.
• Good IT Skills, including experience using a Collections Management System.
• Knowledge of Museum Accreditation processes and requirements.
• Interest in military history.
• Ability to work occasional evenings and weekends as and when required.

Desirable:

• Experience in writing grant applications within the heritage sector
• Knowledge of The Rifles and its forebear Regiments
• Full, clean driving licence

Applications

For any questions please contact: Christopher Gale, curator@the-rifles.co.uk.

Applications containing your CV and a covering letter outlining your suitability for the role (no more than 2 pages please) can be sent to:

Christopher Gale, RHQ The Rifles, Peninsula Barracks, Winchester, SO23 8TS or curator@the-rifles.co.uk.

Application deadline: Friday 15 July 2022

Interviews: In July 2022