Deputy Director – Food Museum

The Deputy Director will direct the museum’s trading activities, taking on the overarching direction of the catering, events and retail business and sharing responsibility for fundraising and financial management of the organisation with the Museum Director who will be focusing on the delivery of The Kitchen Project. The Deputy Director will represent the museum, build partnerships and share and promote the museum’s work.

We are looking for someone who is committed to the museum’s mission, with good commercial experience, financial skills and entrepreneurial drive. The job involves managing and motivating teams, so good people skills and the ability to deliver supportive challenge are important, as is – given the size of our organisation – a willingness to step in and provide practical help where needed.

The Kitchen Project

The role is funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund as part of The Kitchen Project, a multi-year programme of activities and capital works. The museum has been awarded a stage 1 pass. Over the next 18 months, we will appoint an architectural team and develop plans and partnerships in order to submit a stage 2 application for further support in early 2025.

The project will ultimately deliver 5 years of exciting and engaging collaborative programmes of activities and exhibitions, including creating new opportunities for volunteering. It will transform the presentation of a group of buildings at the centre of the museum’s large 84-acre site. This will include re-erecting the medieval timber-framed ‘Edgar’s Farmhouse’, representation of a historic Victorian factory space, two Second World War huts and works to the stunning Grade II* Medieval Barn. The museum aims to create an interactive display of historical kitchens with food from different eras. Over the next year, the museum will be developing a ‘School Dinners’ exhibition and activity programme in collaboration with others. There will be opportunities for schools and a small number of 16-18 year-olds to get involved, via a Young Curators scheme which will be launched in spring.

Main duties

1. Own the income generation strategy and identify effective ways of generating income from the museum’s assets.
2. Manage the Events Manager, Catering Manager and Retail team and provide leadership to the Trading Company.
3. Oversee HR and ensure that the museum is compliant with current legislation and best practice.
4. Work closely with the Director to set and meet the museum’s financial targets and oversee the day-to-day finances.
5. Fundraise towards the museum’s plans.
6. Lead on development and delivery of projects to deliver improvements to the museum’s operations. Project manage programme, budget and quality.
7. Collect and use data and evaluate the work we create to inform decision-making.
8. Build partnerships and relationships outside the museum. Act as an ambassador for the museum. Look for opportunities to work with others to deliver events and activities and help the museum to be a more open and welcoming place.
9. Recruit and manage volunteers, working creatively to provide opportunities to engage others with the work of the museum.
10. Support the delivery of museum events, learning, marketing and fundraising.

To apply

Please click here for the full job description and application form>>

Please complete an application form and a recruitment monitoring form and email them to [email protected] – both can be downloaded at the link above.

The closing date for receipt of applications is Thursday 7 December 2023 at midnight.

Interviews will take place on Wednesday 13 December.