Director – Lyme Regis Museum

About the post

This is an exciting opportunity to move our recently expanded Museum into its next stage of successful development.

As Director you will lead and shape our organisation, with the support of the trustee board and your staff and volunteer teams. You will be accountable for our success and delivery against our objectives.

Your key objectives will be to:

• To manage the museum effectively
• To make the best possible use of all the Museum’s assets and collections to inspire, educate and entertain
• To deliver an excellent visitor experience
• To maximise income through increased visitors and new trading activity to achieve financial sustainability
• To manage the Trust’s assets including collections, building and shop.
• To lead, motivate and manage the staff and volunteer teams.
• To deliver effective budget management and business planning

About us

Lyme Regis Museum is a fully accredited independent museum, attracting over 30,000 visitors per annum. We are a vibrant and popular institution situated at the heart of the Jurassic Coast, within metres of the beaches where Mary Anning, the world’s first great fossil hunter made her amazing discoveries. The Museum stands on the site of Mary Anning’s home and opened to the public in 1921.

The Museum holds scientifically significant geological collections, as well as a small but important local history collection. Other collections in the museum reflect the town’s important literary heritage, as the inspiration for much of Jane Austen’s greatest novel ‘Persuasion’, JRR Tolkien and more recently John Fowles and Tracy Chevalier. The Museum also has an increasingly important fine art collection, representing Lyme’s role as an inspiration to generations of artists.

This wide range of collections is used to engage with our increasingly diverse audiences, providing them with a greater understanding of the exceptional history of this remarkable town.

About you

To succeed in this role, we believe you need to be a natural and confident leader. You will have a relevant degree or equivalent. A recognised museum/heritage qualification would be advantageous.

You will have proven senior experience within the heritage sector. You will be looking for a new challenge and an exciting opportunity.

You also have good commercial awareness and understand the importance of managing costs and utilising resources effectively, with an ambition not just to survive but to thrive, innovate and grow.

How to apply

Please contact Dr Jonathan Evans (evansij@btinternet.com) for a recruitment pack, which includes a full job description and details of how to apply. The closing date for applications is Friday 3 December 2021.