Operations Manager at Wycombe Museum

The Museum

Wycombe Museum is a unique and invaluable resource for the town, for the county, and for the nation as a whole. Wycombe Museum is managed as a charity by Wycombe Heritage and Arts Trust (WHAT). 

Our Vision:  Wycombe Museum nurtures a sense of identity and pride within the communities and audiences we serve 

Our Mission:  Wycombe Museum inspires discovery and fosters local community connections through its furniture and chair-making expertise, social heritage collections and outdoor space

The museum is based in Britain’s furniture capital and the global centre of chairmaking, High Wycombe, and seeks to illuminate the history of the chair in an engaging, compelling and entertaining manner which cannot be accessed anywhere else. The chair has always been the most familiar and accessible element of the home and is an enduring domestic icon freighted with a host of stories and considerable contemporary relevance. The result is a rich and fascinating narrative which appeals to people from all backgrounds and all ages and which has particular relevance to the growing market for lifelong learning and the emerging audience for crafts.

The museum is based close to Wycombe Station, in the centre of the town. Its main building is a Grade II-listed building dating back to the 17^th century, set in splendid historic gardens.

The museum is now looking for an enthusiastic, dynamic, well-organized, self-directed and motivated Operations Manager to steer our sites into the post-Covid era.

The Role 

Job Title:                  Operations Manager

Responsible to:         Museum Director

Purpose:                  To efficiently manage the day-to-day operation of the Museum at Castle Hill House, storage and ‘pop-up’ locations, so that they are welcoming, comfortable and safe places for visitors, volunteers and staff. Key responsibilities will include duty management, volunteer recruitment and management, health & safety and site maintenance.

Location:                  High Wycombe. It is desirable that the successful candidate will live within a short journey of the museum.

It is important that the successful candidate fully understands their role in the context of safeguarding children, young people and vulnerable adults. An ability to form and maintain appropriate relationships and personal boundaries with children, young people and vulnerable adults will be essential.

S/he must also (i) have due regard to the responsibilities and duties set out in Wycombe Heritage and Arts Trust’s Health & Safety Policy in respect to personal and other people’s health, safety and welfare and (ii) comply with and actively support Wycombe Heritage and Arts Trust’s equal opportunities policy and to ensure practices are consistently applied across the Museum in employment, engagement and service delivery.

Person specification

Essential Criteria:

• Experience in a public facing role dealing with customers
• Experience of staff and/or volunteer management
• Experience of daily cashing up and epos till systems
• Knowledge of health & safety and first aid
• Experience of looking after a site with a wide range of activities taking place – including basic knowledge of facilities, fire, security, house-keeping, contractors
• Must be physically able to undertake the tasks associated with event and room set up in a museum environment
• Must live within easy reach of the museum
• Ability to enthuse and motivate others
• A self-starter who is able to work confidently with little supervision
• A practical approach, must be able to prioritise, respond well to challenges and solve problems quickly and effectively
• Ability to build relationships with a wide range of people
• A willingness to be hands on and flexible, getting involved in a wide range of activities as and when required
• Full, clean Driving Licence

Desirable Criteria:

• Experience of recruiting and leading teams of volunteers
• Experience of working in the museum or heritage sector
• Experience of excel spreadsheets
• Some experience of analysing spend per head and weekly takings
• Experience of basic project management
• Qualification in health & safety

Equal opportunities

The museum seeks to ensure that all posts and volunteer opportunities are appropriately advertised, and that museum is seen as an equal opportunity employer which encourages applications from qualified candidates from visible and invisible minority group members, people with disabilities, people across the spectrum of sexual and gender identities, and others with the skill and knowledge to engage with diverse communities.

We affirm publicly that we are committed to hiring on merit and to removing barriers in employment policies.

How to apply

If you are interested in this role, and wish to learn more, please contact the Interim Director, Dr Steven Parissien, on [email protected]

Applications, comprising a CV and a covering letter of not more than two sides of A4, should be sent to the Interim Director at the e-address above by Friday 2 April. Interviews will be held w/c 5 April.