Vacancies

We are presently seeking the right person to manage the Museum and the Job Description and Person Specification appear below, together with  details of  the application process.

PLEASE NOTE THAT THE APPLICATION PERIOD  HAS NOW CLOSED

Manager of the West Highland Museum

 Job Description

Purpose of post

To manage the West Highland Museum on behalf of its trustees, ensuring that it is efficiently run and that its collections are properly presented and safeguarded, and helping to ensure that it maintains financial viability and continuously improves.

Accountability

Accountable to the Chairman of Trustees with responsibility to the Chair of the Management Committee for matters within that Committee’s remit.

Responsible for

All volunteers and members of paid staff

Main duties and responsibilities

All day-to-day management of the museum, working through the volunteer co-ordinator as appropriate, including:

  1.  safety and security of the collections and the building
  2. rostering staff and volunteers to ensure that the museum is always properly staffed
  3. staff management, including pay, leave, health and safety etc, with the necessary records
  4. overseeing the work of the volunteers
  5. paying bills promptly, maintaining proper financial accounts and reporting on these as required to the management committee
  6. maintaining specified records of visitor numbers, donations, membership of the museum and other details and reporting on these as required to the management committee
  7. ensuring the security of cash in the building and banking cash as appropriate
  8. ensuring the shop is properly stocked and run
  9. ensuring the website is kept up-to-date and publicity for the museum is produced and distributed to an agreed plan
  10. preparing agendas for meetings of the trustees and management committee, attending these meetings to contribute and take minutes, and ensuring that decisions are acted on
  11. ensuring that day-to-day cleaning and maintenance is properly carried out
  12. ensuring the museum’s education programme is properly maintained within existing policy

Working under the guidance of the management committee to develop the museum by:

  1.  all types of promotional activity, intended to increase visitor numbers and maximise net revenue
  2. maximising appropriate grant aid from public sector and other bodies, including preparation of applications and providing monitoring information
  3. working on specific development projects

Working with the support of an external curatorial adviser to maintain and develop the collection, including:

  1. developing a detailed knowledge of the collection
  2. safely conserving and storing the collection
  3. preparing displays and providing interpretation for them
  4. ensuring the museum achieves and retains MLA accreditation, including maintenance of required procedures and implementation of the documentation plan
  5. accepting, where appropriate, new items for the museum’s collections
  6. agreeing the loan out or reproduction of items from the collection where permitted under the museum’s policies.

General conditions of employment

  1. The post is permanent and full-time, 9am to 5.30pm Monday to Friday, with an hour for lunch.  The manager will however be expected to show flexibility in attending meetings etc from time to time outside those hours. 37.5 hrs/wk.
  2. Annual leave entitlement is 28 days, of which 2 days must be taken at Christmas, 3 at New Year.  Other leave will be taken by mutual agreement with the chair of the management committee
  3. The salary for the post is £21,000 per year.  This will be reviewed by the trustees each 1st November, taking into account the retail prices index and the financial position of the museum
  4. If the employee chooses to take out a personal pension plan, the museum will contribute 5% of annual salary each year to an agreed provider
  5. Expenses directly resulting from museum responsibilities will be recorded and reimbursed
  6. A staff appraisal system is used, with a performance review every six months carried out by one or two trustees
  7. Two months’ notice of resignation must be given
  8. The post will be subject to clearance by Disclosure Scotland

Please apply with your CV and a covering letter to:

Chris Robinson, Chair of Management Committee, West Highland Museum, Cameron Square Fort William PH33 6AJ

Or on line to info@westhighlandmuseum.org.uk

Closing date:   Monday 21st November 2011

Interviews:     Week beginning Monday 28th November 2011

 

Person Specification

 

 

Essential Desirable
Qualifications

  • qualifications or experience to demonstrate high level of numeracy for accountancy purposes, and good level of literacy
  • qualification in museum management

 

 x  

 

x
Experience

  • of managing staff and/or volunteers
  • of maintaining accurate financial or other numerical records
  • of preparing agendas, minutes or other concise written presentations
  • of responsibility for running a small enterprise
  • of working in a museum or similar environment
  • of ensuring the security of cash, equipment and premises
  • of publicity and promotional work

 

 x

x

 

x

 

  

 

 

 

x

x

x

x
Knowledge

  • of accountancy practices
  • of employment and health and safety legislation
  • of museum procedures

 

 x

x

x
Skills

  • effective and persuasive communication and interpersonal skills
  • good management skills
  • excellent numberacy skills
  • effective communicator in writing

 

 x

 

x

x

x
Other attributes

  • positive, energetic, focussed and enthusiastic to achieve results
  • thorough and with excellent attention to detail

 

 x

 

x