Posted: 19/07/2021 11:21
Salary: £35,000
Location: London
Level: NA
Deadline: 11/08/2021 23:59
Hours: 37.5
Benefits: Plus attractive benefits
Job Type: Permanent
Overview
The Design Museum’s vision is to inspire everyone to understand the value of design. Within that context, the Learning team work to empower everyone to be involved. We strive to be at the forefront of design debate and education.
The landscape for learning has shifted and expanded rapidly in recent years, both in the wider world, and within the museum itself. A new key strand of learning brings together learning and curatorial, to enable us to amplify the most important and interesting developments in design through a global forum for design discussion and debate. The portfolio includes the museum’s high profile public programme, the Designers in Residence programme, and the museum’s work with communities and Higher Education.
The Senior Curator: Public Programmes will be a proactive, well-connected design expert to curate and oversee this area of the learning programme. They will oversee the team – and be involved where necessary – in the delivery of talks and events that make up the public programme, Designers in Residence, community, and Higher Education projects. This programme will complement the exhibitions and wider learning programme, building new audiences, establishing new partnerships, and enriching the cultural life of the museum. They will be a thinker and a connector, engaged with design’s role in the contemporary world and an ambassador for the museum. They will foster equality, diversity, and inclusion in every aspect of the programmes.
Terms + conditions
Salary: up to £35,000 per annum, dependent on experience
Holidays: 25 days + christmas eve (museum closed)
Hours: 37.5 hours per week/full time
Closing date: Wednesday 11th August, midnight
Interviews: 18th and 19th August
Job scope
This role will oversee the museum’s public programme, Designers in Residence, community programme and oversee collaborations with higher education, with the support of a small team. The role will own the programme portfolio and be accountable for the success of programme strategy and deliverables.
The post holder will be responsible for both directly curating and delivering – and overseeing the team that curates and delivers – these projects. This includes managing the budgets and supporting on funding the various activities, whether that is through ticket sales, or working with the development team to source external funding.
You will be a team player, accustomed to working with a small, dynamic team. Key relationships will include the wider Learning team, Communications, Commercial and Fundraising teams to grow new audiences and make impact.
Job description
Programming and audiences
- Build the museum’s profile and reputation as the centre of design discussion and debate.
- Present the work of cutting-edge designers, thinkers, and cultural makers across diverse backgrounds who will shape the future of contemporary design through global platforms.
- Expand the possibilities of the museum spaces as sites of learning through a programme of talks, workshops, residencies, lectures, symposia, performances, festivals, displays, digital and offsite projects.
- Prioritise global histories and cultures in contemporary design practice and thinking.
- Engage audiences from underrepresented backgrounds in discussions around design.
- Provide support and resources that champion equality and equity within the design sector at large.
- Act as a laboratory for innovative design research and a platform for sharing new knowledge in the fields of architecture, design, and digital culture.
- Develop meaningful and sustainable relationships with students and national and international universities and research organisations.
- Provide access and support to underrepresented adult groups within the local community of Kensington and Chelsea through educational and collaborative initiatives led by designers.
- Forge new connections and long-term relationships with local community groups.
Development and delivery
- Research, curate and implement an innovative, relevant, and varied programme.
- Liaise with internal stakeholders including Curatorial, Learning, Communications, Collections and Research to ensure that the programmes deliver to the museum’s priorities and stakeholders.
- Identify and develop opportunities for joint ventures with other cultural, industry and educational establishments.
- Ensure that the programme is effectively evaluated, and that meaningful data is available to inform decisions, in particular understanding the demographic of speakers, facilitators, and audiences.
- Ensure that ambitious participant targets are met.
Manage the public programme budget and ensure financial KPIs are met.
Use digital platforms to increase participation, impact, reach and effective delivery of programmes.
Sector knowledge, museum profile and advocacy
- Be the public face of the public programme, hosting and chairing events where necessary.
- Raise the profile of the museum by participating in talks, debates, specialist networks and representing the museum at conferences.
- Advocate for the programmes across the museum by contributing to cross-organisational teams.
- Maintain up to date knowledge of key cultural, educational, and social policy contexts at government, regional and local level.
Programme management
- Plan, set and meet financial targets and manage associated budgets to ensure robust accountability.
- Prepare reports and feedback for senior leadership, committees, and funders as necessary.
- Directly deliver and / or manage the small team that delivers the various areas of the programme.
- Ensure health and safety of visitors and other staff in accordance with policies and procedures.
- Negotiate contractual conditions when working in partnership on public programming projects, including IP, fees, insurance, and costs.
People management
- Line manage direct reports, leading and inspiring them to achieve the highest level of performance and develop their skills and talents to enable them to reach their full potential.
- Lead by example to demonstrate and embed the museum’s values within the team.
- Manage direct reports in accordance with the museum’s policies and procedures.
- Manage volunteers, treating them as integral members of the museum and Learning team; be responsible for their induction, supervision, and timely review meetings.
Departmental responsibilities
- Represent the public programmes in the development of activity for the Exhibition Programme and act as the main conduit between the curatorial and learning teams.
- Participate as necessary in all the activities undertaken by the department and to represent the Learning Department, working collaboratively with other departments.
- Deputise effectively for the Head of Learning.
Experience, skills, and knowledge
Experience
- Significant experience in initiating, developing, and implementing high profile public events in the design sphere.
- Experience of mentoring and lecturing in the design field.
- Proven experience of developing and implementing transformational programmes.
- Experience of generating activity that reaches at times the widest possible audiences from local to international, and equally focused audiences.
- Demonstrable experience of managing projects and budgets effectively and meeting ambitious targets – reputational as well as quantitative.
- Experience of managing and developing teams.
- Experience of making an impact on developing audiences including improving diversity and inclusion.
Skills
- Creative thinker with the ability to generate ideas.
- A confident and engaging presenter, able to draw upon a wide network of contacts to devise and deliver events.
Ability to transform an ambitious set of aims into a clear strategic programme. - Innovative approach to programming, creating a portfolio that is both sector-leading and inclusive.
- Forward thinking, passionate about design and visual culture.
- Ability to plan own workload, prioritise effectively and meet tight deadlines across a range of project work.
- Strong interpersonal and communication skills: a team player, who fosters constructive collegial relationships, relates positively to public audiences and external contributors and stakeholders.
- Flexible and able to respond and re-programme at a pace, understanding that funders’ aims, and wider context can change at short notice.
- Highly motivated, effective, and committed team player with commitment to the Design Museum’s vision and values.
- Excellent written and oral communication skills.
Knowledge
- A graduate or postgraduate qualification in design, visual culture or a related field, or equivalent experience in the design or visual art industries or significant experience in design or visual media curation.
- Understanding of professional practice in design.
- Growth mind-set and an adaptable attitude, understanding iterative research and development processes.
- A live network of contacts in the agencies and organisations that can support and shape the programmes.
- A good understanding of audience research and evaluation.
Special demands of the role: the role will work at times suited to needs of audiences, including evenings and weekends as required.
Closing date: Monday 9th August
Interviews: 14th and 15th August
Application process
For all the latest job vacancies at the Design Museum, please visit our Careers page to apply via our online portal. During the application process you will be asked to download an application form. The completed application form must be reuploaded onto your application. Please note we are not able to accept other forms of application for our job roles.
Design Museum Staff Benefits
Employees are entitled to 25 days holiday, rising to 26 days after two years’ service and 27 days after five years’ service, plus 8 days Bank Holiday and Christmas Eve (museum closed), pro-rata for part-time employees. Other benefits include access to a defined contribution pension scheme, an employee assistance programme, season ticket loan, cycle to work scheme, free entry for friends and family to the museum, a variety of staff discounts including the museum shop and free entry to a wide number of galleries and museums in London.
Hours of Work
Full-time employees are required to work no less than 37.5 hours per week and the standard working day is 9.30am – 6.00pm which includes a daily 1 hour break (30 minutes paid and 30 minutes unpaid). Hours for part-time employees are pro-rated accordingly.
Diversity and Inclusion
The museum pro-actively seeks to collaborate with institutional partners, individuals and networks to realise its commitment to build a culturally diverse workforce. We positively encourage applications from underrepresented groups and consider candidates who are suitably qualified and eligible regardless of sex, race, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, religion or belief, marital status, or pregnancy and maternity.
About the Design Museum
The Design Museum is located in London and is the world’s leading design museum. It makes the impact of design visible and is the only place in the UK where the design industry, education and the public can come together to change the way people think about themselves and the future.
Since it opened its doors in 1989 the museum has displayed everything from an AK-47 to high heels designed by Christian Louboutin. It is a registered charity that has staged over 100 exhibitions, welcomed over six million visitors and showcased the work of some of the world’s most celebrated designers and architects including Paul Smith, Zaha Hadid, Jonathan Ive, Miuccia Prada, Frank Gehry, Eileen Gray and Dieter Rams.
On 24 November 2016, The Design Museum relocated to Kensington, west London. Leading architectural designer John Pawson converted the interior of a 1960s modernist building to create a new home for the Design Museum giving it three times more space in which to show a wider range of exhibitions and significantly extend its learning programme.
In July 2020, the Design Museum was awarded nearly £1 million National Lottery funding through the Arts Council’s Emergency Response Fund.
Our vision, purpose, mission and values
Our vision
Our vision is a world where everyone values design
Our purpose
The purpose of the Design Museum is to make the impact of design visible
Our mission
- To build public awareness of design by connecting design with people’s lives and passions
- To reflect the designer’s role at the forefront of social, technological and environmental change
- To serve the design community. Design is a practice, a diverse discipline, infinitely rich in approaches and characters. It is a young discipline, whose role in the world is evolving. Our unique approach to working with designers is to invite them to ‘think in public’
Our values
The museum’s core values are collaborative, welcoming, enterprising and forward looking.
