Deadline: Saturday 23 January 2016
Job Title: Curator – Operations Manager
Division: Collections
Department/Section: Furniture, Textiles and Fashion
Reporting to: Senior Curator
Salary: £26137 – £37392

The V&As Furniture, Textile and Fashion department requires a rigorously organised Curator Operations Manager.

Background

The V&A is the world’s leading museum of art and design. The national collections of watercolours, furniture and woodwork, miniatures, sculpture, silver, jewellery and metalwork are all held at the V&A. It has strong reputation in dress and fashion and a growing reputation in the contemporary field.

The FTF department brought together the former departments of Furniture and Woodwork, and of Textiles and Fashion. All curators are expected to make an active contribution to its ongoing development in both intellectual and organisational terms. It is highly likely that the responsibilities listed below may change over time, and curators will have an active role in planning and implementing such changes as are necessary to meet the agreed aims of the Museum. The postholder is also expected to make a positive contribution to the wider life of the Museum, by active participation in gallery and education projects, through the exercise of curatorial and management skills, and through the development of research and publication.

Purpose of job

The post-holder will be responsible for the management of the Furniture, Textiles and Fashion collections with regard to their display, storage, documentation and loan, in collaboration with the Manager of the Clothworkers’ Centre. S/he will ensure that the collections are maintained in a safe and secure environment and available for public viewing, both in galleries and study collections; liaise with relevant V&A departments regarding maintenance and development of galleries and stores; administer the FTF department’s long and short-term loans programme; maintain and develop documentation on the collection; and act as the department’s Business Continuity coordinator.

The successful candidate will have a degree or post-graduate qualification in a relevant field and experience of working in a museum. S/he will have, or be willing to develop, an active curatorial and scholarly interest in an aspect of the furniture and textiles collections, and will have the ability to communicate knowledge to a wide audience. S/he is expected to contribute to curatorial and administrative work across the department, to help to maintain the department’s strong national and international relationships and to make a positive contribution to the life of the wider Museum and to the implementation of the Strategic Plan.

Please visit the website for more details.