Job Title: Curator of Digital Design
Division: Collections
Department: Design, Architecture and Digital
Pay band: 4
Reporting to: Keeper of Design, Architecture and Digital

The Victoria and Albert Museum is seeking a curator of digital design to join the Design, Architecture and Digital Department. This post will be responsible for defining a new approach to collecting and exhibiting digital design for the V&A, as well as taking on responsibility for the care, research, display and interpretation of the Museum’s digital collections.

The successful candidate will be able to carry out independent research to a high standard and have a proven track record in curating digital design for public audiences. A broad familiarity with new media, videogame design, web design, interaction design, interface design, social media and relevant digital design techniques and platforms is highly desirable as well as knowledge of issues around the care and acquisition contemporary digital objects.

Background & Purpose of job

Design, Architecture and Digital (DAD) is a curatorial department which focuses on the subjects of contemporary architecture and urbanism, product design and digital design. This team’s activities are focused on discipline and object-based expertise, on developing the collection and making it accessible through exhibitions, displays, galleries, the web, traditional publications and events. DAD is a department motivated by the civic role of the museum in contemporary society, and works as a team to collect and exhibit objects that tell stories about design and public life.

With the Keeper of DAD and other colleagues, the postholder will be responsible for establishing a new approach to collecting and exhibiting digital design for the V&A, as well as taking on responsibility for the care, research, display and interpretation of the Museum’s digital collections. They will also be responsible for defining the field: while we know all areas of design today are somehow digital, we are most interested in those that show how digital design tools and the internet define design practice today. Included in that definition are videogame design, web design, interaction design, interface design, parts of architecture and industrial design and much more. The postholder must bring strong contacts in one or more of these fields and be able to bring design communities together to think about how the V&A should represent them in its collections in the future.  The postholder should also have high levels of literacy with digital design techniques and platforms and ideas about how to collect, preserve and display digital artefacts.

Working closely with colleagues in DAD and other departments including Exhibitions, Research and Conservation, the Curator of Digital Design must collect the most important design work in the digital realm, and be a constant source of ideas for exhibitions and other programming. They will also get involved in a wide range of museum projects, in particular V&A East, a new museum in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park opening in 2022. Digital design will be a key aspect of this ambitions new institution.

All curators are expected to contribute to curatorial and administrative work across the department and to serve on cross-Museum committees and teams as required.

Main tasks

1. To take curatorial responsibility for digital design, acting as specialist on behalf of the Museum, in particular maintaining expert knowledge of this quickly evolving field.
2. To continue DAD’s digital design collecting remit, taking an active role in managing digital collection objects, on view and in storage, as well as actively working on the documentation of these collection objects.
3. To make the digital collections accessible to the widest possible audience in a variety of ways using new media.
4. To contribute as required to the V&A East project, helping develop a vision for an institution partly focused on digital design.
5. To contribute, as required, to V&A public programmes, events (including Friday Lates) and other exhibition-related programming managed by the DAD team.
6. To undertake research in and publish the collection, in traditional and online forms, and to maintain a strong personal research profile.
7. To support the work of colleagues including digital presence in exhibitions and displays.
8. To work with senior colleagues to provide expert advice to Government, to public bodies, to the press and others.
9. To take a part in providing an efficient service of enquiries, opinions and appointments to the general public.
10. To be committed to health and safety and ensure familiarity with all of the Museum’s health and safety policies and procedures.
11. To be security conscious, ensure familiarity and co-operation with all Museum security procedures, wearing a security pass at all times when on Museum premises.
12. To promote equality and diversity in all aspects of work by developing and maintaining positive working relationships, ensuring that colleagues are treated fairly and with respect. To actively contribute to developments that support the museum’s strategy for widening access, inclusion and diversity.
13. To carry out duties as requested by the Keeper of the Design, Architecture and Digital department.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

Essential requirements

1. A degree in a relevant discipline or evidence of equivalent expertise in digital practice.
2. Demonstrable expertise in a wide range of digital/interactive/new media design, and evidence of a commitment to developing further expertise.
3. Good knowledge of the relationship between digital design and the wider world of design as well as its relationship to contemporary art and an understanding of future trends.
4. A sound understanding of digital design techniques and platforms and ideas about how to collect, preserve and display digital artefacts.
5. Experience of having successfully curated digital design for a public audience.
6. Research experience, in particular, a commitment to making digital design understandable to a wide audience.
7. Knowledge of the needs of different audiences and a commitment to providing for these through publications online and off, talks and through the creation of new museum displays and material for the web.
8. Demonstrable ability to be speak about digital design on behalf of the museum.
9. Good communications skills and ability to work as part of a flexible team, to achieve a variety of projects. Good writing skills.
10. Evidence of practical and organisational skills. Meticulousness, a keen attention to detail in all aspects of work, particularly record keeping.
11. Evidence of ability to work under pressure, flexibility and ability to work as part of a team.
12. Excellent computer skills (Excel, Photoshop, Powerpoint, etc), experience of working with social media, and ability to manage information in traditional and digital forms systematically and accurately.

Desirable requirements

1. International reputation in the field of digital design/new media.
2. A diverse range of public outputs that relate digital design to contemporary design and architecture.
3. Museum-based experience and working with collections management systems.
4. Familiarity with programming languages, content development, web editing and information architecture.

Application process:
Please apply online via the V&A’s website at www.vam.ac.uk/jobs

If you have any queries regarding the recruitment process, you can email us – hr@vam.ac.uk or telephone us on 020 7942 2937.

Closing date for receipt of applications is midnight Sunday 22 May 2016.

Interviews to be held on Wednesday 1 June 2016.

Interview expenses will not be paid unless there is a prior agreement.