Collections Manager

Contract: COLLECTIONS MANAGER

Contract Manager/Reports to: The Hockey Museum Curator

Hours: 4 days a week (or 30 hours), must include Tuesdays and Wednesdays

Expected remuneration: £28,750 pro rata (i.e £23,000 for a 4-day week)

Contract: Permanent contract

Location: Woking, Surrey

1. Overview

1.1 The Hockey Museum (THM) is a relatively young but dynamic independent charity museum founded in late 2011. It achieved full Museum Accreditation from Arts Council England and the President’s Award from the International Hockey Federation (FIH) for preserving hockey heritage, both in 2018. THM is the only public museum for (field) hockey in the world. THM’s progress and growth has been rapid as its profile, professionalism and the wealth of new hockey heritage collections continues to rise. THM’s premises is in Woking town centre, in Surrey.

1.2 We are looking for an enthusiastic Collections Manager with proven collections management skills, a meticulous attention to detail and outstanding organisational skills to oversee the maintenance and delivery of collection management procedures to the standards appropriate for an accredited museum. Reporting to the Curator, the Collections Manager will be THM’s second member of professional staff. They will have significant responsibility for managing THM’s cohort of volunteers who work on or interact with the collections through cataloguing, collections care, research and storytelling, and other projects.

2. Role Description

2.1 The Collections Manager will be responsible for:

• The management and development of the museum collection, archive and library.
• The day-to-day management, tasking, supervision, and training of the team of volunteers responsible for making progress against the Collections Plans in consultation with the Curator.
• Support the delivery of the museum’s re-accreditation with Arts Council England, in particular the review and delivery of The Hockey Museum’s Collections Plans.
• Undertake and supervise data entry; check, develop and improve object metadata to the highest standards.
• Maintain and implement the suite of collections management policies, plans and accompanying Procedural Manual under the direction of the Curator and in adherence to Spectrum. Ensure that all policies and procedures relevant to collections work are closely followed and reviewed on a regular basis.
• Support the Curator in implementing the Collections Development Policy and lead on processing acquisitions and disposals through documented procedures.
• Maintain and evolve the collections database within Modes Complete, The Hockey Museum’s collections management system, and ongoing documentation and location control.
• Undertake duties as Registrar for the collections, including the maintenance of the Museum’s digital accession register.
• Support the Curator in collections enquiries including offers of sale and donation.
• Assist visitors, students, staff and volunteers consulting the collections and archives for research.
• Manage the Museum’s approach to storage at the Woking site to ensure the security and safe storage of the collections.
• Attend quarterly Curatorial Team meetings, tracking and contributing collections management data and reporting on progress against collections management objectives.
• Maintain the collections management budget, agreeing purchases with the Curator.
• Serve as an advocate for The Hockey Museum collections.

4. Person Specification
Knowledge and Experience

4.1 Essential

• A degree in a relevant subject or an appropriate professional qualification (such as the Associateship of the Museums Association) or a substantial and comparable level of knowledge and experience.
• Demonstrable experience of working to collections management policies and procedures to the standards appropriate for an Accredited Museum.
• Experience using collections management software.
• A sound understanding of collections care, including environmental monitoring and pest management procedures.
• Evidence of the ability to plan work to meet agreed standards, deadlines, and budgets.
• Excellent organisational skills and a meticulous attention to detail.
• Demonstrable experience of supervising volunteers and/or junior project staff.
• Demonstrable experience of conducting a collection audit.
• Awareness of the need to identify hazards within the collection and the ability to contribute to an assessment and management of the associated risks.
• Excellent oral and written communications and a mutually supportive and collaborative team working style.
• Good general health; the ability to safely lift and handle items from the collection and traverse stairs.

4.2 Desirable

• Experience of collection rationalisation.
• An understanding of collection digitisation, digital preservation, and digital asset management systems.
• Experience of working with and cataloguing archives/knowledge of ISAD(G) archiving standards.
• Ability to manage a variety of personalities and different support needs.
• Interest in or understanding of (field) hockey.

5. About The Hockey Museum (THM)

5.1 THM is an independent museum set up as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) – a ground-breaking, innovative venture that has created the world’s first museum and archive dedicated to the preservation and celebration of hockey’s fascinating story. The Museum understandably has an England and Great Britain focus but following its formal partnership with the International Hockey Federation (FIH) and in the absence of any other hockey museum, it has taken on an increased international flavour expanding its collecting and storytelling remit to the world governance of hockey and large international hockey tournaments.

5.2 The Museum has a Board of 10 Trustees and its Curatorial Team of staff and key volunteers run the day-to-day operations led by the Curator.

5.3 THM’s Charitable Objects are:

Advancing the education of the public in the history and development of hockey and its antecedents, in particular by establishing or maintaining a museum for the permanent exhibition and preservation of items of education and/or historic value.

5.4 The Hockey Museum’s Vision is:
Inspiring people to embrace hockey’s values by sharing engaging hockey stories through innovation and inclusivity.

5.5 Through its partnerships with England Hockey and the FIH, THM has staged several successful exhibitions and displays at international hockey events and clubs in addition to its in-house exhibition in Woking. To date, THM has supervised two hockey history PhDs in collaboration with university partners and supported several other graduate and post-graduate research projects, as well as hosting academic placements alongside its programme of volunteering. THM holds over 80,000 items across its collection, archive and library. It runs a programme of oral history interviewing that captures the lived experiences of hockey people adding valuable historical context to its heritage collections.

6. Terms and conditions

Expected remuneration: £28,750 pro rata

Holidays: 20 days pro rata

Hours: 4 days a week (or 30 hours), must include Tuesdays and Wednesdays

Contract: Permanent contract

Location: THM is in Woking, Surrey