Vacancy for Curator or Assistant Curator

The Trustees of the Ashford Borough Museum are seeking to appoint

• a Curator to succeed Ian Sharp or
• an Assistant Curator who would work with Ian Sharp, with a view to becoming Curator.

Ian has announced his intention to step down after a successful 6 years as Curator. Ian has agreed to remain an active member of the museum.

The role is voluntary and the time involvement is flexible.

Ashford Borough Museum

The Ashford Borough Museum is an accredited museum run entirely by enthusiastic volunteers and with the material support and encouragement of Ashford Borough Council.

This support is in the form of heritage premises which the museum occupies. The current museum location is the Dr. Wilks Hall, a 17th century schoolroom in St Mary's Ashford churchyard, plus the adjacent building that was formerly used as the tourist information centre. Ashford Borough Council has recently published its heritage strategy for the Borough and alternative larger heritage premises to hold the collections and provide more exhibition space in a more accessible location may be forthcoming.

The museum also has assistance and advice from the South East Museums Development Programme.

The Curator leads the team managing the museum's collections. The museum is open from April to October. Each April there is an opening of the new exhibitions for the year focussed on a topical anniversary or subject of particular interest in the borough. Visitor numbers have been generally increasing year on year and there are visits to the museum by schools and youth groups as well as tourists and families tracing their roots in Ashford. The Curator and others also make outreach visits to schools and care homes: these are much in demand. The museum is also a part of the increasing visibility and promotion of Ashford's varied heritage.

The Ashford Borough Museum has built strong network links with other museums in Kent, aided particularly by Wheels of Time, a badge collecting scheme encouraging the exploration of 33 Kent heritage sites for 5-11 year olds, which is led by the Ashford museum.

The Curator's role

The role of the Curator is:

• To be a team member of the Management Committee, working with Chair, Treasurer, Secretary, and other members of the Management Committee, and the wider team of museum volunteers
• To lead the management the Museum's collections in accordance with its written procedures
• To lead the day to day operation of the museum
• To manage the museum's displays
• To contribute to achieving the Museum's educational aim by presenting to groups in museum and through outreach activities
• To promote the museum.
• Lead the maintenance of the museum's assets
• To report to Members at the AGM and Committee meetings three to four times a year

The successful candidate would initially shadow and assist Ian in these responsibilities, taking on more of them as he/she gained familiarity with the role.

The role profile for the candidate that the trustees are seeking is

• Strong interest in the history and heritage of Ashford town and borough.
• Interest in or existing, local connections and networking to promote the museum

Also desirable:

• Experience in managing a team, and delegating to others who are clear in their roles
• Practical ability in creation of displays
• Knowledge of museum good practice
• Funding experience

Diversity

Ashford Borough Museum Society aims to encourage diversity amongst its volunteers to ensure that they are representative of all sections of society and surrounding community and welcomes expressions of interest from any member of the community who believes that they can fulfill the role, regardless of race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, responsibilities for dependants, age, physical/mental disability or offending background (as long as this does not pose risk to children, young people, or vulnerable adults).

How to apply

For more information about the role and to express an interest, contact Richard Yeates (enquiries@ashfordmuseum.org.uk)