Job Opportunity: Museum Development Officer

We are looking to recruit an experienced professional to act as a Museum Development Officer for the new Museum Development South East team.

As a member of the Museum Development South East (MDSE) Area team, you will be responsible for the planning, delivering and evaluating the Area Museum Development programmes with the aim of supporting the improvement, resilience and sustainability of museums and heritage organisations in the South East Area.

The role of Museum Development Officer will also be to support and provide professional advice to museums in your assigned locality which will be Surrey and part of Kent, working with over 44 museums within the museum Accreditation scheme, jointly with the part-time Kent Museum Development Officer.

This role will be the primary MDSE team contact for museums, local authorities and other partners and stakeholders in this sub-region.

About you

You will have substantial experience of the museum sector, with a firm understanding of museum Accreditation standards. Our Museum Development programme complements Art Council England’s Let’s Create Strategy.

We are particularly interested in candidates who have experience of activities related to any of: fundraising and income generation; workforce and organisational development; audience development; collections care or management.

We are looking for someone with excellent communication skills, with good attention to detail and the ability to juggle different priorities and deadlines.

About the job

Museum Development South East is the Museum Development Programme for the South East of England. It is funded by Arts Council England (ACE) as part of its national Museum Development Programme for 2024-27. MDSE is managed jointly by Norfolk Museums Service and Brighton & Hove Museums, and is delivered in liaison with local authorities, museums and other stakeholders in the Area.

The South East area includes; Bedford Borough, Central Bedfordshire, Luton, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, Essex, Southend, Thurrock, Hertfordshire, Norfolk, and Suffolk, Bracknell Forest, Reading, Slough, West Berkshire, Windsor & Maidenhead, Wokingham, Buckinghamshire, Milton Keynes, East Sussex, Brighton & Hove, Kent, Medway, Oxfordshire, Surrey, and West Sussex.

The postholder will be employed by Brighton & Hove Museums but will deliver their service remotely (via virtual meetings, email and phone) as well as occasional site visits to museums in Surrey and Kent, in-person training events and team meetings.

This is a part-time role (29.6 hours per week) funded until 31 March 2027, with the possibility of an extension to 2027/28 (subject to additional funding). We welcome flexible working.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

We welcome applications from people who reflect the diversity of the country to help us shape and change the museum sector to make it more relevant to the diversity of the people, communities and places we serve.

To apply

Please email the following documents to recruitment@rpmt.org.uk

• Submit a written statement detailing your relevant skills and experience (max 2 sides of A4)
• A copy of your CV
• A completed application pack
• A completed equalities form

Closing date: Thursday 2 July 2025 (noon)
Interviews: 16 July 2025

If you have questions about the role, please contact the Deputy Programme Manager at stephen.lowy@mdse.org.uk