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. You will be working with over 300 museums in the South East area.

You will also support and provide professional advice to museums in your assigned locality which will be Oxfordshire.

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

About you

You will have substantial experience of the museum sector, with a firm understanding of the Accreditation standards, workforce development and understanding of museum governance. A knowledge of business planning, financial reporting, audience development and collections management is essential.

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 2024-28. MDSE is managed jointly by Norfolk Museums Service (NMS) and Brighton & Hove Museums (B&HM), and is delivered in liaison with local authorities, museums and other stakeholders in the Area. This post will be employed by Royal Pavilion & Museums Trust, but will deliver their service remotely (via virtual meetings, email and phone) as well as occasional site visits and live training events.

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.

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.

If you would like to have an informal discussion regarding this role, please contact Stephen Lowy, Deputy Programme Manager at stephen.lowy@mdse.org.uk

To apply

To apply for this role, please submit the following  to recruitment@rpmt.org.uk

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

Closing date: 5pm, 30 September 2026
Interview date: 14 or 15 October 2026