Freelance Collections Manager Museum

Freelance Collections Manager – Newton Abbot Museum

Job Title:

Freelance Collections Manager

Terms:

2 year FTC

Funded by the Town Council, Newton Abbot Museum is a high quality and imaginative, free-entry museum that explores the history of the town and the local environs. From early settlement to the coming of the railway and beyond to the present day, the museum tells the stories of local lives, industries and places that have helped to shape Newton Abbot over time.

The museum opened to great acclaim in 2020 with the refurbishment of a grade II listed Victorian church funded by the NLHF, a broad range of other funding bodies and much community support. The new museum space, along with Town Council offices and community rooms, is located in the town centre. The move has resulted in visitor numbers increasing significantly from 2,000 per annum to over 15,000 in the last year with visitors enjoying the modern interpretation and interactivity the new displays offer.

There is also an innovative and varied programme of creative and engaging events driven by the team’s desire to collaborate with the community they serve.

This Collections Management Role will be an integral part of the strategy for the next exciting phase of development as the team at Newton Abbot Museum complete the construction and fit out a state‑of‑the‑art collection store for the National Lottery Heritage Funded Project ‘What’s in Store?’. We are seeking an experienced and enthusiastic Collections Manager to lead the stewardship, development, and accessibility of the museum’s collections.

This is a pivotal role that combines strategic leadership with hands‑on collections management, ensuring that our collections are preserved, documented, and shared to the highest professional standards.

Working closely with the Curator and museum staff and volunteers, you will oversee all aspects of collections care, documentation, access, and compliance, helping to shape the future direction of the collection and its role within the community.