Curator of Social History (Mat Cover)

About Us

Oxfordshire County Council are seeking to appoint a Maternity Cover post to the role of Curator of Social History at the Oxfordshire Museum Service . This is an exciting time to join the Oxfordshire Museum Service as we continue to develop our services, and enhance access to our collections and services.

Our collection totals 112,000 objects from the palaeolithic era to contemporary collecting. The social history collection forms roughly half of our overall holdings and is diverse and broad ranging. We make our collections accessible via our range of services including through our key operating sites. The Oxfordshire Museum is our flag ship site and attracts over 100,000 visitors every year. The site includes an accessible green space, permanent and temporary galleries, learning space, café, shop and library. The Museum Resource Centre is our bespoke storage and conservation centre. Home to tens of thousands of objects as well as curatorial and learning staff accommodation. The service also manages two remote sites, Swalcliffe Barn (near Banbury), a medieval tithe barn with agricultural collections and the Bishops Palace (Witney) an open archaeological site of special historic interest.

About the Role

The Curator of Social History co-leads the Collections team alongside our Curator of Archaeology who collectively care for and manage our collections and support access to them. This post works with a range of colleagues, volunteers and the public. No two days are the same at the museum service!

The post reports to the Museum Service Manager who has overall responsibility for the Oxfordshire Museum Service. This role forms part of the service management team and is integral to the development and management of our site and operations.

About you

The successful applicant will bring demonstrable curatorial knowledge and expertise to the role. They will have a passion for making collections accessible in a range of ways for diverse audiences and users. The postholder will provide effective 'caretaker cover' during our Curator's maternity leave and support with any preparation work needed to help the service transition through the forthcoming Local Government Reorganisation process. You will come with ideas to refresh our collecting practises, ensuring our collections represent modern Oxfordshire and its people.

They will also have a strong working understanding of best practise in collections based work, ideally in a social history / mixed media collections setting. Supportive line and team management is also important and the postholder will be able to demonstrate an effective track record of managing and leading people.

They will be happy to work independently and as part of the service management team, collections team and wider museum family.

For an informal discussion about the role please contact Jemma Davey, Museum Service Manager on jemmadavey@oxfordshire.gov.uk

Rewards and benefits

We offer a supportive and flexible working environment, including:

• 27 days’ annual leave plus bank holidays
• Option to buy additional leave
• Flexible and agile working arrangements
• Employee Assistance Programme and wellbeing support
• Local Government Pension Scheme (employer contribution up to 19.9%)
• Enhanced family-friendly policies
• Local and national retail and travel discounts
• 10% discount in the Museum Café and Shop
• Ongoing learning and development opportunities

Our commitment to:
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

At Oxfordshire County Council we are proud of our diverse workforce. Everyone is accepted for who they are, regardless of age, disability, gender identity, marital status, race, faith or belief, sexual orientation, socioeconomic background, or on maternity or family leave. We have a number of staff network groups which provide peer support, education and safe spaces for all.

Our commitment to:
Guaranteed Interview Schemes

As a Disability Confident employer, we guarantee an interview for disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the job. We also guarantee interviews to care leavers who have completed further education and who meet the essential criteria for the job. For those leaving care without any further education, we guarantee an interview for our apprenticeships. We are also committed to helping and supporting those transitioning from HM Armed Forces to civilian life and guarantee an interview for those demonstrating the essential criteria for the role, within three years of leaving the service.

Our commitment to:
Safeguarding

Oxfordshire County Council are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults. We expect all employees, workers and volunteers to share this commitment. We will ensure that all our recruitment and selection practices reflect these commitments.

Our commitment to:
Flexible Working

We are open to discussions about flexible working, which can include flexi-time, part time working, job sharing, nine-day fortnights and annualised hours, depending on the requirements of the role and the service.

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If you encounter any issues with the application system, please contact us at: jemma.davey@oxfordshire.gov.uk