Wellcome Collection is a free museum and library exploring health and human experience, where you can enjoy exhibitions, museum and library collections, public events, and a vibrant shop and café. We also publish books and online stories.
This is a great time to join Wellcome Collection as we has recently introduced a new strategy and this role will play an important part in bringing to life our vision of a world where everyone’s experience of health matters. Your part in this will be to ensure our collections are truly accessible and are appropriately cared for to enable them to feature in exhibitions, loans, live programmes, media and for research.
Wellcome Collection is part of the Wellcome Trust, a global charitable foundation that supports science to build a healthier future for everyone. Wellcome Trust plans to spend 16bn over the next ten years, funding new discoveries in life, health, and wellbeing, and taking on three global health challenges: mental health, infectious disease and climate and health.
We are looking for a Head, Conservation & Collections Care to join our team on a permanent basis.
Where in Wellcome will I be working?
You will be heading up Wellcome Collection’s Conservation and Collections Care team; an experienced team of multi-disciplinary conservation and location management professionals with decades of experience and knowledge of our collections. There is a dedicated Conservation Studio within the Wellcome Collection building, and a number of onsite and offsite stores. The team sits within our Collections & Digital department and will work creatively and collaboratively across both Wellcome Collection and Wellcome Trust on a variety of strategic and operational projects.
What will I be doing?
From the start, you’ll be line-managing a team of 5 direct line reports, and a wider team of 8 in total. You will be a member of Wellcome Collection’s management team and will play a crucial role in shaping the future of conservation, collections care, storage and location control at Wellcome Collection. We are presently undertaking two major capital projects – one relating to our collections management systems, and another relating to our long-term sustainability – that you will play a key role in.
As we implement our new strategy for a world where everyone’s experience of health matters, you’ll work with senior colleagues to define the opportunities to enhance the accessibility of our collections, to develop our conservation practice to be a leader in the field, and to radically re-think our approach to storage, location control and sustainability. You will have a say in what and how we collect and care for our collections, and lead on conservation research that unlocks new stories and knowledge about the objects we hold. You will be adept at balancing professional standards with the needs and responsibilities that come with caring for a global collection, and the people it represents.
You will be balancing the strategic planning that’s required to effectively implement Wellcome Collection’s new strategy with the business-as-usual operations that drive our busy delivery schedule. You will be managing your own team and independently developing strong working relationships across the organisation and beyond.
We are looking for someone who can:
• Provide oversight and joined-up thinking for conservation and storage management across a busy cultural organisation with an active approach to developing, caring for, storing and researching its collections.
• Work collaboratively and creatively with internal colleagues across museum and archive disciplines while balancing their professional practice with the needs of, and responsibilities to, the people and cultures who are represented in our collections.
• Manage an experienced team of diverse professionals, giving structure to their work in line with our strategy.
• Bring deep conservation and storage management experience, with a specialism in one or more of the key following areas: paper and manuscripts, books, mixed media, contemporary art, time-based media or digital conservation.
• Demonstrate engagement with questions of conservation ethics and lead the organizational thinking around emerging best practice in providing access to collections and providing appropriate care for collections with cultural sensitivities.
• Encourage a culture of conservation research that can produce new knowledge for Wellcome Collection.
• Contribute to a diverse and inclusive culture across the organization, and demonstrate a commitment to ADI principles in both recruitment and practice.
Is this job for me?
We recognize the need for Wellcome Collection to work in partnership, and in dialogue, with as many people as possible in order for our spaces, collections and programme to meaningfully reflect the interests and needs of the global communities Wellcome represents and engages with.
Wellcome Collection is committed to anti-racism and anti-ableism, and we consider conservation, collections care, access and responsible collections management to be central to delivering this approach. You might already be leading a diverse Conservation department or have taken steps to increase access to your institution’s collections and knowledge. You will have worked closely with the communities your collections represent, and you will be open to creative and challenging collaborations that push your conservation practice forward. You will enjoy taking considered risks in your practice and will thrive in an environment in which your strategic thinking is encouraged and supported.
You’ll understand the challenges and opportunities of helping large organisations respond authentically to the communities they serve and be able to switch between strategic and operational activities to help make it happen. If this advert speaks to your practice and you feel excited by the opportunity to work differently in a leading cultural organisation we would love to hear from you.
We are looking for someone who is;
• A creative and adventurous thinker who has an innovative and proactive attitude towards conservation and collection care
• Highly skilled in balancing the needs of multiple stakeholders, particularly in relation to balancing long-term stewardship, accessibility and public engagement
• Highly self-motivated with the ability to show initiative and be prepared to take responsibility for team outcomes
• Works to wider agenda to get the best results for Wellcome not just for themselves or their immediate team
• Confident decision-maker, able to take difficult / unpopular decisions and accept accountability
• An excellent communicator with strong influencing and negotiation skills.
To apply please upload your current CV and complete our short application.
You can view the full job description on our website.
You can read more about the benefits we offer our employees on our website
Our Hybrid Way of Working
We understand that our colleagues have commitments and personal interests outside of work and we strive to build a flexible working environment, in which people can perform at their best.
At Wellcome we have a hybrid way of working which is 3 days in our Euston Road offices (Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday) with the remaining 2 days working either remotely or in the office.
Diversity and Inclusion is at the heart of everything we do
Diversity and Inclusion is a priority at Wellcome. We are committed to cultivating a fair and inclusive environment, where everyone can be themselves and thrive. We are happy to discuss flexible working options for all roles. We work to ensure that our recruitment processes are as inclusive as possible to everyone. This includes making adjustments for people who have a disability or long-term condition. Please visit our website for more information on adjustments and accessibility, or contact us.
Application Instructions
Closing date: Sunday 23, February 2025
Interview dates: Thursday 20 and Friday 21, March 2025
