Assistant Registrar

The Royal Air Force Museum; London; Hybrid; GBP 33,000; Full time

Job summary

The Royal Air Force Museum is seeking an enthusiastic Assistant Registrar to manage collections, ensuring compliance with policies and supporting museum activities. This full-time and hybrid role offers a competitive salary and the chance to inspire future generations with the RAF story.

Qualifications

• Degree level qualification or equivalent experience in a museum or heritage environment.
• Practical experience in museum documentation and collections management.
• Experience handling various object types in a museum context.

Responsibilities

• Administer legal and logistical aspects of collections management.
• Support in developing Collection policies, procedures, and standards.
• Coordinate regular auditing checks and monitor documentation.

Skills

Museum documentation

Collections management

Logistics of transporting museum objects

MS Office

Education

Degree level qualification or equivalent experience

Tools

Collections Management systems

Job description

We are looking to recruit an Assistant Registrar to join our team based in London. You will join us on a full-time, permanent basis. In return, you will receive a competitive salary of £32,780.70 per annum.

This is a Hybrid role.

The Royal Air Force Museum is a national museum, a Government non-departmental public body (NDPB) and a registered charity, with two sister sites at London and Midlands. Our purpose is to share the RAF story, past, present and future - using the stories of its people and our collections in order to engage, inform and inspire. Our Vision is to inspire everyone with the RAF story - the people who shape it and its place in our lives.

We have two public sites (London and Midlands) and a stored collection (Stafford). Our trading company and active fundraising supplement Grant in Aid which comes through the Ministry of Defence.

The Royal Air Force Museum is a Carbon Literate organisation and as such promotes Carbon Literacy.

Purpose of the Assistant Registrar role:

As our Assistant Registrar, you will contribute towards administering the legal and logistical aspects of collections management for outward and inward loans, the maintenance of the Accessions Register, and coordinating regular auditing checks

Key responsibilities of our Assistant Registrar include:

• Support in the development and maintenance of Collection policies, procedures, and standards
• Ensure that full, proper, and legal documentation of all Museum transactions concerning Collection material is implemented in accordance with Museum policy and procedure
• Assist in the administration and monitoring of the documentation, handling, and transportation of objects in support of curatorial activities
• Help provide advice and training for Museum staff and volunteers on Collections Management
• Act as courier, both virtually and in person, when assigned, for the transportation of objects nationally and internationally
• Keep abreast of changes in government legislation and museum standards relating to Collections Management, by examining current practice in other institutions, by engaging with mutual interest groups and implement improvements as necessary
• Support the wider team in aiding the successful delivery of collections related activities such as exhibitions, touring exhibitions and public events
• Ensure appropriate insurance/indemnity cover is in place for all objects on loan to and from the Museum
• Support with exhibition and touring logistics, including devising loan agreements, obtaining condition assessments and arranging packing and transport or objects
• Ensure location tracking of objects is kept up to date throughout the loan process
• Undertake loan inspections for current and potential outward loans
• Contribute towards the development and maintenance of Collection records, including the Accession Register and documentation systems
• Support in the analysis of CMS data, including research into provenance and copyright status in order to ensure accuracy, conformity with Cataloguing Rules, Collections Management policy and procedure
  
  

What we are looking for in our Assistant Registrar:

• Degree level qualification or equivalent experience in a museum or heritage environment
• Practical experience in museum documentation and collections management
• Experience in the use of Collections Management systems, including Collections Management databases, and literate in Microsoft packages
• Experience in an assistant registrar or documentation/collections officer post in a museum or heritage organisation
• Knowledge of UKRG reports and the Government Indemnity Scheme, and the processes involved in administering the scheme
• Experience in undertaking and coordinating storage audits within a heritage organisation
• Knowledge of Collections Management standards and able to demonstrate practical experience of their application in a heritage environment
• Experience handling a wide variety of object types and in moving, packin,g and transporting museum objects
• Knowledge and experience in the logistics of transporting museum objects
  
  

Closing date for applications: 27 July 2025

Interviews will take place on: 06 August 2025

If you think you have what it takes and want to be part of this exciting journey, please visit the jobs page on our website for further information. Join us in delivering our purpose and achieving our vision, ensuring that the Royal Air Force’s story continues to enrich and inspire current and future generations. We would love to hear from you.