Collection Systems Project Manager - Fixed Term Contract

WALLACE COLLECTION; United Kingdom; On-site; GBP 32,000 - 42,000; Full time

Job description

THE WALLACE COLLECTION

The Wallace Collection is an internationally outstanding collection which contains unsurpassed masterpieces of paintings, sculpture, furniture, arms and armour and porcelain. Built over the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries by the Marquesses of Hertford and Sir Richard Wallace, it is one of the finest and most celebrated collections in the world. So that it could be kept together and enjoyed by generations of visitors, the collection was given to the British Nation in 1897 and opened to the public in June 1900. It was an astonishing bequest and one of the greatest gifts of art works ever to be transferred into public ownership. The museum is internationally famous for its collection of French eighteenth-century art, Arms and Armour and for its Old Master paintings.

The museum is managed by the Director Dr Xavier Bray, who reports to a board of Trustees appointed by the Prime Minister, and is financed by a combination of grant-in-aid from central government and self-generated income.

We aim to engage with and diversify our audience and, before the pandemic, we attracted over 450,000 visitors a year to the museum.

SALARY

The salary for this temporary post is between £32,357 and £41,800 per annum dependent on skills and experience.

OUR PRIORITIES

The Collection is committed to providing access to as wide a public as possible and to helping visitors engage with this diversity. Our goal is to create a place of understanding, cultural pluralism, curiosity and learning. To do this, we plan to create a world-class visitor experience for all ages which stimulates engagement with our collection through a new programme of exhibitions, major gallery refurbishments and an enhanced and expanded digital presence.

Our strategic priorities are to:

• To maintain, research and preserve the Collection for future generations;
• To broaden and deepen visitor engagement, connecting with audiences onsite and digitally;
• To build and support a strong exhibition programme;
• To lay a strong financial foundation for the future; and
• To embark upon a Masterplan programme to transform the museum.

PROJECT OVERVIEW

The Wallace Collection has embarked on a major project to migrate its collection records from a locally hosted Collections Management System (CMS) to a new CMS with integrated Digital Asset Management System (DAMS), and to fully integrate these into a redeveloped website to enhance public access. The project includes the digitisation of analogue assets in preparation for migration. Ultimately, the project will enhance the Collection’s ability to care for, interpret and display its important holdings, as well as enabling research and broadening digital engagement.

The Collection Systems Project team comprises of the Project Manager role, a Digitisation Officer, a Documentation Officer and a Collections Documentation and Digitisation Trainee. The project is led by the Head of Digital and Audiences with stakeholders across departments including IT, Collection Care, Curatorial, Digital and Audiences and Development.

This project is made possible by funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund.

ROLE SUMMARY

The Collection Systems Project Manager (CSPM) leads the planning and implementation of the project, ensuring the successful migration and integration of a newly-procured CMS and DAMS. They will ensure the new systems support collections management, documentation and digital engagement, while aligning with institutional goals and sector best practice. The CSPM is responsible for ensuring digitisation, data cleaning and migration preparatory work takes place, and the eventual procurement and integration of new systems. They work closely with the Documentation and Digitisation Officers on this, and to ensure that records are accurate, accessible and compliant with sector standards. The postholder will lead on the new systems procurement, and internal adoption, to deliver a robust and sustainable digital infrastructure for managing collections data. They will work in close collaboration with the Digital team to support the integration of the new systems with the website and ensure the public benefit element of the project is delivered.

This position requires strong project management skills to coordinate and deliver project milestones and outputs, manage set budgets, and facilitate cross-departmental collaboration. The CSPM will lead on quality control, ensuring seamless migration and integration between systems, and their public interface. They will also oversee the development of training resources to support internal adoption, and establish governance protocols to ensure long-term sustainability for the project and its legacy.

This role reports to the Head of Digital and Audiences.

ROLE DESCRIPTION

Project Management:

• Review and update the project plan, confirming and managing key milestones and deadlines to enable success.
• Maintain excellent project governance, monitoring performance and ensuring the project adheres to sector standards and agreed budget.
• Lead the Collection Systems Modernisation Project team and project working groups to synthesize system requirements; prepare updates, manage risk and ensure the project steering group has the information needed to make informed decisions.
• Report progress to stakeholders according to the project schedule and evaluation criteria; ensure the Heritage Fund evaluation and reporting requirements are met throughout the duration of the project.
• With the Documentation and Digitisation Officers, implement quality control procedures to ensure data and digital assets conform to agreed standards.

Digitisation Programme:

• Oversee the successful delivery of the digitisation plan, working closely with Digitisation Officer to ensure project milestones and deadlines are met.
• Ensure digitisation, metadata, and museum standards are adhered to throughout.

Collection Records Improvement:

• Oversee the successful delivery of the collection records improvement plan, working closely with Documentation Officer to ensure project milestones and deadlines are met.
• Ensure museum data standards, including SPECTRUM, are adhered to throughout.

Collections Systems:

• Work in collaboration with the team and internal stakeholders to confirm detailed specifications for the new CMS and DAMS.
• Work closely with the IT department to coordinate and implement security measures to safeguard collections information and digital assets.
• Deliver the procurement of the new systems by writing the tender and evaluation criteria of the CMS and DAMS; manage tender process and selection of vendor.
• With the chosen vendor and internal team, plan the configuration, migration, test environment, launch and live environment testing of the new systems.
• Coordinating between the vendor, project team, web developers and Digital and Audiences department, deliver the full integration of the new systems with the Collection’s website.

People Management:

• Manage the Documentation Officer and Digitisation Officer, ensuring project outputs are completed to the agreed high and consistent standard.
• Appoint and manage a Digital Collections Trainee as part of a collaborative project scheme with Westminster University and the Heritage Fund.
• Identify training needs for the team and arrange as required, promoting professional development.

Finance and Procurement:

• Accurately manage the project budget, tracking expenditure and generating accurate forecasts with regular reporting.
• With the project Officers, procure and appoint suitable transport and storage for analogue images, equipment and materials.
• Plan for and procure a new CMS and DAMS and their integration with website.
• Ensure all procurement and budget management meets the Heritage Fund criteria, and support colleagues with reporting as required to the Heritage Fund

PERSON SPECIFICATION

Essential:

• Demonstrable experience of managing a complex project of £550K+to budget and deadline.
• An understanding of the rapidly evolving landscape of digital solutions within the museums sector.
• Excellent ICT skills, with a high level of competence using collections information and digital asset management systems.
• Understanding of collections management processes and museum data standards.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Exceptional time management and project management skills, able to successfully manage simultaneous project deadlines effectively and to work flexibly and calmly under pressure.
• Line management experience.

Desirable:

• Competence using CMS and DAMS within MS Windows and SQL Server environments.
• Degree level qualification in a relevant subject, or equivalent vocational experience.
• An understanding of data systems terminology and technical functionality.
• Working understanding of Digitisation projects and experience of working directly with museum objects such as analogue images.
• Knowledge of the key principles of project management techniques e.g. AGILE and PRINCE2.
• Previous experience in procuring and implementing digital systems or infrastructure.

HOW TO APPLY

Please complete the Application Form, and the Equal Opportunities Monitoring Form, following the links provided on our website. Please note the equal opportunities form is used for monitoring purposes only and does not form part of the selection process. Both forms should be emailed to [e-mail] by midnight 01/05/2025. Please note late applications or applications via a CV will not be considered.

Interviews for the role will take place on week commencing, 05/05/2025. Candidates who have been shortlisted for interview will be contacted after the closing date. Due to the large number of applications we receive, it will not be possible to contact or give feedback to candidates who have not been shortlisted for interview.

Start date: As soon as possible.

Appointment to the role is subject to a satisfactory Basic Disclosure check. The Wallace Collection is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from all sections of the community.