Curatorial and Technical Manager

Kirklees Metropolitan Council; Kirklees; On-site; GBP 43,000 - 46,000; Full time

Job summary

Kirklees Museums and Galleries in Kirklees, West Yorkshire, seeks a Manager to lead the curatorial team across collections care, display and digitisation, delivering strategic outcomes for the ACE-funded NPO museum service and the new Huddersfield Museum and Art Gallery project.

You will provide professional direction to technical colleagues, maintain high standards of care, and drive inclusive, accessible, and innovative museum experiences across multiple sites.

Qualifications

• Ability to lead and inspire teams through change in dynamic museum, gallery or heritage settings.
• Extensive management experience in collections care, curatorial and exhibition practice.
• Experience with documentation standards, digitisation and collections management systems.
• Strong project management, budgeting and resource management skills.
• Collaborative communication with stakeholders, communities, donors and funders.
• Commitment to inclusive, accessible museum experiences and sector innovation.

Responsibilities

• Lead and inspire the curatorial team across collections care, display and interpretation.
• Document, prepare and transfer collections ensuring safe movement and installation.
• Support the development of the new Huddersfield Museum and Art Gallery as part of Our Cultural Heart.

Skills

Lead teams through change

Collections care

Curatorial practice

Digitisation

Documentation standards

Project management

Job description

BENEFITS

Our employees are at the very heart of the services we provide to the community, to help us achieve our ambitions, we want the best possible team. In return, we will make sure you are rewarded with a great range of staff benefits to support you in and out of work.

Are you ready to lead change, inspire excellence and help shape the future for Kirklees culture and heritage?

This is a rare opportunity to lead a talented, multidisciplinary team and advance your management skills across collections care, curatorial practice and digitisation. Working across multiple museum sites and with a large, varied collection, you’ll deliver ambitious outcomes for our Arts Council England-funded NPO museum service while supporting the creation of a new museum and art gallery for Huddersfield.

Now is a pivotal time to join Kirklees Museums and Galleries. As a key member of Kirklees Museums and Galleries, you will have the opportunity to contribute to the development of the new Huddersfield Museum and Art Gallery as part of Our Cultural Heart, a flagship town-centre regeneration programme for Kirklees and the wider region. You will lead the curatorial work to document, prepare and transfer collections, and be responsible for their safe movement and installation. Working in conjunction with staff, communities and national partners, you will support the team to deliver co‑produced, sector‑leading content and build valuable experience in large‑scale change, strategic leadership and service excellence.

Your role will be to manage and inspire our curatorial team, providing professional collections guidance and ongoing direction to technical colleagues to maintain high standards of collections care, display, access and safe working. Through inclusive curatorial practice and improved digital access, your work will help deepen our connections with audiences and ensure it reflects the diverse stories of Kirklees across our museum sites and through digital innovation.

Your influence will help shape the future direction of the service, ensuring our collections, exhibitions and interpretation reflect the diverse stories of Kirklees and engage both new and existing audiences in meaningful ways. Notable areas of our collection include natural history, such as entomology, herbaria and fossils; local industries connected with international impact, especially textiles, engineering, transport, and collections such as the Bamforth postcards; plus, areas such as archaeology, contemporary British art, political protest, music and sport. You will also help strengthen how people encounter our collections beyond the gallery, supporting improved online access and digital visibility while ensuring we share stories effectively without compromising the historic objects and artworks in our care.

You will bring a supportive, collaborative style of leadership, working with teams across the service and wider Council to streamline processes, improve communication and help colleagues deliver shared priorities through a period of change. You will also identify opportunities for the team to remain current with professional standards and accredited approaches that strengthen collections care and curatorial practice.

What We’re Looking For

We’re seeking an ambitious cultural professional with:

• An ability to lead and inspire teams through change in dynamic museum, gallery or heritage settings.
• Extensive management experience in collections care, curatorial and exhibition practice, with expertise in documentation standards, digitisation and developing a collections management system.
• Practical, proactive problem‑solving skills with strong project management, commissioning, budget and resource management experience.
• Collaborative and effective communication skills, keen to engage stakeholders, communities, partners, donors and funders.
• A passion for inclusive, accessible, and culturally responsive museum experiences.
• The drive to help shape the future of heritage in Kirklees and develop sector‑leading innovation.

Why Join Us?

• Career‑defining experience: Play a central role to support major museum and gallery development, gaining skills and experience that will support your progression to senior leadership in the sector.
• Dynamic environment: Lead a team through transformation, develop your change management expertise, and make a lasting impact.
• Sector leadership: Join an Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation at the forefront of innovation and community engagement.
• Quality of life: Enjoy all that Kirklees has to offer – excellent transport links, beautiful landscapes, and a thriving cultural scene.

About Us:

The role is based in Kirklees Museums and Galleries, who are proud to have been awarded Arts Council England (ACE) National Portfolio Organisation (NPO) status for 2023‑28, one of eight NPOs in Kirklees. As an NPO, our funding is thanks to taxpayers, and it plays a huge part in supporting our work.

We believe museums are for everyone — our spaces are welcoming, inclusive, and designed to inspire curiosity, connection, and pride. Our collections include approximately 300,000 objects from across all aspects of human and natural history and our service includes nationally significant listed buildings set in community park space.

Kirklees is a desirable place to live, work and enjoy and is conveniently located, with excellent transport links across the country and particularly to Leeds and Manchester, together with easy access to glorious Pennine landscapes, vibrant cultural activity and the creative and historic towns and villages of the area.

We know there’s a wealth of talent among people who have a disability and we encourage applications from people with all differing abilities. So, if you need any support completing an application form, or any other format for the application or Job Description please contact the Recruitment Team for help by email: [e-mail] or phone: [phone] and ask for ‘Recruitment’.

If you are internal and want to apply for this job as a secondment you must be a substantive employee of the Council with over 6 months continuous service and have successfully completed your probation period.

Applications for secondments will only be accepted if approved by your manager, you will be asked to confirm on your application form that you have the relevant permission. If you are refused permission to apply for a secondment, please contact HR Recruitment to register the refusal.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of vulnerable adults and children and young people and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

Cat Lumb is the manager for this role, please contact them on 01484 221000 for an informal discussion, or if you need any more information.

We encourage you to read our AI Guidance before submitting your application to ensure your supporting statements reflect your own authentic experience.

Closing date

28 October 2026, 11:55 PM

Company: Kirklees Metropolitan Council

Salary: £43,149 – £45,529

Location: Kirklees, West Yorkshire, West Yorkshire

Sector: Leisure and Culture

Sector: Culture

Job Role: Manager