Head of Collections and Interpretation Job Description

Job Title: Head of Collections and Interpretation

Organisation: Aerospace Bristol (Bristol Aero Collection Trust)

Salary: £45,000–£50,000

Location: Aerospace Bristol, Filton

Contract: Permanent

Reports to: Chief Executive Officer

Responsible for: Interpretation Manager, collections and conservation staff, associated project posts and volunteers

About Aerospace Bristol

Aerospace Bristol is the museum for flight, space, Concorde and beyond. From Filton to the world, we bring the story of flight to life, connecting people with Bristol’s aerospace heritage and the ideas that shape its future.

About the role

The Head of Collections and Interpretation will lead the care, development and use of our collections and the way we share their stories. Reporting to the CEO, they will be a member of the senior management team. This is an opportunity to build an effective team, bringing together collections expertise, engaging interpretation and research that deepens our understanding of Bristol’s aerospace heritage.

The post holder will bring strong experience in either collections or interpretation, with the ability to lead both areas and build complementary expertise across the team.

This is a hands-on leadership role in a small organisation. Working with colleagues and volunteers, the post holder will set priorities, support others to do their best work and help shape our programme of heritage projects. They will advise on these projects and lead agreed elements of delivery, including managing project staff, freelancers and specialists.

Key responsibilities

Leadership and team development

• Provide strategic leadership for collections, interpretation and research, contributing to the museum’s wider plans and decisions as a member of the senior management team.
• Build and develop an effective team, identifying skills and capacity gaps and recruiting or commissioning complementary expertise within agreed resources.
• Manage and support staff, setting clear priorities and creating a collaborative working culture across the team and the wider organisation.
• Enable volunteers to contribute their knowledge, skills and ideas, providing clear roles, guidance and support. Facilitate collaboration and involve volunteers in planning and delivery.

Collections care and development

• Ensure our aircraft, objects and archives are cared for, documented and accessible, drawing on appropriate specialist expertise across the team.
• Lead the development and delivery of collections policies and plans, ensuring work meets relevant Museum and Archive Accreditation requirements and Spectrum standards.
• Oversee acquisitions, loans, collections review and rationalisation, making informed recommendations through the museum’s agreed decision-making processes.
• Set priorities for conservation, storage, cataloguing and digitisation, balancing the long-term needs of the collections with access and use.
• Ensure collections records and digital systems, including Axiell Collections, are accurate, maintained and used effectively.

Interpretation and research

• Lead the development of engaging, accessible interpretation across exhibitions, galleries, digital content and other public activity.
• Develop a coordinated interpretation and research programme, connecting collections knowledge with audience interests and the museum’s strategic priorities.
• Set research priorities and support staff and volunteers to investigate our collections and the wider history of Bristol’s aerospace industry, ensuring findings are well evidenced, recorded and used in interpretation and public content.
• Work with colleagues, volunteers, researchers and communities to bring forward new perspectives and stories, including those currently underrepresented in the museum.
• Work with learning, visitor experience and marketing colleagues to ensure collections, research and interpretation support a coherent and engaging visitor offer.

Projects and partnerships

• Advise on the collections, conservation, interpretation and research requirements of heritage projects, helping shape their scope, outcomes and resource needs.
• Work with the Senior Project Manager and other project leads to integrate these requirements into the overall programme, agree responsibilities and identify dependencies, risks and decisions.
• Manage agreed projects or workstreams, taking responsibility for briefs, budgets, schedules, quality and reporting within the wider programme.
• Recruit, commission and manage project staff, freelancers and specialists as required, ensuring their work contributes to the team’s priorities and meets agreed standards.
• Develop relationships with museums, universities, industry, communities and other partners to support research, access, collections development and project delivery.

Resources and organisational contribution

• Plan and manage departmental and allocated project budgets, making effective use of the resources available.
• Work with fundraising colleagues to develop proposals and funding bids, providing clear scopes, costs, evidence and intended outcomes.
• Support appropriate income-generating activity linked to the collections and their use, working with commercial colleagues.
• Monitor progress, evaluate outcomes and report clearly to senior colleagues, trustees and funders as required.
• Ensure the team works in accordance with the museum’s policies, including health and safety, safeguarding, equality and accessibility, and relevant copyright and intellectual property requirements.

Person Specification

Essential experience and skills

• Substantial relevant experience in museum collections or interpretation, with strong expertise in at least one of these areas.
• An understanding of how collections care, interpretation and research work together, and the judgement to recognise where specialist advice or additional expertise is needed.
• Experience of leading, supporting and developing people, with the ability to build a team with complementary skills.
• Experience of working with volunteers and facilitating the contributions of people with different backgrounds, skills and perspectives.
• The ability to set a clear direction, turn priorities into practical plans and balance ambition with available resources.
• Experience of delivering projects and managing budgets, workloads and external contributors.
• An understanding of museum collections responsibilities, professional standards and ethical practice, including care, documentation, access and collections development.
• A commitment to engaging, accessible interpretation and well-evidenced research, with an understanding of different audiences and their needs.
• Strong communication and relationship-building skills, with the ability to work collaboratively and explain specialist issues clearly.

Desirable experience

• Experience of developing a team or function through a period of change or growth.
• Experience of heritage development projects, exhibitions or conservation programmes.
• Experience of working with collections databases, particularly Axiell Collections.
• Experience of research partnerships, community collaboration or developing funding proposals.
• Knowledge of British aviation and aerospace heritage, particularly Bristol and the surrounding area.
• A relevant qualification in museum studies, collections, interpretation, history or a related field, or equivalent professional experience.

Applicants may bring their main expertise from collections or interpretation. We are looking for someone who can lead both areas, build complementary expertise across the team and develop research as part of the museum’s work.