Director, Collections Care
Imperial War Museum Closing date: Sun, 12 Jul 2026
- Full time
- £50k+
- Apply now
Fri, 19 Jun 2026 "> published -
Job Summary
Job Description
This is one of the most senior collections care roles in the UK museum sector.
You'll take ownership of how a globally significant collection is protected, developed and made accessible, balancing conservation excellence with public impact. From stewarding high-risk and sensitive material to advancing digitisation and sustainability, your work will shape both current access and long-term legacy.
You'll influence at executive level while leading a large, multidisciplinary function, ensuring collections are not only preserved to the highest standards, but actively enable exhibitions, research, partnerships and new digital opportunities.
Job Requirements
This role is suited to an established senior leader from a major museum, heritage or collections-based organisation.
We're particularly interested in candidates who bring:
Proven senior leadership experience in a complex, collections-led environment
A track record of delivering strategy, transformation or large-scale programmes
Deep technical understanding of collections care (conservation, preservation, storage and/or digitisation)
Strong commercial and operational judgement, including budget ownership and resource planning
Experience working with governance, risk and regulatory frameworks (including complex or hazardous collections)
The ability to influence at executive level and build credibility with diverse stakeholders
A collaborative, people-focused leadership style with experience leading specialist teams
A relevant professional background (e.g. museum studies, conservation, archives or similar)
Job Responsibilities
You'll operate as a strategic leader, with end-to-end accountability for collections care across IWM:
Set and deliver a clear, future-focused strategy for collections care across multiple sites
Lead major programmes across conservation, preventive care, storage, movement and digitisation
Ensure collections are protected, compliant and accessible, including oversight of complex and hazardous materials
Drive forward IWM's Digital Futures ambitions for collections access and preservation
Lead financial planning, resource allocation and supplier/contract oversight at scale
Act as the organisation's expert voice on collections care, advising senior leadership and shaping decisions
Build and lead a high-performing, multidisciplinary team, developing capability and succession
Enable collaboration across curatorial, exhibitions, digital and public engagement teams to maximise impact
Useful Links
Job Overview
- Job Title: Director, Collections Care
- Salary: £50k+
- Hours: Full time
- Artform: Museums
- Role: Curation
- Contract: Contract
- Closing date: Sun, 12 Jul 2026
- Location: UK-wide
How to Apply
Apply via our jobs page:
- Contact name: Gavin
- Contact email: [email protected]
About Imperial War Museum
IWM tells the story of people who have lived, fought and died in conflicts involving Britain and the Commonwealth since the First World War.
We challenge people to look at conflict from different perspectives, enriching their understanding of the causes, course and consequences of war and its impact on people’s lives.
Our staff play a crucial role in caring for our unique collections, welcoming our visitors to our five branches and ensuring we continue to preserve and share powerful personal s