Salary: £30,173 - £34,696

Contract type: Permanent

Reporting to: Curator

Department: Programme (Exhibitions)

Who are we?

We are Scotland’s design museum. Designed for everyone, firing imaginations and sparking curiosity in design across Scotland and around the world. At V&A Dundee we are on a mission to inspire and empower through design.

Design shapes our world, it's part of everyday life and it's everywhere. We are a museum with energy and have a vision of the future where everyone is inspired through design and recognizes its far-reaching impact in our lives.

We are a welcoming place for people of Dundee to explore design and to use as an everyday part of their city, as well as inviting visitors from around the world. We are part of the V&A family of museums that celebrate creativity in all its forms from across centuries, for everyone.

Our team

The Exhibitions team is positioned in the wider Programme team, which includes the Learning and Design Research teams. Programmatic strands include ticketed exhibitions in our large 800m2 gallery, a free offer of changing exhibitions and displays in a variety of spaces across the museum, the Scottish Design Galleries, a creative public programme of talks and events and an award-winning programme of Learning activities and workshops. Our exhibitions and wider programme are delivered by the Programme team in collaboration with teams across the museum including Audiences and Media, Philanthropy and Partnerships, Visitor Experience and Operations.

Role profile

The Assistant Curator works with a small and busy team on the realisation of displays, exhibitions and commissions, collaborating with designers, lenders and institutions. The Assistant Curator will work on all aspects of exhibition development and delivery comprising curatorial, registrar and project management responsibilities. The role includes leading on smaller scale exhibitions and displays and supporting the Curators on major exhibitions running concurrently, including historic and contemporary exhibitions which feature objects from UK and international collections.

As a member of the Exhibitions team, the Assistant Curator contributes ideas to the museum’s programme, is essential to the department's collegiate work environment and liaises with other internal departments and with the professional design world, in one of the most dynamic design environments in Europe.

Duties and Responsibilities

Curatorial

• Work closely with the Curators and Senior Curators to support on the research, development and delivery of major exhibitions. Lead on the research, development and delivery of smaller scale exhibitions and displays.

• Undertake rigorous research to develop curatorial concepts and narratives, making recommendations of objects for inclusion in an exhibition.

• Contribute to the development of an exhibition interpretation plan, text hierarchy and key messages.

• Compile information and work with the Curators to write and edit exhibition texts, object labels and catalogue entries.

• Liaise with artists, designers and their representatives, design organisations, institutional and academic partners, stakeholders, and funders. Lead on some relationship management as appropriate.

• Research, request, store and return images, obtain copyright permissions for use in publications, exhibition contextual images and more.

• Contribute ideas towards public programme for specific exhibitions, working with the Creative Programmer to suggest possible events, talks and workshops, as well as helping identify speakers and collaborators.

• Contribute ideas to the development of the broader exhibition programme through research, attending exhibitions, conferences and events.

• Assist the Programme Assistant in dealing with routine enquiries, including processing responses to questions, comments and exhibition proposals.

Project Management and Delivery

• Support the Curators and Senior Curators on the holistic delivery of larger projects, whilst also sometimes leading on and being responsible for the project management and delivery of smaller projects. This requires managing a demanding workload and prioritising tasks effectively.

• Work cross-organisationally to support the timely delivery of projects, liaising with Operations, Audiences & Media, Philanthropy & Partnerships and the wider Programme team (Learning, Design & Innovation) to secure a smooth flow of information.

• Work with the Curator to host regular project team meetings with teams across the organisation.

• Support the Curators with the exhibition design and build of major exhibitions, for example by collating design feedback and liaising with external project managers.

• Work with technical team and external designers to devise the 2D and 3D design of smaller displays.

• Regularly update key project monitoring documents including the project schedule and exhibition budget, working with the Curator to deliver the exhibition on time and on budget.

• Monitor and maintain budgets for specific exhibitions meticulously and process finance documents in a timely fashion. This includes obtaining estimates, raising purchase orders,

• Processing invoices, maintaining digital files and liaising with the Finance team and budget holders.

• Lead on or assist with exhibition installs and de-stalls, depending on the project’s requirements.

• Work as an integral member of an exhibition’s installation team, collaborating with a group of technicians to install objects appropriately and to schedule, working with couriers, and escalating problems as they arise.

• Work with contractors on tasks such as graphics production and exhibition furniture build.

• Diarise meetings, book meeting rooms, draft agendas, take minutes and share and follow up on key actions from meetings.

• Compile exhibition guest lists in collaboration with Philanthropy & Partnerships.

Registrar

• Prepare key documents, including loan request letters, loan agreements, object checklists, exhibition and installation schedules.

• Liaise with lenders to confirm exhibition objects, confirm object dimensions, display and environmental requirements and other conditions of loan.

• Create and maintain accurate object lists and lender trackers, keeping the exhibition Curator and production team closely informed on progress and changes.

• Manage the receipt and dispatch of objects for specific exhibitions.

• In consultation with the Curator and Touring & Programme Manager, arrange indemnity and insurance cover for exhibition loans.

• Create and update records on V&A Dundee’s Collection Management System.

• Carry out condition checks, create and maintain condition reports to museum standard.

• Working with appointed transport agents, the exhibition Curator and the technical team, coordinate crating, packing and exhibition transport arrangements.

• Coordinate courier travel, per diems and accommodation, create courier packs and schedules and host couriers on-site.

• In consultation with senior colleagues, prepare and issue contracts with partner organisations, artists, designers and curators.

• Maintain and archive exhibition documentation and records.

Other

• Promote equality and diversity in all aspects of your work by developing and maintaining positive working relationships, ensuring that colleagues are treated fairly and with dignity and respect, and actively contribute to developments that support the museum’s strategy for widening access, inclusion and diversity.

• Represent V&A Dundee at public events, meetings and networking on behalf of the organisation including undertaking public speaking and speaking to press and media where appropriate.

• Provide curator tours of the exhibitions at V&A Dundee for colleagues and external groups, participate in the public programme as appropriate.

• Work out of hours as necessary to deliver exhibition installs or public programme events, for which time in lieu can be provided.

Person specification

Essential

• Interest in design in all its forms, from fashion and textiles to graphics, product design and architecture, as well as exhibition design.

• A strong interest in the work of V&A Dundee.

• Proven experience of effective project management and managing a demanding workload.

• Proven experience of lender management, budget management and administrative support within a museum or arts organisation.

• Previous experience of working with key stakeholders such as curators, lenders, designers, artists, contractors, project managers and transport agents.

• Good negotiation skills and the ability to handle sensitive situations with diplomacy.

• Knowledge and experience of object handling and object care, as well as experience of exhibition installation.

• Excellent organisation skills and impeccable attention to detail.

• Proven IT skills with experience of Microsoft Office, including Word, PowerPoint and Excel.

• Ability to work as part of a team and independently, remaining calm under pressure.

• Excellent communication skills and accuracy in written communication.

• Ability to contribute to and promote an inclusive, respectful culture within a team.

Desirable

• Knowledge of contemporary design, designers, and design world networks and debate.

• Previous experience of incorporating diversity and inclusion strategies, with an awareness of issues of inclusion and cultural diversity as they affect colleagues and the work of a cultural organisation.

• Experience of high-quality writing for public audiences, either for museums, galleries, online or for print.