£25,185 (£20,140 pro rata) (plus 10% pension contribution)
Contract Fixed Term for 18 months

This is an exciting opportunity to join People’s History Museum’s (PHM) Collections & Engagement Team at a time of key development for the museum and the collection. The Collections Team are currently exploring the practicalities of relocating the object store. As well as providing improved conditions for our objects, we hope that this new building will be safe and accessible to the public; allowing for more onsite engagement. A move of this size and scale is a huge task, and the Collections Assistant will be pivotal in helping the museum to prepare the collection for this move by developing an inventory of objects at the store, documenting and cataloguing objects to reduce any backlog, and repacking objects to approved standards. This work will give the museum a better understanding of the collection and will contribute to our core engagement, exhibitions, and learning programme.

We are looking for an enthusiastic and organised colleague, who is interested in discovering, documenting, and sharing untold stories of the past from PHM’s collection of over 60,000 objects. This role will report to the Collections Manager and will play a vital role in documenting the museum’s collection, researching and photographing new acquisitions and collection highlights, and supporting ongoing collection projects. The post holder will help to put into practice the inventory procedure and will work with the Collections Manager to improve documentation about objects in the store. They will also support with logging and answering museum collection enquiries, helping to provide information and supervision for researchers, as well as advising colleagues in the museum on key resources, objects, and stories for use in upcoming programmes of events, engagement and exhibitions, social media, website content, and PR and press opportunities.

The successful applicant will work closely with the Collections Manager to care for, curate, and manage the museum’s collection, and will collaborate with our Conservation, Communications & Marketing, and Engagement Teams to share stories with our audiences.

The role would be ideal for someone looking to start their career within museum collections, with strong problem solving, organisational, and communication skills.

You do not need to have any previous experience of working with museum collections as full training will be given.

The majority of this role is based at our offsite collection store which has no step free access or step free routes around the building.

The job will require working at height, manual handling, and is likely to include lone working, in line with the museum’s policies.

We are an equal opportunities employer and are fully committed to providing opportunities to all. Please do contact us if you would like to discuss any adjustments you may need or would like more information about the accessibility issues.

Please note, this role is not available for job share.

Salary: £25,185 (£20,140 pro rata) (plus 10% pension contribution)

Hours: Part time (28 hours a week)

Annual leave: 24 days plus bank holidays (19.5 days pro rata)

Contract: Fixed Term for 18 months

Responsible to: Collections Manager

Responsible for: None

Location: Based at the museum’s offsite store (in Manchester city centre) and at People’s History Museum with occasional opportunity for agile working in line with PHM’s flexible working policy

Please outline how your knowledge, experience, and skills meet the job description and provide details via our online application form. Your application will be assessed and scored against the job description using the information provided.

Deadline for applications: 5.00pm on Sunday 21 June 2026

Interviews: Wednesday 15 July 2026 (in person)

If you have any questions or would like to arrange to discuss the role please contact Jackie Royle, Finance & Operations Officer at hr@phm.org.uk.

PHM prides itself on being a welcoming and inclusive organisation, profoundly committed to advancing equality and diversity in the broadest sense. We highly value the benefits that diverse perspectives bring to PHM’s mission.

We recognise the museum currently underrepresents people of colour, disabled people, LGBTQIA+ people and those with intersecting identities in our workforce; PHM is actively working to address this and encourages applications from these backgrounds. While the successful candidate will be selected purely on merit, in the event of a tie between two candidates with equal experience, we may select a candidate who helps us better represent the communities the museum serves.

Connect with a cause that needs you!

Collections Assistant