Job Description and Personal Specification

Post Title: Collections Officer

Responsible to: Collections Project Manager

Salary: £11,700 actual per annum (pro-rata) £29,250 (F/T Equivalent)

Hours: Part-time 15hrs/week for 2 years 6 months fixed term post-(Secondment)

Annual Leave: 4 weeks holiday per year, plus 8 days bank holiday (pro-rata)

Location: Yorkshire Air Museum, Elvington, York

Background

The Yorkshire Air Museum and Allied Air Forces Memorial (“YAM”) is a Registered Charity and a Registered Company limited by guarantee, set up to advance the education of the public by providing a museum and memorial. The Trust seeks to collect and interpret items that record and celebrate the history of aviation and provide a memorial to the allied air forces.

YAM opened in 1985 and now cares for over 40,000 objects including airframes, aviation related components, equipment, vehicles, uniforms, costumes, textiles, archives, photographs, books, manuscripts, prints, drawings, paintings, maps, sculpture, ephemera, and other items relating to the history of aviation in Yorkshire.

‘Lifting the Lid’ is a project supported by National Lottery Heritage Fund. It will focus on engaging more people with our reserve collections, through improving documentation and storage which will enable increased access through tours, talks and handling sessions for our visitors and outreach projects to increase participation of our local communities.

Job Summary

The current Collections Officer is being seconded into the role of Collections Project Manager for two days a week, to oversee the running of a NLHF project. A fixed term post has been created to ‘back-fill’ the role and will share responsibility for the management, care and access of the museum’s collection. There will be an emphasis on maintaining the enquiry service and processing acquisitions, disposals and loans in and out.

Core Duties

Documentation

• Oversee the cataloguing and documentation of new acquisitions.

Rationalise the collection in accordance with the Museum’s Collection Development Policy.

• Oversee research on the collection as required for documentation purposes.

Manage loan requests (in-going and out-going) and photographic reproduction agreements.

• As part of the Museum Emergency Plan, assist with development and implementation of a salvage plan for collections.

Collections Care

Develop and maintain Environmental Monitoring System (EMS) across collections, exhibition and storage environments.

• Assist with a conservation cleaning programme to ensure objects on display and in storage are regularly inspected, assessed and treated appropriately.

Engagement

Oversee requests from visitors for access to records and information.

Organise the work and be responsible for some volunteers in the collections department

Person Specification

Essential Skills, Knowledge and Experience:

• Experience of working with museum collections including knowledge of Spectrum 5.1 procedures and collection management systems.

• Excellent working knowledge of conservation, storage, security and insurance issues relating to collections

• Knowledge and an understanding of Arts Council accreditation standards and their fulfilment.

• Ability to organise, supervise, train and inspire volunteers

• Excellent organisational and planning skills to prioritise workload

• Ability to collaborate and work as part of a wider team

• An interest in the work of the museum

Desirable:

• Awareness of managing asbestos and radiation in a 20th century collection

How to Apply

Please email a copy of your CV, and a covering letter of no more than 500 words to Sarah.Maultby@yorkshireairmuseum.org

Closing date: Wed 17th June 2026 at 12 noon

Interview date: Tues 23rd June 2026

Contact Information

If you would like more information about this role or an informal conversation please contact Sarah Maultby, Collections Project Manager via email

Sarah.Maultby@yorkshireairmuseum.org

Or phone 01904 608595