Collections Development Manager for Watford Museum
Band 7
£38,324 - £42,406 per annum
Full Time, Permanent
About Watford Borough Council
Watford is an urban borough in South West Hertfordshire; The borough has excellent transport links with mainline rail connections to London. Watford is the centre of a sub region serving around 500,000 people living within a 20 minute travelling time catchment. As part of the London commuter belt Watford is strongly influenced by London which brings the benefits of a buoyant economy.
At a glance
- £1.4bn local investment happening - mix of public and private funding
- 5 major development and regeneration projects happening
- 3500 registered businesses
- Higher than average working age population
- Skilled workforce
- Affordable local housing market
- Home to many major international head offices
What we are looking for
A motivated and inspiring individual to lead the development of our collection to best practice standards and its move to our Town Hall as part of our Town Hall Quarter regeneration project and deliver on our new activity plan and business plan.
Our new museum will take on the ethos of a civic museum, engaging our community and bringing Watford's rich history to life with an array of partners. Our stage 2 National Heritage Lottery funding bid is pending with a plan to re-open in our new home in Spring 2026. You will lead on our collections policies, the move of our collection, assist with the curation, co co-curation and preparation of new exhibits, and champion and promote access to our collection.
Watford Museum's collections relate to the town and Borough of Watford from prehistoric times to the present day. An outstanding art collection, comprising paintings, prints, drawings, and sculptures which range in dates from the 17th Century to the present and include work by internationally renowned artists such as Turner and Sir Jacob Epstein as well as locally significant artists such as Emma Oliver and Louis Burleigh Bruhl. Collections from Cassiobury House, home of the Earls of Essex include exceptional examples of stained glass, decorative wood carvings, and fine art from leading artists of the day including Sir Joshua Reynolds.
Watford was once the major centre of printing in Europe and the varied printing equipment and documents in the collection celebrate this. Alongside printing, the museum holds collections relating to other Watford industries such as brewing and a large collection that tells the story of Watford Football Club from its inception in 1881.
Our Town Hall Quarter programme aims to revitalise Watford Museum as part of a wider flagship scheme to regenerate Watford town centre. But this project is about much more than physical regeneration: we aim to transform our Town Hall into the beating heart of our community, with a modern museum and community spaces at its core. Our bold, ambitious plan creates a cultural space to tell our stories, connect our communities and inspire our journeys ahead. Exhibits will combine treasures dating back to the Bronze Age, with stories of the Windrush Generation and present-day icons. It's about creating a space not just for storytelling, but one that sparks conversation and connection, with additional spaces for work and leisure. With the Watford Museum in its new home, we're reimagining what regeneration can really mean for communities, to breathe renewed energy and a sense of pride and purpose into the heart of our town, for everyone.
For more detail on our plans, please visit our website.
We would love to hear from candidates inspired by this unique opportunity with the ambition, desire, experience and passion to champion our collection working with our business plan and activity plan for the new museum.
Closing Date: 5pm Thursday 12th September
A basic Disclosure or DBS enhanced check (as applicable) will be carried out for this post.
At Watford Borough Council we consider equality issues alongside other factors when making decisions as an employer of choice. We are committed to ensuring that we have effective policies, strategies, procedures, and processes and that we encourage behaviour which promotes equality, encourages diversity, and contributes to an inclusive organisational culture.