Museums and Archives Manager in Barnsley

Position reference: 50009085

Directorate: Place | Service: Culture & Visitor Economy

Working Arrangements: 5 days in 7

Contract type: Permanent

We are happy to talk flexible working arrangements with you, please get in touch.

The successful candidate will be required to speak English to an appropriate standard. This post requires a Basic Criminal Record Check. Prospective employees will be required to give a reasonable account of any significant periods (6 months or more in the past 3 years) of time living abroad. When applying, please ensure you are prepared to start work with all the necessary legal documents, such as a valid visa, relevant to the type of work you will be undertaking. Please be aware that our organisation does not possess a Home Office license and, as a result, is unable to provide sponsorship for anyone seeking a visa as a skilled or temporary migrant worker.

Pensions Regulations have provisions to reduce pension payments in certain circumstances for those who return to work within local government service. If you are in receipt of a pension upon commencing employment with the authority, this may affect your pension entitlements and you should therefore seek advice from the relevant Pensions Authority.

At Barnsley Council, you can start a career that makes a real difference to people’s lives, helping our council and residents to be the best they can be. We’re an award-winning council and one of the biggest employers in the borough, supporting around 243,000 people. We put people at the heart of everything we do, and that includes our employees. As part of the team, we offer lots of benefits and rewards to support you to thrive and grow, like flexible working, employee discounts, support for your health and wellbeing, and opportunities for training and development to grow your career and develop your skills.

There’s so much happening in our thriving borough, and now’s the perfect time to join our excellent Culture & Visitor Economy team as we work to make Barnsley the place of possibilities. We’re an award-winning team and one of the biggest employers in the borough supporting around 243,000 people. Working at Barnsley Council means being part of a team that makes a real difference to people’s lives, where you can develop the skills you need to make change happen. If you join the team you’ll receive great pay alongside an excellent pension scheme. With flexible working we’ll also support your work/life balance, helping you to adjust your hours and take time off when you need it. We’ll help you to develop your career and grow your skills with opportunities for training and development.

Key to our success is working with our residents, partners, businesses and organisations and building these partnerships to bring about change in Barnsley.

About the Post

It’s exciting times at Barnsley - we have a bold vision for Barnsley in 2030 as a place of possibilities. Barnsley Museum’s represents a unique set of assets including Cannon Hall Museum, Park and Gardens, the Cooper Gallery, Elsecar Heritage Centre, Experience Barnsley Museum and Archives and Worsbrough Mill and Country Park. Our award-winning museums have become ever more popular with over 2.5 million people visiting our sites during 2025/6. The Borough’s cultural and heritage sector has grown extensively over the last ten years, and it delivers an ambitious and exciting programme – a national quality offer in a local landscape. Its significant recent achievements include Experience Barnsley being shortlisted for the Art Fund’s Museum of the Year prize in 2021, winning Kids in Museums Best Accessible Family Friendly Museum of the Year in 2022 and 2024, Best Small Museum in 2025 and the Sandford Award for Excellence in Heritage Learning at multiple sites.

The museums service is an Arts Council England (ACE) National Portfolio organisation and Barnsley is an ACE Priority Place. A new opportunity has arisen for a talented and experienced individual to join our team in Barnsley. As Museums and Archives Manager you will have responsibility for the operational management of three venues within Barnsley Town Centre. This includes The Cooper Gallery, Experience Barnsley, and the Barnsley Archives Service. Working alongside other venue managers, you will manage day‑to‑day operations and lead front-line teams to ensure that our buildings and services are safe, welcoming and accessible to all. You will have responsibility for managing the statutory duties of the archives service, ensuring professional standards and accreditation requirements are met. This will focus on the management, access, engagement, digitisation, care and conservation of our archive collections alongside our qualified archives officer.

We are seeking an individual with substantial experience managing and leading teams preferably across multiple venues or sites. While experience spanning both museums and archives is not essential, candidates should be adaptable, eager to learn, and confident in working across different areas of the sector.

Key responsibilities include:

• Providing effective leadership and management of front‑line staff across our venues
• Managing the day‑to‑day operation of venues, including staffing, rotas, building checks and compliance
• Overseeing the care, conservation, documentation and development of the archive collections
• Ensuring compliance with Museum Accreditation and Archive Service Accreditation standards
• Developing and delivering archive strategies and action plans to champion access and expand digital engagement
• Leading cataloguing, collections information and documentation projects
• Supporting the development of archive acquisitions and contemporary collecting initiatives alongside the museum’s Collections and Exhibitions Team
• Managing budgets, funding bids and externally funded projects
• Contributing to service planning, strategic development and continuous improvement across Barnsley Museums
• Building strong relationships with internal teams, volunteers, partners and external stakeholders

You will have significant experience working within a museum and/or archive environment and be confident managing people, services and buildings. You will understand the needs of a diverse range of staff, visitors and users and be committed to creating welcoming, accessible spaces.

You will also have:

• Strong people management and leadership skills
• Knowledge of relevant standards, legislation and best practice
• Experience of operational and venue management in a public‑facing environment
• Good communication, problem‑solving and organisational skills
• Experience of managing budgets and resources effectively

You’ll be joining a passionate and supportive team, working across a varied and nationally recognised cultural offer. This is an opportunity to make a real impact on how our venues and services are managed, experienced and valued by our communities. At Barnsley Council, we believe in second chances and value diversity. Our recruitment process is inclusive, and we welcome applicants with past convictions. We're committed to fairness and do not discriminate. Join us in building a future where everyone has the opportunity to thrive.