Collections Loans Manager - Fixed-term, part-time, 2 days / 14.5 hours per week.

Job Title

Collections Loans Manager.

Contract and Hours

Fixed-term, part-time, 2 days / 14.5 hours per week. Twelve-month role to commence ASAP from November 2026.

Salary

-£12,000 gross per annum pro rata for period worked, based on part-time working, 2 days per week. Full-time equivalent £30,000 gross per annum.

Location

Crafts Council Office and Gallery is based on the Pentonville Road in Islington, London, with some hybrid / home working.

Reporting to

Senior Curator of Collections.

Working Closely With

• Public Programmes team
• Communications team
• Senior Salesforce Administrator
• Learning and Skills team

Join Us

Crafts Council is the national charity for craft. We believe craft has the power to transform lives; enriching everyday experience, inspiring creativity, strengthening communities and expanding opportunity.

Craft matters. It connects people to materials, skills, creativity and culture. It shapes how we live, make and imagine the future.

At Crafts Council, we champion craft and the people who make it. We support makers at every stage of their journey; from young people discovering craft for the first time to established makers building sustainable creative businesses.

Community sits at the heart of our work.

About the Role

This role focuses on coordinating the day-to-day delivery and administration of Crafts Council's Collection loans programme, drawing from the Primary, Handling and Archive Collections. The postholder will ensure agreed live loan projects, image rights requests, agreements, documentation, deadlines, borrower liaison and logistics are effectively managed, monitored and reported on throughout their full lifecycle.

The role also builds awareness of Crafts Council Collection loans, developing and maintaining relationships with existing and potential borrowers and undertaking targeted outreach to warm leads, existing relationships and realistic opportunities for repeat or higher-value loans.

Working closely with the Senior Curator of Collections and Collections Manager, you will work collaboratively with borrowing organisations, gather audience figures, feedback, interpretation opportunities, images, rights permissions and digital content, and provide regular internal updates on the loans pipeline, confirmed activity, income, risks and opportunities.

A key part of the role is maintaining accurate loans, borrower and object records across Salesforce, Museum Index and Asset Index+. These systems will be used to manage enquiries, confirmed loans, income, costs, correspondence, images, rights information, condition, valuation and location records, and key reporting data. Across all systems, you will ensure records remain accurate and up to date, that live loan agreements are in place, and that reporting data is consistently maintained across the programme.

The role also involves coordinating installations, de-installations, transport, technicians, facility reports and collection movements, working with colleagues and external partners as needed. You will work directly with borrowers to review and monitor UKRG facility reports and collaborate with the Collections Manager to support best practice in collections care, handling, display and documentation.

Core Responsibilities

Coordination and Administration

Coordinate the day-to-day delivery and administration of the Collection loans programme, ensuring agreements, documentation, deadlines, borrower liaison and logistics are progressed for agreed live projects.

Records and Systems

Maintain accurate loans, borrower and object records across Salesforce, Museum Index and Asset Index+, including enquiries, confirmed loans, income, costs, correspondence, images, rights information and key reporting data.

Installations, Transport and Movements

Coordinate installations, de-installations, transport, technicians, facility reports and collection movements, working with colleagues and external partners as needed.

Collections Care

Support collections care requirements for loans, including facility report review, condition, valuation and location records, and best practice in handling, display and documentation.

Process Improvement

Review and improve core loans processes, templates and workflows so enquiries are handled efficiently, consistently and professionally.

Borrower Engagement and Outreach

Develop and maintain a prioritised contact list of existing and potential borrowers, undertaking targeted outreach to warm leads, existing relationships and realistic opportunities for repeat or higher-value loans.

Impact, Interpretation and Digital Content

Gather audience figures, feedback, interpretation opportunities, images, rights permissions and digital content to support borrower engagement, reporting and impact measurement.

Internal Reporting and Insight

Provide regular internal updates on the loans pipeline, confirmed activity, income, risks and opportunities, using insight from enquiries and borrower conversations to inform future Collection planning and elevate strategic opportunities.

Who We're Looking For

This is a collaborative and detail-focused role suited to someone highly organised, confident managing multiple processes simultaneously, and experienced in collections administration and loans coordination. You will enjoy building positive working relationships, maintaining clear systems and helping ensure the successful delivery of the Crafts Council Collection loans programme.

Values

• Pioneering - exploring new ideas and possibilities
• Open - welcoming diverse perspectives and voices
• Playful - embracing curiosity and creativity
• Active - making things happen
• Collaborative - working together to achieve more

General

• Champion our values of being pioneering, open, playful, active and collaborative
• Understand the importance of equity, diversity and inclusion in the workplace and be committed to accessibility and social justice
• Work collaboratively across teams and with external partners
• Contribute to our organisational impact framework supporting makers of today, makers of tomorrow and changemakers
• Work within Crafts Council policies and procedures including Equal Opportunities, Health and Safety, Safeguarding and GDPR
• Undertake any duties reasonably required for the role

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

As a small but dedicated team, we are committed to being open, welcoming and inclusive for all. We aim to support you throughout your time with us and including during this recruitment process. Please let us know how we can best support you and we will do our very best to make that happen.

On joining us we will continue to work with you to ensure your needs are met to help you thrive at work. You are very welcome to contact our HR team via for further support and we will always be happy to talk through any questions or requests you may have.

Our Employee Benefits

• 7% Employer and 3% employee pension contribution*
• Flexible and hybrid working for staff, where possible for role
• 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays per year, pro rata for part time staff
• Discretionary additional paid leave between Christmas and New Year
• Enhanced Company Sick Pay offering up to 65 days basic pay in any rolling 12-month period.
• Competitive Maternity, Paternity and Shared Parental Leave policy
• Home life leave
• Regular training opportunities and personal learning time
• House moving day.
• Employee Assistance Programme including in-person counselling.
• Interest free Season Ticket Loans and Cycle to Work scheme.

* Our pension scheme includes generous employer contributions. If you contribute 3%, we will contribute 7% of qualifying earnings, as defined by the pensions regulator. Staff whose earnings are over £833 per month will be auto enrolled after 3 months, but you will be able to opt into the scheme earlier than this if you wish, or if your earnings are under this level.