Assistant Registrar (Exhibitions Loans In & Out)

IWM tells the stories of people who have lived through conflict, shaping how these stories are understood today and in the future. You’ll join a collaborative, specialist team that values professional expertise, shared responsibility and continual improvement. We work closely across disciplines and with national and international partners to deliver work of real public impact.

This role is central to enabling IWM’s exhibitions, displays, loans out programme and external partnerships. By managing the programme of lending and borrowing objects safely and compliantly, you’ll help ensure objects can be shared with audiences across the UK and internationally. Your work underpins public programming, loans, partnerships and exhibitions that bring our collections to life.

In this role, you’ll support and deliver IWM’s programme of incoming and outgoing exhibition and long-term loans. You’ll work closely with colleagues and external partners to ensure loans are managed safely, legally and to the highest professional standards. Key responsibilities include:

• Coordinating incoming and outgoing exhibition loans from initial request through to return
• Supporting the assessment of loan requests and preparing recommendations
• Supporting the long-term loan renewal programme
• Managing Government Indemnity applications, renewals, and insurance arrangements
• Overseeing loan agreements, documentation and risk management
• Working with exhibitions, curatorial and collections care teams to ensure objects meet security and display requirements
• Providing registration support during exhibitions installations and de-installs at IWM and borrowing venues
• Advising colleagues on registration best practice, including due diligence, import/export and immunity from seizure
• Contributing to continuous improvement of registration standards, projects and ways of working

You’ll be based at either IWM London or IWM Duxford, with regular travel to other IWM sites and to lenders and borrowers.

We’d love to hear from you if you have:

• A degree or equivalent professional or postgraduate qualification in museum studies or a related field
• Hands-on experience supporting or delivering loans in and/or loans out
• A strong understanding of collections registration standards, compliance and risk management
• Experience maintaining accurate records and documentation using databases or collection management systems
• Confidence communicating with a wide range of specialists and external partners
• Excellent planning, organisation and attention to detail
• A clear, professional writing and communication style
• Confidence identifying issues and escalating them appropriately when needed

You’ll work closely with colleagues across Collections Registration, Curatorial, Collections Care and Exhibition teams. The role involves regular collaboration with external lenders, borrowers, transport agents, insurers and government agencies such as Arts Council England, requiring strong communication and relationship-building skills.