Museum Development Manager - Learning, Engagement & Wellbeing at Museums Galleries Scotland Clo[...] in Edinburgh

Museums Galleries Scotland is the National Development Body for the Scottish museums sector. We support over 452 museums and galleries through strategic investment, advice, advocacy, skills development and other means. We are a forward‑facing and inclusive organisation committed to building a positive culture for our team.

As Museum Development Manager, you will facilitate, promote and support development across the sector in line with Scotland’s Museums and Galleries Strategy. The strategy provides a framework for the sector and MGS to work to ensure the future relevance and resilience of the sector, centering around three thematic strands of Connection, Resilience and Workforce.

This role focuses on Learning, Engagement and Wellbeing, linking to Education and Health & Wellbeing priority areas of the Connection strand. It requires knowledge and passion for the role of museums in society and a broad understanding of the wider education and health & wellbeing contexts in Scotland.

You will build and maintain collaborative relationships, both existing and new, and drive learning, engagement and wellbeing activities. You will champion MGS’s organisational behaviours internally and externally.

• Lead, develop and manage initiatives and programmes to support learning, health & wellbeing, engagement and skills outcomes.
• Provide knowledge, advice and signposting to the sector regarding Curriculum for Excellence, Health & Wellbeing, Community Engagement, Participatory Practice, Employability priorities and other relevant policies.
• Collaborate with partners and stakeholders to create opportunities for the sector and advocate for learning, engagement and wellbeing work.
• Collect, analyse and evaluate evidence of sector impact and communicate it effectively internally and externally for advocacy.
• Facilitate and develop networking opportunities for the sector, including existing forums and new opportunities in the Health & Wellbeing area.
• Contribute to the development of projects, including identifying and securing external funding and aligning with wider organisational and sector aims.
• Collaborate on skills‑related activity within education settings, e.g. developing qualifications in school settings.
• Manage staff if required, including contractors, consultants and sessional staff as appropriate.
• Support Grants and Accreditation scheme assessment when appropriate.
• Work with the Head of Department to provide collaborative leadership of projects and programmes.

• Build and nurture effective working relationships across the organisation and with external partners.
• Work fairly and with integrity and adapt style to different people, cultures and situations.
• Seek new ways of working, knowledge, and opportunities to support the sector.
• Collaborate with other staff to support and deliver MGS projects and programmes, particularly with the Museum Development and Skills teams.
• Work with Communications and Marketing to maximise reach and impact of resources and activities.
• Conduct research to develop new and utilise existing research and impact reporting.
• Collaborate to measure, assess and adapt ongoing work.
• Provide support and recognition to staff and understand the needs and concerns of the MGS team and wider sector.

• Knowledge of the education systems in Scotland and awareness of the wider UK context.
• Knowledge of best practice in informal museums learning practices, health & wellbeing approaches and engagement principles.
• Experience working in or with museums or heritage organisations.
• Project management, including development, delivery, allocation of resources and evaluation.
• Collaborative working with internal colleagues and external stakeholders and partners.
• Development of joint programmes and activities in Education, Health & Wellbeing, Anti‑Racism, Climate, or Skills.
• Experience working with and applying to funders, including collaborative approaches.
• Willingness to learn about anti‑oppression approaches in museums and heritage settings.
• Monitoring and Evaluation best practice.

• Developing and facilitating group sessions across organisations (external working groups/forums).
• Experience supporting colleagues and external stakeholders to achieve shared outcomes.
• Experience working with consultants and contractors.

• Communicating with impact.
• Respect, inclusion and integrity.
• Sector focus.
• Drive for results.
• Innovation, agility and building capability.
• Supporting and developing people.

• Travel – regional travel will be required occasionally (estimated 25 days per year).

We require completion of our application form, which is available for download from our website. CVs are not accepted. Complete the application form. Submit the form via our online system Breathe HR. Alternative formats such as video, audio or other are accepted if they cover all required information. Contact our team by email or phone if you need further assistance. Interviews are planned for Thursday 28th May.

Museums Galleries Scotland welcomes applications from all sections of the community and is an equal opportunities employer. We hold Living Wage and Investors in People Gold accreditation and offer flexible working. We guarantee interviews to people with disabilities who meet the essential criteria in our person specification, and will consider reasonable alternative approaches if capacity is limited.

Information supplied may be held in electronic and paper files for administrative purposes during the recruitment process. We retain recruitment files for six months following the date of interview, after which they are disposed of appropriately. Our privacy policy.