Chair - Board of Trustees of Royal Mint Museum

The Royal Mint Museum seeking to appoint a new Chair of the Trustee Board to play a key role in our ambitious plans for the future.

Established in 1816, the Museum has one of the finest collections of coins and related material in the world. Originally intended as a source of inspiration for Royal Mint engravers, a function it retains to this day, the Museum has grown and developed into a collection about how money is made and used, and how the Royal Mint has evolved over the last 1100 years.

For 200 years a dedicated staff of curators, numismatists and museum specialists have catalogued, cared for and enhanced the collection which contains nearly 100,000 coins including an abundance of rare and often unique pieces. Medals and seals are well represented, along with low-relief sculptures, balances, weights, paintings, furniture and thousands of original drawings. It includes machinery and roughly 50,000 production tools and dies representing over 400 years of coin and medal production, a collection whose importance is unrivalled in the United Kingdom.

Governance

The Royal Mint Museum was established as a company limited by guarantee in December 2009 and was granted charitable status in November 2010. Its sole member is HM Treasury. The Museum wholly owns a subsidiary company, Royal Mint Museum Services Limited, also established in December 2009. The heritage assets of The Royal Mint Trading Fund were vested into the Royal Mint Museum on 31 December 2009.

The Museum as a charitable company is governed by its Memorandum and Articles of Association, which provide for the appointment and reappointment of Trustees. The creation of an independent Museum was initiated to give long-term security to the collection, to establish a clear educational and charitable remit, and to enable the Museum to expand the services it offers through external funding.

The Board of Trustees has the authority to appoint new Trustees and to direct the use of the Museum’s financial and other resources. Meetings of the Trustees are attended by members of the Museum’s management team, in particular the Director of the Royal Mint Museum, and members of the financial support team, who present papers on their areas of responsibility.

The Trustees exercise oversight and supervision of all the Museum’s main functional areas, including finance, fund-raising, acquisition and disposal, the education and publication programmes, exhibitions, collections management, conservation and the activities of the Museum Services company. The Trustees decide on the strategy for the Museum. The implementation of the strategy and the operational management is delegated to the Director of the Museum and his colleagues. Further information about the Royal Mint Museum and its history and governance can be found at the following links

Vacancy description

We are seeking to appoint a new Chair of the Trustee Board to play a key role in our ambitious plans for the future. We are looking for candidates who can demonstrate sound judgement in assisting the team with strategic decision making and to oversee the governance of the Museum.

Essential criteria

Person Specification

Candidates should be able to demonstrate that they possess the following skills and attributes.

• A willingness to represent and act as an advocate for the Royal Mint Museum in the public arena.
• Strong communication skills and the ability to contribute to board-level discussions and wider policy and strategy development.
• The ability to chair organisations successfully at board level, supporting and guiding the Director of the Museum in delivering the strategic objectives of the Museum.
• An interest in British history and its material culture.
• A commitment to preserving cultural heritage and improving education and understanding of British history. Either, proven success in executive or non-executive leadership positions in the heritage sector or, a prominent national reputation in business or commerce.
• A strong commitment to equal opportunities and diversity.

We would, ideally, like to hear from applicants with fund-raising experience in relation to museum or gallery projects.

We are keen that our Board reflects the diversity of our visitors and audiences. The role of Chair of Trustees is, therefore, open to applicants from all backgrounds, irrespective of gender, gender identity, race, disability, religion or belief, sexual orientation or age. We welcome candidates who think they have the required skills and can lead the Trustee Board in the decade ahead.

Length of term and time requirements

The appointment will be for an initial period of three years, with the option of two further three-year terms.

Board meetings take place four times a year either on site at The Royal Mint in Llantrisant, South Wales, or at venues in London.

Remuneration

Trustees give their services on an honorary basis and receive no remuneration, except for expenses reasonably incurred in performance of their duties.

Timeline for this appointment

Opening date: 22 January 2025.

Application deadline: 11:59pm on 12 February 2025.

Sifting date: 19 February 2025.

Interviews expected to end on 19 March 2025.

Start of appointment: March/April 2025.

Timeline dates are only an estimate and can change.

Application

If you would like to apply for the position of Chair of Trustees please send your CV outlining your experience to Virginia Porter, Museum Office Manager, The Royal Mint Museum, Llantrisant, Pontyclun, Rhondda Cynon Taf, CF72 8YT. Tel: 01443 623733.