Interpretation Developer
Role description:
The Interpretation Developer is responsible for developing and delivering interpretation for the Natural History Museum’s temporary exhibitions, and occasionally, other interpretation projects, ensuring they are in line with our Public Engagement Strategy. It is an exciting role that sits within the Interpretation Team and a wider creative team that develops content for the Museum.
Working closely with colleagues across the Museum, including researchers and curators, you will lead on developing exhibition content, making sure it is based on relevant science and research.
You will lead on shaping and developing the interpretation for our temporary exhibitions. This involves shaping concepts, narratives, interpretation methods, visitor journeys, as well as the object and specimen selection, ensuring we make best use of the Museum’s world class collections. Using an audience focused approach and knowledge of best practice in interpretation, you will shape key messages and visitor outcomes, aligning them with the Natural History Museum’s three core intellectual narratives: Origins and Evolution, Biodiversity, and Sustainability.
You will develop interpretation methods that engage intended target audiences, ensuring that our exhibitions and galleries are accessible, interesting, informative and appealing, and suit our audiences’ needs. You will work closely with colleagues across the Museum, particularly within Content Production, Science, Audience Development, Touring and the Project Office, as well as external stakeholders, such as exhibition designers. Ideally, you will have an understanding of the exhibition design development process.
As part of a fast paced interpretation team, you’ll need enthusiasm, creativity, attention to detail and an ability to see projects to completion. The successful candidate will have previous experience in Museum (or similar) content and interpretation development and familiarity with exhibition processes.
Salary: £26,823 per annum plus benefits
Contract: Permanent Appointment
Closing Date: Midnight on Monday 25 May 2015
Role competences:
BEFORE beginning your application - Please read the section below about the ‘Online Application Process’ carefully.
If you wish to be considered for this role you will need to address each of the following competences in the ‘other information’ section of your online application:
1. Educated to degree level (or equivalent qualification) in Science Communication, Museum Studies or other relevant discipline, or equivalent relevant experience
2. Solid experience of developing and delivering engaging interpretation and content in a museum, gallery, heritage site or a similar environment, as well as experience in developing and delivering interpretation plans and methods for exhibitions, or similar, and ideally, an understanding of the exhibition design development process
3. Experience of using collections to tell compelling stories and communicate messages
4. Experience of adapting interpretation, or other form of communication, to suit the needs of different audiences, with an understanding of how to use audience research to inform how to best engage different audiences
5. Highly skilled in text writing for a variety of audience; including text for museum audiences, as well as any documents that communicate exhibition concepts and content to internal and external stakeholders
6. Confident communicator with the experience of communicating openly and clearly with different colleagues and stakeholders, including subject specialists (for example, curators or researchers), and communicating specialist topics to non-specialist audiences
7. Demonstrable experience of creating and delivering professional and engaging presentations, for example, presenting projects to internal stakeholders
8. Proven ability to inspire internal and external stakeholders about the work of the Museum’s interpretation team, including experience of effectively influencing others
9. Experience of delivering tasks through to completion, with a strong attention to detail and proven ability to solve problems effectively
10. Experience of being able to manage demanding workloads and remain calm under pressure, alongside excellent planning skills with the ability to prioritise and manage multiple tasks, whilst ensuring deadlines are met
11. The ability to work successfully both independently as well as part of a team, with a positive ‘can-do’ attitude and willingness to learn
12. An interest in natural sciences and the experience of developing exhibition interpretation, or other forms of communication, for science related topics (desirable)
Online application process:
You are required to provide a response to ALL of the role competences listed above within the ‘Other Information’ section of the online application form (up to 140 words per competence). In order to demonstrate how you meet each competence fully, please provide specific examples from your achievements, knowledge, skills and/or experience.
IMPORTANT: The ‘Other Information’ section will ‘timeout’ after 35 minutes and any information not saved during this time will be lost. Please therefore prepare your answers on a separate document before transferring and saving them to your application.
The ‘Additional Questions’ regarding right to work in the UK and age are mandatory questions and any applications received without these answers will not be considered.
Please review your application fully before pressing ‘submit application’ as you will not be able to make any further amends after submitting, and any applications received which have not addressed ALL competences in full and/or the mandatory questions will be rejected.
Please note that CVs will not be accepted outside of the online application process or as a substitute for completion of the competences.
Please also be aware that we are not able to offer a certificate of sponsorship for this role. If you do not have the right to work in the UK without a visa sponsored by NHM, then unfortunately you will not be eligible to apply for this vacancy.