We hosted an informal 45-minute webinar for anyone interested to learn more about this role on 20 June 2023. The recording of this webinar can be found at the bottom of the RMG current vacancies listing page.

Royal Museums Greenwich (RMG) is a collection of diverse historical sites: the National Maritime Museum; the Cutty Sark; the Royal Observatory and the Queen’s House. Each of these has a unique identity and a common purpose to serve our communities, through sharing our collections and expertise. We are a place to explore the sea, space, art and history, and our strategy ‘Charting Our Course’ puts people at the core of our success.

The Senior Curator of Art & Identity will extend the scope and impact of RMG’s work by foregrounding under-represented historical narratives and by using these to bring the past into dialogue with the present. They will create high profile opportunities for audience engagement, including through working with contemporary artists, and will play a key role in demonstrating how new approaches to the interpretation of RMG’s collections, sites and subjects can support the development of expanded audiences. In the context of this role ‘Identity’ encompasses individuals, societies and nations, as well as issues around sexuality, class, race, nationality and heritage.

The Senior Curator’s work will focus on RMG’s rich holdings of fine and applied art, but they will also develop projects and programmes which help audiences make connections across RMG sites and collections. They will highlight the complex shared histories of these sites and devise creative interventions which reveal how developments at Greenwich shaped Maritime Britain and the British Empire, as well as the contemporary legacies of these. The postholder will lead, support and inspire the work of a small team of art curators and work closely with RMG’s Engagement team, who offer cultural engagement opportunities for diverse publics.

The successful candidate does not need museum experience but should have knowledge of histories and contexts relevant to RMG’s art collections, and experience of working within a collections, research- or teaching-based or public engagement context at a museum, heritage, cultural or other relevant organisation. Most importantly, they will have a demonstrable commitment to making collections, subjects and sites relevant and accessible to a wide range of audiences.

The post holder is expected to work 36 hours per week, Monday to Friday between 9am and 5pm. However, we are open to flexible and hybrid working. In return we offer a generous pension and benefits scheme and annual leave allocation, learning and development opportunities, an employee assistance programme, and a supportive environment with flexible working options.

Salary: £40,000 per annum – pay award pending for 2023 

RMG encourages applications from individuals with diverse backgrounds and is working with Culture& on the recruitment and selection process for this post. Culture& will provide mentoring support to the postholder for the first six months of appointment. Through such partnerships RMG is committed to attracting diverse talent to its workplace. We guarantee an interview for any candidate who identifies as Disabled and/or as a member of a Global Majority* and who meets the essential criteria requirements. Please state in your application if you would like to be considered under this scheme.

For an informal conversation about this post, please contact: Helen Mears (Head of Curatorship & Research, RMG) – hmears@rmg.co.uk.  

*Global Majority refers to people who identify as Black, Asian, Mixed and/or who have been racialised as a member of an ethnic minority.