Head of Education

Download the role profile

Reports to: Curation & Experience Director

Location: La Hougue Bie

Working hours/Pattern: Full time

Line management:  2 FTE (currently 1 FT and 2 PT)

Operating budget: Management of delegated education budget

The Head of Education manages the creation and delivery of the JH education programme, sharing stories and information about Jersey’s heritage and advocating for our users and ensuring there is a diverse range of opportunities for people to learn about Jersey’s heritage.

Making an impact

You will lead and support the team creating and delivering the JH education programme and content, ensuring a diverse range of opportunities are available for people to learn about Jersey’s heritage. You will advocate for learners, ensuring their needs are prioritised, and in so doing, increase the social, cultural and economic impact of Jersey’s heritage.

Education programmes

You will manage the creation and delivery of education programmes aimed at sharing Jersey’s heritage using Jersey Heritage sites, Island heritage sites, collections and content.

In collaboration with the education and wider teams, you will create the JH education strategy and manage its delivery. You will consider the Government of Jersey’s Heritage Strategy, JH strategy and how JH might meet strategy goals.

You will manage the creation and delivery of projects which cater for a variety of learning needs, across a range of ages and interests including primary, secondary, adult learners and home schoolers as well as parents/carers, enabling intergenerational learning.

You will manage the creation and delivery of learning opportunities in a variety of formats, including taught sessions, talks, workshops, written and digital resources. You will consider and manage creative and innovative ways of sharing learning about Jersey’s heritage, working with the JH team, partners and suppliers in and off Island.

You will consider the range of learning subjects available, how best to make those subjects available and accessible and how to best expand the range of subjects.

Alongside the education team, you will deliver some of the planned learning opportunities.

In collaboration with the team and the Head of Programmes you will identify and support opportunities for collaboration across the programme and across JH activity. You will work closely with the Curation and Experience Director, Head of Programmes, Head of Visitor Services and Head of Marketing.

In collaboration with the Curation and Experience Director and Head of Programmes you will consider how the education department can help achieve departmental objectives, currently set out in the Heritage Connects plan.

You will work with the JH Geoparks and Landscape Curator to plan the landscape learning programme. You will create the programme for the Young Archaeologists Club.

Alongside the Head of Human Resources you will lead on creating and managing the JH Safeguarding policy and practice.

Personnel Management

You will manage the education team, providing support and advice, managing their daily needs, setting objectives, monitoring performance on a regular basis and within the framework of JH strategy. You will ensure the team is trained in relevant museum education areas to carry out their duties.

Communication and Collaboration

You will build and maintain solid and effective relationships with learning providers, community groups, CYPES within Government of Jersey, volunteers and other stakeholders and work collaboratively on all matters relating to Jersey’s heritage.

Working with the Head of Visitor Services, Head of Marketing, outsourced website manager and Communications Manager, you will seek and provide information to enable the communication of the education programme with JH staff.

You will work with the JH Access and Volunteer Coordinator to assess access needs of students.

You will represent JH publicly in all matters relating to the JH education programme.

Understanding the needs of learners

You will seek to understand the varying needs of JH learners, and consider how best to communicate with and cater for the needs of differing groups.

Future Planning

Working closely with the Director and Curation and Experience team and Head of Programmes, you will plan the future education programme. You will work with the Director on considering future budget requirements.

Budget management

You will manage the delegated education budget. In collaboration with the Director and Curation and Experience team, you will contribute to preparing an annual budget for consideration by the JH Board of Trustees.

Fundraising and financial performance

You will support wider Jersey Heritage fundraising initiatives. You will identify activities which could be sponsored and will work with the outsourced fundraising consultant and relevant staff on preparing sponsorship bids.

You will strive to be efficient and ensure cost effectiveness in all the work that you do.

You will work with the Head of Commercial Operations to identify possible income-generating initiatives and content.

Diversity and Inclusion

You will ensure that all interpretation produced across the programme is accessible and fit for purpose. You will ensure that there are opportunities to share stories from a range of voices, especially those that may have been absent in the past.

Evaluation and Development

During and following completion of projects, you will instigate or participate in project reviews and evaluations seeking feedback, developing and modifying activities to ensure continuous improvement.

You will consider front end evaluation for future projects and any data collection and analysis required to adequately measure impact.

Teamwork

You will be an excellent team player helping to create a great place for your colleagues (staff and volunteers) to work.  You will be supportive and helpful to colleagues and volunteers, fostering a culture of good teamwork across the organisation.  You will work closely with all other members of the Curation and Experience team to share knowledge, optimise efficiencies, follow best practice in respect of interpretation and deliver one coherent message.

You will work with the Curation and Experience team to create a rolling, well-balanced programme of events, activities, exhibitions etc. which will increase the social, cultural and economic impact of Jersey’s heritage by appealing to both Jersey Heritage users and non-users, seeking to introduce new audiences to Jersey’s heritage and culture and in so doing,  connect more people with Jersey’s heritage.

You will work closely with the Volunteer Co-Ordinator to create and manage opportunities for people to volunteer with JH education.

Maintaining Quality and Standards

All work undertaken will follow curatorial best practice and be delivered in accordance with agreed internal and professional standards and protocols.  You will adhere to and promote the Museums Association’s Code of Ethics for Museums and the Archives and Records Association Code of Conduct for Archives.

Working Safely and Securely

You will take reasonable care for your own safety and the safety of others, including the public, staff, volunteers and contractors, by complying with health and safety and other related procedures to manage and minimise risk in daily operations.

To apply for this position, please forward the following:

1. a completed Recruitment Application Form

2. a comprehensive Curriculum Vitae

3. a supporting covering letter stating reasons for your application and describing how you consider your experience and competencies are relevant to the post to:

Jeannette Achler
Head of Human Resources
Jersey Heritage
The Weighbridge
St Helier
Jersey, JE2 3NG

Or email your application to recruitment@jerseyheritage.org

Closing date for receipt of applications:
28 April 2024

Applications without a covering letter will not be considered.

Download the information pack

About Jersey Heritage

Overview

Jersey Heritage is the Island’s official museums, archives and historic buildings organisation. We want to help everyone to protect, discover and enjoy learning about Jersey’s heritage.

We are an independent charity, founded in 1981, receiving about 50% of our funding from the Government of Jersey by way of a grant. Other income is self-generated through activities such as admission charges, retail sales, membership, sponsorship, donations, fundraising, holiday lets and venue hire.

Jersey Heritage manages historic buildings, monuments and collections held in trust on behalf of the Société Jersiaise, the National Trust for Jersey and the States of Jersey as well as those we own.

We are governed by a Board of Trustees operating under a constitution agreed by the States of Jersey, and according to the terms of a Service Level Agreement with the Minister for Economic Development, Tourism, Sport and Culture. The Chief Executive Officer of Jersey Heritage is accountable to the Board of Trustees.

We are responsible for Mont Orgueil and Elizabeth Castles, the Jersey and Maritime Museums, La Hougue Bie, Hamptonne, the Jersey Archive and the Sir Francis Cook Gallery and Augrès Store. The Augrès Store houses JH reserve collections. We also have responsibility for a number of historic buildings around the Island, some of which are available to hire as part of our Heritage Lets service.

We have approximately 90 permanent staff and are joined by additional seasonal staff during our main season (March to October inclusive). We operate on a variety of contractual terms and working patterns to facilitate the diverse nature of our operations. Our staff team is team-centred and has achieved remarkable results over the last few years.

We are also fortunate to have over 300 volunteers who give their time generously to help our work in all areas from family history enquiries at Jersey Archive, to guiding at visitor sites, from conservation of objects in museum stores, to historic boat restoration.

Our staff team is located throughout our sites, although the majority of permanent staff are based at the Jersey Museum, 2 Hill Street and the Jersey Archive all year round.

Our purpose:

Jersey Heritage’s statement of purpose as incorporated in its constitution is:

“Jersey’s heritage and culture is special. The purpose of the Jersey Heritage Trust is to care for it, promote wide access to it, act as advocates on its behalf and bring imagination to telling its stories so that we inspire people to create a better island for everyone.”

Our strategy:

Jersey Heritage is moving towards the Heritage Cycle model in conjunction with Government of Jersey Heritage Strategy:

Our standards:

We are committed to providing Jersey with a first-class museum, archives and heritage service and work to the highest professional standards.

We aim to operate to UK national standards in everything we do and we benchmark ourselves against national standards to give our funders and our audience confidence in the quality of our work.

We currently meet the following standards:

For museums: The Museums Libraries and Archives Council’s Museum Accreditation Scheme

For visitor services: Visit Britain’s Visitor Attraction Quality Assurance Scheme (VAQAS)

For archives: The National Archive’s standard

Our visitor sites:

From 2024 all Jersey Heritage sites with the exception of Elizabeth Castle will be open to the public seven days a week throughout the year.

The seasonal site of Elizabeth Castle is open seven days a week from approximately March to the end of October.

The Jersey Archive is open to the public four days a week (Monday – Thursday) throughout the year and one Saturday morning opening a month.

Visitor sites are cared for by a team of Site Gardiens, Visitor Services Assistants, Living History demonstrators and volunteers during the year.

Curation and Experience Dept:

We hold an exciting array of events, exhibitions and living history demonstrations at each of our sites throughout the year, which aim to bring the past to life by engaging with our visitors.

Every year we meet most of the schools in Jersey and all the sites have curriculum links. Reaching out from the sites, Jersey Heritage staff have an extensive programme of working in and with the community.

Commercial services:

Income is self-generated through various activities including admissions, venue hire, weddings, retail, catering, fundraising and membership. Many of these activities bring new audiences to our sites as well as generating revenue and in each case, we need to balance optimum value to the public against maximum commercial gain.

Our visitor sites are available for private and corporate hire for functions and wedding ceremonies.

We manage a collection of heritage properties and ‘coastal towers’ that are available for hire as self-catering holiday accommodation. Properties include: Radio Tower, Barge Aground, Elizabeth Castle, La Crête Fort, Fort Leicester, L’Etacquerel Fort, Archirondel Tower, Lewis’s Tower, Fisherman’s Cottage, La Tour Cârrée, La Rocco Tower and Kempt Tower.

After having previously been outsourced, Jersey Heritage now manages its retail site shops internally with the aim of increasing income as a result of offering more focused products.

We work closely with third party partners to provide catering at the castle sites, Hamptonne and at the Jersey Museum.

We operate the Castle Ferries that run between West Park and Elizabeth Castle so that the ferry journey becomes an integral part of the visitor experience.

Other services:

We also work with advisory panels to give stakeholders a voice. Examples include the panels for historic building listing and for access to public archive records. Formal public consultation has become important in areas like the conservation policies for our historic buildings to ensure that our plans have wide public support.

Our heritage partners:

Nearly all Jersey Heritage work is done in partnership with other organisations. Most of the collections and sites in our care are managed on behalf of the Société Jersiaise, the National Trust and the States of Jersey for example. We also work closely with organisations like the Channel Islands Family History Society, the Friends of the Maritime Museum, the Duke’s Leopards and the 1781 Jersey Militia.

Our corporate supporters:

Over 30 local businesses support Jersey Heritage each year as members, project partners or sponsors. Corporate members not only provide financial support, but also people to help with conservation projects.

Brief outline of the role:

This is an exciting role for an experienced learning provider to manage the creation and delivery of the JH education programme, sharing stories and information about Jersey’s heritage, advocating for our users and ensuring there is a diverse range of opportunities for people to learn about Jersey’s heritage.

You will lead and support the education team providing opportunities to learn about Jersey’s heritage for students and learners of all ages. You will advocate for learners, ensuring their needs are prioritised, and is so doing, increase the social, cultural and economic impact of Jersey’s heritage.

You will manage the education team of currently one full time and two part time education officers.

You will be responsible for creating the JH education strategy which forms part of the overall JH strategy and is informed by the Government of Jersey’s Heritage Strategy.

This is a permanent full time post, reporting to the Curation and Experience Director, is physically based at the La Hougue Bie and is available immediately.

Please also read the full role profile for more detail.

Should you wish to have an informal chat to understand more about the role then please contact:

Louise Downie, Curation and Experience Director, 01534 633327, Louise.downie@jerseyheritage.org

Terms and Conditions

Jersey Heritage’s standard full time working hours are Monday to Friday 8.30am to 5pm which equates to a standard 37.5 hours per week.

This is a full time permanent post.

Probation

There will be a probationary period of at least 26 weeks.

Salary

The salary range for this role is £54,000 – 57,140. The salary payable for this post will be dependent upon the successful candidate’s qualifications, experience and skills.

Benefits

• Annual leave: 23 days for the term of this contract.
• Pension: Eligibility  to join the Government of Jersey Public Employees’ Pension Scheme (PEPS). Full details available from www.gov.je
• Self-development: Jersey Heritage encourages all staff to develop and undertake training relevant to their field of work.
• Gym: Discounted gym membership available through “Active”
• Retail: 20% off in our retail outlets
• JH Sites: Free entry to all Jersey Heritage sites
• Preferential rates on Heritage Lets.

Selection and Recruitment Procedures

Jersey Heritage appoints on merit.

Short listing is carried out objectively by assessing the information you provide against the requirements of the job as set out in the role profile. If you are short listed, you will be contacted and invited to attend an interview.

We will also tell you if we need you to do anything else such as a skills test or presentation:

www.Jerseyheritage.org
Jersey Heritage Annual Reviews
Jersey Heritage Annual Accounts

www.archives.org
The ARA Code of Ethics
www.museumsassociation.org
Museums Association Code of Ethics