Collections Manager – National Paralympic Heritage Trust

Aim Museums; Stoke Mandeville; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 40,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading cultural organization is seeking a Collections Manager to oversee an important disability history collection. This permanent role involves caring for and managing the collection while working in a creative and independent environment. The ideal candidate will have experience in collections management and enjoy collaborating within a diverse team. Applications are invited in various formats to ensure inclusivity. Closing date for applications is February 4th at 6pm.

Qualifications

• Experience in collections management in a museum or cultural setting.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a diverse team.
• Strong communication and organizational skills.

Responsibilities

• Care for and manage one of the most important disability history collections.
• Accession and maintain existing donations, reflecting the full history of the Paralympic Movement.
• Collaborate with team members to facilitate outreach and learning activities.

Skills

Collections management experience

Creative thinking

Team collaboration

Job description

Collections Manager – National Paralympic Heritage Trust

Job Title: Collections Manager

Hours: 24 hours per week

Terms: Permanent

Location: National Paralympic Heritage Trust, Buckinghamshire

This is an exciting opportunity for a Collections Manager, to care for one of the most important disability history collections. We are looking for a creative, independent person, with experience in collections management, who enjoys working in a diverse team.

About NPHT

The National Paralympic Heritage Trust (NPHT) was established in 2015 to preserve, celebrate and share our inspirational local and national Paralympic heritage. From 2017 to 2023 we engaged more than half a million people, establishing an accredited museum and collection of international importance. Our learning programmes are recognised as groundbreaking in terms of D/deaf and disabled access and digital engagement.

Our purpose is to bring this unique British heritage to life, in a compelling and evocative way that pushes the boundaries of access for all, changing attitudes, serving national inclusion agendas, and instilling national pride.

Our heritage centre is in Stoke Mandeville Stadium and from spring 2026 our office will be located in Discover Bucks Museum, Aylesbury. Our collections are stored with Discover Bucks Museum and at Buckinghamshire Archives.

The collections of the National Paralympic Heritage Trust

The collections of the National Paralympic Heritage Trust focus on the unique history of the development of the Paralympic Movement in Great Britain, from its birthplace in Stoke Mandeville, Buckinghamshire in 1948 to the present-day successes of the British Paralympic team. It is an inspiring and moving story of international significance.

From a British perspective our collection tells the history of a remarkable movement through the many individuals who have been a part of the Games. It is a journey that has had profound effects on the lives of many disabled people and their families. It has led the way in changing public attitudes towards disabled people and influenced the development of new technologies to better support them. It is a tale that is still unfolding with further significant developments made during the London 2012 Paralympic Games and the success of the British Paralympic teams in subsequent Games.

The current strength of the collection lies in the early days of the Paralympic movement from the 1940s through to the 1980s and, a major part of the ParalympicsGB collection focuses on London 2012, including a large costume collection. There are significant film and photography collections and a growing oral history collection of individuals’ experiences and memories. The accessioned collections are complemented by handling collections, used for outreach and learning activities.

The collection continues to grow and there is work to accession and better pack existing donations, as well as to continue to collect to reflect the full history of the Paralympic Movement in the UK. The collection is a mixture of archives (including programmes, minutes, correspondence), photographs, film, and objects which include: medals, torches, wheelchairs, sports equipment, sportswear, trophies, flags, opening ceremony costumes, score boards, and gifts.

We have service level agreements with Buckinghamshire Archives and Discover Bucks Museum, to support the storage and management of our collections.

• An up-to-date CV which shows your full career history – we recommend that this is no longer than two pages
• A supporting statement explaining why you are interested in this role detailing how you meet the knowledge, skills and experience we are seeking – we recommend that this is no longer than two pages.

Or you can make your application using alternative formats suited to your needs including a film (no longer than 10 minutes), an audio recording (no longer than 10 minutes) or a collage (up to 4 pages).

We implement the Guaranteed Interview Scheme for Disabled People. This means we will guarantee to interview all applicants who both declare their disabilityand meet the essential criteria for a vacant post.

Closing Date – Applications should be received by Wednesday 4February at 6pm