Playful Museums – Engaging the Under 5s Pilot Programme

Job Description

Job Title:Programme Co-ordinator

Job Grade:Staff Officer grade £28,500 per annum

Full Time (37 hour week)

12 month fixed term contract

Reporting Officer:NIMC Director

Location:NIMC Offices, 153 Bangor Road, Holywood, Co Down

Closing date for applications: 4:00pm Friday 15th April 2016

Interviews will take place on the 28th April 2016

Background

The Northern Ireland Museums Council (NIMC) was established in 1993 to support the local museums of Northern Ireland in maintaining and improving their standards of collections care and public service. NIMC is a non-departmental public body and receives most of its funding from its Sponsor Department, but in pursuit of its principle aims it also secures funding from other sources. It has been awarded a grant by the Heritage Lottery Fund to deliver the Playful Museums: Engaging the Under 5s – Pilot Programme.

NIMC is seeking to appoint a suitably qualified individual to co-ordinate the programme and to ensure that the objectives are delivered.

Programme

Playful Museums is a year-long pilot programme that will enhance the engagement of the under 5s and their parents and carers, with museums and their collections. It aims to enhance the reputation of museums as valued resources for enjoyment, fun and learning and to develop the capacity of museum staff. It will foster partnerships with a range of other organisations with an eye on sustaining future activity, with groups such as Libraries NI, local arts bodies and others with a national and international reputation, and organisations directly concerned with Early Years support, for instance, Playboard, Sure Start, and local nurseries.

The programme has four main components

  • The development and delivery of a range of events and activities at five local museums
  • The development and delivery of a programme of events and activities across Northern Ireland’s local museums, in the form of an ‘Early Years Month in Museums’.
  • The provision of training for museum staff and volunteers centred on enhancing their skills in meeting the needs of young children, their parents and carers
  • The comprehensive evaluation of the pilot programme.

By the end of the pilot programme the following objectives will have been achieved:

  • Local museums and their collections will be further recognised and valued by the participating carers and parents of children as a resource for enjoyment, fun and learning.
  • The participating children having had an active and enjoyable experience,
  • Museums will have a better understanding of the needs and interests of children, parents and carers,
  • Museum staff and volunteers will have gained new skills to strengthen and sustain work with young children, their parents and carers,
  • Museum staff will be exposed to leading and innovative practice and practitioners of engagement with the Under 5s.
  • Museums will be better resourced to undertake future work with the Under 5’s,
  • New relationships between museums and early-years’ service providers will have been established and developed
  • The benefits of museums work with young children will be further recognised by museum staff and governing bodies,
  • A range of engagement approaches will have been tested and evaluated across the five museums and those participating in the regional programme, and the results widely disseminated.

museums will have a better understanding of the needs and interests of children, parents and carers; their staff and volunteers will have gained new skills; new relationships between museums and early-years’ service providers will have been established; and, a range of engagement approaches will have been tested and evaluated.

OVERALL PURPOSE OF THE JOB:

The post holder will be responsible for the effective and efficient development, administration and evaluation of thePlayful Museums programme

MAIN DUTIES:

  • To administer and evaluate the programme
  • To devise and develop a training programme for museum staff and volunteers, including contacting trainers, addressing the logistic requirements, and attending to the associated administrative support needs.
  • To liaise with and assist participant museums in the planning, delivery and evaluation of their activities
  • To publicise and promote the programme and the associated activities, in conjunction with participating museums
  • To contribute to the overall evaluation of the pilot project through devising a monitoring and evaluation plan, organising and leading evaluation meetings, writing-up and presenting finding and undertaking associated research.
  • To be the point of contact for programme participants and other personnel associated with the project.
  • To provide regular reports, both written and oral, to the NIMC Director and other parties as required.
  • To undertake any additional research in pursuit of the programme’s objectives.
  • To travel to the museums participating in the programme.
  • To contribute to other NIMC projects as required.
  • To undertake any other allied duties as required.

Playful Museums – Engaging the Under 5s Pilot Programme

Personnel Specification

Job Title:Programme Co-ordinator

Job Grade:Staff Officer grade £28,500 per annum

Full Time (37 hour week)

12 month fixed term contract

The Northern Ireland Museums Council is seeking to engage a person to co-ordinate a year-long pilot programme that is concerned with strengthening the engagement between local museums and children under five, their parents and carers.

Essential Criteria:

  • Have at least 2 years demonstrable project management and programme delivery experience,including experience of project evaluation, gained within the last 5 years.
  • Hold a graduate qualification.
  • Have demonstrable experience of promoting cultural events and activities within the last three years
  • Sound working knowledge of Microsoft office packages and programmes.
  • Have access to transport that will enable you to fulfil the requirements of the post.

Desirable Criteria:

  • Experience in working with the early years sector gained within the last three years
  • Experience in working with the with the museum and or heritage sector gained within the last three years

Application Forms

All application forms must be sent in by post or hand-delivered. Emailed versions will not be accepted. All submissions must include:

  • Completed application form using black ink or typescript

Completed applications are to be sent to Northern Ireland Museums Council, 153 Bangor Road, Holywood, Co Down BT18 0EU, and must arrive before 4.00 pm on Friday15th April 2016.You should mark the envelope containing your application – Playful Museums Programme Co-ordinator.

Selection Procedures

Applicants should note that canvassing is not permitted and will result in the application being disqualified.

The candidates who appear from the information presented on the application form to have the best knowledge, skills, qualifications and experience, in light of the Essential and Desirable Criteria set out above, will be invited for interview.

NIMC is committed to equality of opportunity in employment and selection will be on the basis of merit. Applications are welcome from all suitable qualified applicants irrespective of their religious beliefs, gender, disability, race, political opinion, age, marital status, sexual orientation or whether or not they have dependants.

Applicants should note that any information supplied could be released under the process of discovery to form part of the evidence in a Fair Employment or Industrial Tribunal hearing.

Incomplete applications or those received after the closing date will not be considered.

Interview Date

It is anticipated that interviews will take place on the 28th or 29th April 2016

Start date of contract

It is anticipated that the starting date of the successful applicant will be no later than 1st June 2016.

Playful Museums – Engaging the Under 5s Pilot Programme

Programme Co-ordinator

General Conditions of Employment

This is an indication of the conditions of appointment and is not intended to be exhaustive.

Hours and attendance

You are expected to work a 37-hour week, excluding the lunch break. You will be based at the NIMC Offices, which are situated in the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum, Cultra. You will be required to make frequent site visits participating museums, some of which may be outside ‘normal working hours’. A flexi-time agreement is in operation, which allows you, with the agreement of the Director of NIMC to determine your own starting and finishing times within well-defined limits.

Appointment

This is a full-time, 12 month contract, which will be offered subject to the satisfactory completion an interview andreference checks.

Salary

The post is graded within the NICS Staff Officer salary scale. For this post the salary will be £24,089 per annum. Salary will be paid monthly in arrears by direct debit through the BACS system.

Probation

The successful candidate will serve a probationary period of 1 month and confirmation of the appointment will be dependent on satisfactory completion of this service.

Annual Leave

In addition to public holidays (currently 12 per year), the annual leave entitlement will be 25 days on appointment. Annual leave runs from 1 February to 31 January. In any incomplete year of service, annual leave entitlement will be in proportion to the length of service in the year. Up to five days of your annual leave entitlement may be carried forward into the next leave year. This may be increased under special circumstances.

Sick Leave

There is provision for granting sick leave with pay. Details are set out in the Northern Ireland Civil Service Pay and Conditions of Service Code.

Pension

Your appointment is pensionable from the outset within the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme.Alternatively you may wish to maintain your own private pension arrangements, or seek to transfer existing pension contributions to the Civil Service scheme. NIMC will provide all relevant information on this matter to allow you to make an informed decision.

Notice

You will be entitled to receive and required to give one month’s notice to terminate your employment with NIMC, except under circumstances when the Council is entitled to dismiss you summarily. Such circumstances are detailed in the NIMC Staff Handbook, and are covered under the Council’s disciplinary procedures.

Work Location, Travel and Expenses

The post is based at the Council’s headquarters at153, Bangor Road, Holywood, Co Down BT18 0EU. As part of this post, you will be asked to travel throughout Northern Ireland and possibly elsewhere on official business.

You will be recompensed for travel undertaken on business in accordance with the Northern Ireland Civil Service rates. All other out of pocket expenses relating to NIMC work may only be incurred with the prior approval of the NIMC Director.

Variation to the Terms

NIMC reserves the right to vary the terms of this arrangement subject to prior notification being given and after appropriate consultation has taken place.