Collections Manager

Who are we looking for?

Would you like to work at the heart of a museum organization? Do you enjoy dealing with a mix of organizational, practical, and content-related issues? Are you able to bring together different people, organizations, and perspectives? If so, we’d love to have you join our team as the successor to our current interim collections manager!

Who are we?

Surprising and refreshing. Unique and thought-provoking. The Limburgs Museum encourages people to see things differently. We bring Limburg’s extraordinary history to life in an original and inspiring way. Working in active partnership with local communities, we seek out and present little-known stories from Limburg’s past that offer fascinating insights into life today and tomorrow.

The Collections Team plays a key role at the museum. The archaeological, cultural-historical, and (moving) image collections constitute the museum’s cultural capital. The Collections Team collects, registers, manages, updates, and researches the collections and makes a major contribution to the museum’s programming in Venlo, at other locations in Limburg, and online viaOns.LimburgsMuseum.nl. We do this with four curators, six collection staff members, and four volunteers, in close collaboration with the rest of the organization and partner institutions around us. The department is a wonderful mix of young and experienced talent, knowledge, and expertise, and is constantly evolving.

What will you be doing?

• You will guide the team members so that they can do their jobs as effectively as possible, both as a group and as individuals;
• You ensure that work processes are clear and efficient and maintain an overview of the allocation of personnel and resources within a matrix organization;
• You are the driving force behind the team’s work, with the focus in the coming years on: collection registration, digital access to the collection, participatory collecting, and storage management;
• As a member of the management team, you will help set the direction for the museum as a whole;
• You serve as the link between the team and the project leaders who coordinate the development of exhibitions, the online museum, and the new permanent collection display, and you are a member of the steering committee for major projects;
• You will maintain contact with colleagues at other institutions with whom we collaborate or may collaborate, and represent the museum to the outside world.

What kind of person is a good fit for this position?

• You enjoy taking the lead and inspiring and motivating others;
• You enjoy working with others and see opportunities to engage people and organizations in achieving a common goal;
• You can express yourself clearly both verbally and in writing, adapt your communication style to the situation, and make constructive contributions to discussions;
• You're a generalist and get a kick out of juggling multiple tasks at once;
• You can create a sense of calm and clarity;
• You can delegate tasks to others and give clear instructions;
• You want to build something with a team over the long term.

What knowledge and experience would be valuable to us?

This role covers a wide range of subject areas: from the history of Limburg to linked open data, and from pest management to community engagement (to name just a few). As a manager, you don’t need to have extensive knowledge of all these areas, because we already have most of that in-house. In particular, the substantive knowledge regarding our collection areas and the knowledge regarding management and preservation is well established within the team. However, as a manager, you do need to be able to communicate that knowledge to various stakeholders and make (joint) decisions based on it.

The areas where we can best utilize your knowledge and experience are:

• Project and process management.
• Digitization and data management, in accordance with the standards of the Digital Heritage Network;
• Best practices in the national and international museum sector;

If you don’t have all the necessary knowledge and experience but are willing to invest time and energy in a development program, we’d love to hear from you.

What do we offer?

• A 32-hour-per-week position (initially for one year, with the possibility of a permanent contract);
• Starting salary between €5,100 and €5,400 (based on a 36-hour workweek);
• A thirteenth month’s salary, travel allowance, and a good pension plan through ABP;
• The flexibility to manage your own schedule and work partly from home;
• Extensive opportunities for professional development through training, participation in meetings with colleagues, and collaborative learning programs involving the entire organization or your team;
• A friendly, informal work environment with about 70 colleagues (including volunteers);
• A workspace in a modern building directly across from the Venlo train station, with many convenient train connections within Limburg and the surrounding provinces;
• The opportunity to contribute to the preservation of cultural heritage and social values.

Want to comment?

• Please send your resume and cover letter toor sollicitatie@limburgsmuseum.nlby 12:00 p.m. on Monday, November 18, 2024,addressed toWietske Donkersloot.
• The first interviews are scheduled for the week ofNovember 25–29, 2024.
• Would you like more information first? Please contact Wietske Donkersloot, the current interim manager: 06-19838363.