Southend Museums - Museum Store Move Coordinator/Assistant

Start Date: ASAP following selection process.

Hours: Open to negotiation with a minimum placement length of 2 months (an ability to commit to longer would be advantageous).

Location: Southend Museums, due to the nature of the role and the requirement to access and work with collection in-person, the successful applicant would need to primarily work on site however we are open to discuss potential accommodations and can accommodate one day a week working from home/offsite.

Deadline: Please submit your application by 31st January.

Background: Southend Museums are responsible for four buildings: Southend Central Museum and Planetarium which hosts internationally significant collections including the Prittlewell Princely burial and London Shipwreck, The Beecroft Art Gallery which hosts Southend’s fine art collection, extensive historic fashion collection and regularly rotating exhibitions, The Prittlewell Priory, our 12th century Cluniac Priory and Southchurch Hall, a rare example of a surviving medieval moated manor house.  

Our extensive collections cover archaeology, natural history, social history, fine art, photography and fashion and textiles. Being a civic museum service, we are at the heart of our community and we are committed to working with our local community partners to champion health and wellbeing and diversity and inclusion.  

Context: We are undertaking an exciting and large-scale collections move that will allow us to bring our significant collection from disparate sites to one central Collections Centre which will in turn increase accessibility to the collection for staff, the public and researchers. Whilst the primary focus of this role will be to assist with the collections move project, there will be additional opportunities to assist with projects ranging from public engagement and digital engagement through to social media and communications. 

Placement Outline 

• Liaising and organising operational logistics: contacting contractors and companies, placing orders etc (office) 

• Packing and preparing objects: readying objects for transfer which will include labelling 

• Documentation: support with documentation, accessioning and location management of objects. 

• Paper archive: preparation and packing of the paper archive 

• Undertaking collections move: alongside our curatorial specialists, handling, packing and moving objects. Assisting with the transfer of crates and boxes between sites. 

• Supporting the transfer of the paper archive. 

• Location management: updating locations for the new site, helping with the creation of a new location monitoring plan. 

• Accessioning: accessioning of a backlog of objects that needs accessioning or digitising 

Skills gained:  

• Curatorial skills. 

• General documentation,  

• Organisational skills,  

• Project  Management  

• Object handling 

This placement will provide you with experience of assisting a large-scale collections move, you will be at the heart of the project working to museum standards and participating in a hands-on and fast-paced environment to achieve safe and efficient completion of a large-scale project. This is an opportunity to gain hands on experience with a public collection including social history, archaeology and natural history. This placement will allow you to utilise your academic learning to deliver practice-based collection work .

To apply please submit a copy of your CV and a short covering letter to vittorioricchetti@southend.gov.uk or robertsharp@southend.gov.uk by 31st January 2025, explaining why you feel you would be suitable for the placement and what inspired you to apply.  

Requirements for the role: 

• High level of manual and physical dexterity 

• Focus and concentration 

• High degrees of accuracy and attention to detail. 

• Comfortable with using nitrile gloves and masks 

• Interpersonal skills 

• Reliable and adaptable 

If you wish to have an informal conversation with regards to this opportunity prior to applying, please contact vittorioricchetti@southend.gov.uk or robertsharp@southend.gov.uk and we will be happy to arrange a call.