Do you want to use your love of the ocean to inspire our visitors? Are you passionate about contemporary maritime topics; from sea level rising to commercial fishing to the safety and wellbeing of seafarers?

In a time of climate and ecological emergency it is vital to increase ocean literacy (the understanding of the important role that the ocean plays in all our lives). This role will contribute to communication efforts to increase public awareness, develop ocean citizens, embed safety and sustainability principles, and build on our maritime heritage. RMG aims to open its collection, actively collect new objects, and undertake partnerships with external organisations in order to engage our audiences with a wide range of stories of contemporary relevance.

Contemporary maritime has a broad scope from ocean sustainability and the climate crisis to social history and the experience of maritime workers at sea today. This role will explore a broad range of potential topics from the potential of seaweed harvesting, sea level rising, global climate justice to the future of safe careers at sea.

The work of curators is central to the operation of the Museum so you will also be involved in other curatorial activities including research, exhibitions, publications, activities, and events. This will be a varied role and you will work closely with colleagues from other departments and also with researchers, academics, fellows, interns, volunteers and of course the public. As an Assistant Curator you will have a passion for ocean sustainability and life at sea with a desire to share your knowledge and developing expertise with different audiences.

Reporting to: Lloyd’s Register Foundation Public Curator: Contemporary Maritime.

Key responsibilities:

Public Engagement

• Public engagement is at the heart of the museum. As a member of the curatorial team the focus of all projects should be increasing access and engagement to the museum’s stories. This will require finding new ways of working and a flexible and problem-solving approach.

Oral history project – Life at Sea

• As part of the oral history project team; assisting in selecting and recording oral testimonies of seafarers including those impacted by the Covid Pandemic, under-represented experiences and key moments of change.
• Cataloguing of both new and historical oral histories.
• Making the oral history collecting accessible through internal advocacy and public engagement projects.

Ocean sustainability projects (Our Ocean, Our Planet)

• Commissioning external academics and experts by experience to write articles for the RMG website.
• Uploading the articles to the museum website.
• Helping with planning and running of programming related to ocean sustainability both online and in person especially to mark World Oceans Day.
• Writing introductory articles for the website.

Increasing access

• Making our collections more accessible by working on and taking part in public programmes and activities in collaboration with other departments.
• Working with relevant teams (especially the Engagement teams) to support community research and co-curation projects.

Research

• Undertaking research for objects, exhibitions, galleries, publications, due diligence, cataloguing, web content and public programmes.
• Overseeing volunteers, work placements and interns as required.

Collections

• Cataloguing new acquisitions on the Museum’s MIMSY database and enhancing catalogue information as necessary.
• Contributing to collection development by identifying potential acquisitions, disposals, and storage and narrative improvements to existing collections through research (including provenance).
• Participation in the Collections Development Committee and completing supporting documentation.

Supporting wider Museum activities

• Working with the Development Team contributing to membership and patron events and activities.
• Assisting with funding applications and other income-generating activities.
• Champion the Museum collections when required by the Communications team and Events team.

As well as actively working with the Disability Confident scheme, we also want to bring the talents of more ethnically diverse candidates into our workplace. Therefore, we offer a similar scheme for this role where we will guarantee an interview for any candidate who identifies as Black, Asian and/or Minority Ethnic and who meets the person specification requirements. Please state in your personal statement if you would like to be considered under this scheme.