APPOINTMENT OFDIRECTOR OF PEOPLE AND CULTUREMARCH 2018

Opening of Collider: Step Inside the World’s Greatest Experiment

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BACKGROUND

The Science Museum Group (SMG) is the world’s leading alliance of science museums, welcoming over 5 million visitors each year to its five museums. With unparalleled collections in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), SMG is uniquely placed to draw people of all ages to engage with science in an inspirational and informal way.

The museums in our group are where some of the biggest thinkers, inventors and creators of our time - from Stephen Hawking through to James Lovelock and Brian Cox - first discovered a passion for science. We invite all our visitors to open their minds to the creativity and wonder of science and to appreciate its significant impact on all our lives.

Our Group mission is to inspire futures by:• Promoting the creative

exploration of science;• Building a scientifically

literate society;• Inspiring the next generations of

scientists, inventors and engineers.

Our Group values are to: • Think big• Reveal wonder• Share authentic stories• Ignite curiosity• Be open for all

SMG succeeds through its people. Our mission and values touch every part of the organisation and underpin everything that we do, informing our organisational culture and decision-making, and delivering benefits to employees, visitors, funders, partners and stakeholders alike.

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Science Museum, LondonAs the home of human ingenuity, the Science Museum and its world-class collection forms an enduring record of scientific, technological and medical achievements from across the globe. Welcoming over 3 million visitors a year, the museum aims to make sense of the science that shapes our lives, inspiring visitors with iconic objects, award-winning exhibitions and incredible stories of scientific achievement.

Museum of Science and Industry, ManchesterThe Museum of Science and Industry’s focus is the creative exploration of how science, innovation and industry created and sustain modern society. Its mission is to explore where science met industry and the modern world began, and to understand the impact that Manchester science, technology and innovation continues to have on all our lives. Originally opened in 1969, the museum now occupies the former Liverpool Road station, one of Manchester’s most important historic sites.

The National Railway Museum, York and ShildonThe National Railway Museum is a museum that tells the story of rail transport in Britain and its impact on society. It is the home of the national collection of historically significant railway vehicles, as well as a collection of other artefacts and both written and pictorial records. These include a collection of over 100 locomotives and nearly 300 other items, virtually all of which either ran on the railways of Great Britain or were built there.

National Science and Media Museum, BradfordThe National Media Museum is situated in the heart of Bradford, UNESCO City of Film. Its aim is to explore the transformative impact of image and sound technologies on our lives. The museum is home to over 3.5 million items of historical significance, and includes traditional and interactive galleries. It also features the UK’s first IMAX theatre and two other cinemas, and hosts a comprehensive programme of cultural and educational events.

Locomotion, ShildonOpened in September 2004 as a joint venture with Durham County Council, and originally called the ‘National Railway Museum at Shildon’, this museum showcases important railway vehicles and items from the national collection. From December 2017, the museum was renamed ‘Locomotion’ and became a full part of the Group. Although the SMG will now manage Locomotion, the strong partnership with Durham County Council will continue to be key to the future of the museum. Events such as Mallard 75 and Flying Scotsman and the Shildon Shed Bash have established Locomotion as one of the biggest tourist attractions in the North East.

The Group incorporates the Science Museum, London; the Museum of Science and Industry, Manchester;

the National Railway Museum, York; Locomotion, Shildon; and the National Science and Media Museum, Bradford.

In addition, collections stores are located in Wroughton and London.

THE GROUP

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THE GROUP

OUR STRATEGIC PRIORITIES

Core priorities• Grow ‘science capital’ in individuals

and society – SMG’s offer and reputation for lifelong informal STEM learning and engagement is the best in the world.

• Grow our audiences and exceed their expectations – we understand and consistently meet or exceed our visitors’ expectations; we reach and reflect the communities we aim to serve.

• Sustain and grow our world-class collection – SMG’s collection is the best in the world for our fields: well understood, well housed and accessible (physically and digitally), and used effectively by SMG and others for research, display, learning and pleasure.

Supporting priorities• Extend our international reach –

SMG has a very strong international profile and reputation for excellence that enhances our offer, promotes the UK and generates income.

• Transform our estate – our buildings, public spaces and facilities will be welcoming and inspiring places to visit, effective and accessible housing for the collection, and great places to work.

• Harness the potential of digital – the SMG digital offer is acknowledged as one of the best in the world and its websites are a global destination for their subjects.

• Increase income – sustainable unrestricted income from a variety of sources is significantly greater than in 2015/16 and is used efficiently to realise SMG’s vision.

Opposite: Schoolchildren visit at the Science Museum for a series of events celebrating the Principia mission launch

Above left: Schoolchildren visit at Museum of Science and Industry, Firgrove demo in the Power Hall

Above right: Science Museum Wonderlab

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THE GROUP

Highlights • The SMG attracted almost 6 million

visits last year, among which over 600,000 people visited in booked education groups.

• The Science Museum’s Cosmonauts exhibition told the story of Russian space exploration for the first time, bringing together extraordinary and iconic objects that had never before been seen in the West. A first of its kind, the exhibition attracted strong audiences and critical acclaim.

• Robots is the Science Museum’s latest major exhibition. It tells the 500-year story of our obsession with humanoid automatons, and is on target to be seen by 180,000 visitors before embarking on a sold-out world tour.

• The Science Museum’s pioneering new Mathematics: The Winton Gallery explores how mathematicians, their tools and ideas have helped shape the modern world over the last 400 years. The gallery was designed by the late Dame Zaha Hadid and opened its doors in December 2016.

• The Science Museum opened Wonderlab: The Statoil Gallery in October 2016. This permanent new gallery is a world-class interactive learning space that ignites curiosity in science and mathematics, through more than 50 cutting-edge interactives and experiences.

• The Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester produced the Manchester Science Festival, a two-week festival attracting over 100,000 people to take part in venues city-wide.

• The National Railway Museum completed the refurbishment of Flying Scotsman, which made its inaugural run in full steam in February 2016.

• The National Science and Media Museum opened with a new name, visual identity and vision in March 2017, at the same time launching its own Wonderlab. This has resulted in a 30% year-on-year growth in visitors.

Above:Manchester Science Festival at Museum of Science and Industry (left)

Eric, Britain’s first robot, was originally built by Captain William H Richards in 1928 (center)

National Science and Media Museum (right)

Opposite: Mathematics: The Statoil Gallery

• The Science Museum hosted the official launch party for Tim Peake’s mission to the International Space Station, including special editions of the BBC’s Stargazing Live and thousands of schoolchildren counting down to launch. SMG then acquired the Soyuz capsule that took Tim and his fellow astronauts to and from the International Space Station and it is now on display across the Group’s museums.

• SMG successfully bid for the trans-Pennine STEM Ambassador hub contract and now coordinates the activity of over 2000 STEM Ambassadors across Greater Manchester, North and West Yorkshire.

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THE GROUP

PEOPLE AND CULTURE OVERVIEW

In the People and Culture team, we are on a mission to make SMG an organisation of empowered and engaged people, who are passionate and proud to work here. Our aim is to have the right people, doing the right roles, engaged with our mission and values, working in a culture that supports entrepreneurialism, museum excellence and professionalism.

People and Culture has a broad remit across the Group to develop organisation capability and culture aligned to the Group’s vision, values and strategic objectives. Our key areas of focus are:

Resourcing and Development• Driving a cultural shift to strategic

planning to help teams identify the capability and capacity they require and develop plans to fill them.

• Partnering with managers to select the best resourcing option to meet the business need, reducing recruitment volume and cost, whilst investing in attracting and direct sourcing better quality candidates.

• Driving engagement through talent development, working with managers and colleagues to develop a framework of internal and external development opportunities, leveraging our apprenticeship levy.

• Increasing volunteering, aiming to become the leading national museum for volunteering.

• Transforming how we welcome new people, engaging and aligning our colleagues from the start of their relationship with us, helping them to be successful and satisfied in their role.

Engagement• Considering engagement at the

heart of all activity within People and Culture

• Engaging people in our mission, values and ambitions, enabling them to perform better and want to stay longer.

• Reviewing our approach to reward and benefits to ensure we are in a strong position in the future labour market, meet the needs of current employees and drive employee behaviours which contribute to SMG’s objectives.

HR and Employee Relations • Tackling and resolving issues that

prevent people performing well in their roles, taking a business focused approach and supporting managers to resolve issues quickly.

• Using data to highlight impacts on business performance and encourage business focused decisions, whilst continuing to develop and extend use of our HR system.

Health and Safety• Driving a change in H&S culture

to keep our colleagues, visitors, contractors and volunteers safe.

• Continual development of our online system to increase proactivity and support managers more efficiently.

• Developing colleagues’ and managers’ H&S knowledge, working with our trainers to provide engaging training courses and advising on specialist training.

Corporate Records and Freedom of Information• Reviewing how we store newly

created corporate records, moving to a digital base, prioritising the digitisation of paper records held across the estate.

• Protecting our data in line with GDPR.

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DIRECTOR OF PEOPLE AND CULTURE, SCIENCE MUSEUM GROUP

ABOUT THE ROLE

As the Director of People and Culture, you will lead the development of organisation capability and culture, aligning this to our vision, values and strategic objectives. This role encompasses the development and implementation of a contemporary, business-driven human resource function to deliver long-term success for SMG and its stakeholders.

Ever mindful of the governance framework of an HR function within a NDPB, you will ensure compliance with legal and regulatory requirements, with oversight of teams that manage Freedom of Information requests, maintain and administer corporate records and ensure Health & Safety compliance across the Group. You will work with Executive colleagues to maintain and improve our organisational performance and operational sustainability, working within resource constraints yet responding to an ever-changing environment to exploit opportunities and realise the Group’s potential.

WHAT YOU WILL BE DOING

• Articulating and delivering a people and cultural change strategy that meets SMG’s strategic imperatives.

• Translating this strategy into robust, deliverable and sustainable plans which cover recruiting, retaining and developing colleagues, across SMG; providing direction and leadership to teams within People & Culture to deliver this.

• Reviewing the function and operational delivery of human resources across SMG, including structure, processes, policy and procedures, delivering and monitoring improvements to performance.

• Working with senior stakeholders to realise change programmes that both drive performance and improve efficiency; devising and delivering plans that meet the ongoing financial challenges of SMG.

• Providing support to senior colleagues on all aspects of people and culture management.

• Managing strategic and operational risks of the people and cultural change programme.

• Representing SMG as the key strategic contact with a wide range of external stakeholders in all human resources and organisational cultural matters.

• Overseeing the timely and accurate responses to Freedom of Information request and the management and maintenance of SMG’s Corporate Records.

• Leading the internal Health & Safety advisory function that ensures that the Group operates in a legally compliant and culturally mindful manner.

• Helping drive widespread cultural change across SMG in the way in which colleagues engage with the organisation, underpinned by the Group’s Mission and Values.

• Taking care of your personal health and safety and that of others. Complying with the Science Museum Group Health and Safety Policies, risk assessments and safe systems of work and reporting any health and safety concerns.

DIRECTOR OF PEOPLE AND

CULTURE

Department: People and CultureType: PermanentLocation: London, York, Manchester or Bradford Hours: 35Reports to: Deputy Director and Chief Operating Officer Salary: £85,000–£90,000Date: March 2018

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DIRECTOR OF PEOPLE AND CULTURE, SCIENCE MUSEUM GROUP

WHAT YOU BRING TO THE TEAM

You will definitely:

• Understand key business issues and be able to take a holistic view of organisational needs and demands across a range of inter-dependent teams;

• Have experience of delivering transformational change in a complex organisation with many stakeholders with disparate requirements;

• Have experience of strategic leadership across a multi-site organisation, including leading multi-disciplinary teams of specialists, generalists, contractors and freelancers;

• Have significant experience of business process management that drives efficiencies through establishing the appropriate systems, processes and structures;

• Have significant experience of successful project management across multi-disciplinary teams;

• Have a track record of delivering improved departmental and organisational performance through structural and cultural change;

• Have an understanding of the challenges and opportunities of publicly funded heritage or cultural organisations;

• Demonstrate a proven ability to effectively manage six-or-seven figure budgets;

• Have good communication, influencing and listening skills and a proven ability to work collaboratively and sensitively as part of a senior management team in a complex organisation;

• Have excellent analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to translate business requirements into deliverable and pragmatic solutions;

• Have a good understanding of current HR practices and legislation;

Additional informationThis role is subject to a Disclosure Scotland basic criminal record check.

Supporting statement In your supporting statement, please let us know how your experience makes you the right person for this role based on the criteria above.

Above left:Wonderlab at the National Science and Media Museum

Above right: National Railway Museum

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