Museum Adviser x2

Purpose of Post:

This is an exciting opportunity to join the Welsh Government to both support Ministers in developing and delivering Welsh cultural policy and to act as the museum sector development agency in Wales.

Since its creation, the museum team within Culture Division (formerly MALD/CyMAL) has achieved a reputation for being approachable and accessible to the sector. These posts will help maintain this culture of supporting and helping the sector, enabling museums to deliver against the Welsh Government’s Programme for Government commitments and priorities such as the Wellbeing of Future Generations Act, Anti-Racist Wales Action Plan and the Priorities for Culture.

Wales is the only home nation where local museums have a voice within government and where policy for national and local museums is developed in tandem. Local and National Museums in Wales share a positive and constructive working relationship. The successful post holders will help ensure Welsh Ministers are briefed in a timely and accurate manner about both local and national museum issues, work with Minsters to help realise policy, strategy and interventions in ways which benefit museums and their users, and work with other relevant government policy divisions to influence their areas of policy.

The museums team within Culture Division is the only museum development agency in the UK which is a division within a national government, rather than an ‘arms length’ body. These are critical posts in the delivery of museum development and support in Wales. Successful candidates will provide advice to local museums across Wales, work to improve standards and performance in the local sector and initiate and deliver programmes, funding streams and interventions to develop and support the sector.

They will develop strong working relationships with internal and external colleagues and sector organisations. The post holders will work closely with other teams across the Culture Division, and with stakeholders and community members in the sector. They will also work with other relevant Welsh Government Divisions.

Key Tasks:

• Develop and implement policies on standards and performance related to local museums

• Manage the UK Museum Accreditation Scheme in Wales, liaising closely with the central Accreditation team based at ACE and to represent the interests of Wales and Welsh museums in all discussions

• Act as first point of contact for the Accreditation scheme in Wales, ensuring local museums receive the support required to participate successfully in the scheme

• Monitor the performance of Welsh museums, including the development and management of relevant benchmarking and research

• Develop and commission research as required to support and shape the development and improvement of museum services

• Provide early intelligence to senior colleagues and the Minister, if required, regarding areas of concern in the performance of local museums

• Represent Culture Division on internal and external bodies and working groups relating to standards and performance measurement

• Disseminate information on museum standards and performance

• Maintain a wide range of contacts within the Welsh Government and the museum sector

• Provide strategic advice and support to help raise standards in museums across Wales

• Provide responses to correspondence, Senedd Written Questions and Oral Questions, briefing requests and press enquiries

• Line management as required

• Other duties appropriate to this post and grade

Hybrid Working:

Welsh Government have a hybrid working model based on being in your contracted office when there is a business requirement or when it suits your individual preference. Our staff are able to work from alternative locations, including from home when there is no requirement to be in their contracted office. The advertised roles are being advertised on that basis and not on a remote basis.

Closing Date:

06/05/2025, 16:00