Kettering Museum Recruiting Collections Manager for Heritage Recovery Project
A new collections leadership role in Kettering
North Northamptonshire Council is recruiting a Collections Manager to help safeguard and develop the accredited collections of Kettering Museum, also known as Manor House Museum, and support work with the Alfred East Art Gallery. The three-year appointment is part of the project 'Kettering Museum: Building a Resilient Future', supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
The employer gives the application deadline as 2 December 2026. This is a substantive museum collections and preservation vacancy rather than a volunteer visitor role.
Responsibilities and the museum masterplan
The role leads collections care, documentation, storage, access and preventive conservation. Duties include a collections review covering significance and condition, an audit of existing documentation, environmental monitoring, emergency-planning procedures and work with the collections database. The employer specifically cites Spectrum, Arts Council England's Museum Accreditation standards and software such as MODES.
The manager will contribute to the Kettering Museum Masterplan, advise senior colleagues and consultants, and set up a programme for volunteers and placements involving cataloguing, digitisation and collection records.
Contract, salary and location
The council advertises a full-time, three-year fixed-term post of 37 hours per week, with an annual salary of £39,481–£42,123. The main workplace is Kettering Museum in Northamptonshire, England. The employer advertises pension contributions and annual leave starting at 28 days, rising with service, with flexible working where operational requirements allow.
Applicants should confirm the precise work location, attendance expectations and contractual provisions through the official recruitment portal.
Professional background sought
Applicants are expected to have direct experience of accredited museum collections, preventive conservation, collections-management systems and documentation standards. The role requires judgment about conservation risk, the capacity to guide colleagues and volunteers, and communication skills for non-specialist audiences. Knowledge of strategic museum planning or grant reporting is beneficial; an academic qualification or professional membership is welcomed but not compulsory.
About the recruiting body
North Northamptonshire Council is the local government body responsible for the museum and related cultural services. In October 2026 it announced a £196,896 National Lottery Heritage Fund award to support the Manor House Museum's future and fund a three-year Collections Manager position. The funded programme addresses collections care and long-term planning while the museum is closed to visitors.
Applying through the official portal
Deadline: 2 December 2026. The employer identifies the vacancy as reference Ref/65895/9621. Use the Apply link on the council's recruitment page to submit your application and check the full person specification, work eligibility and the portal's precise cut-off time.
Information and verification notice
The vacancy and project background were checked against North Northamptonshire Council's pages on 13 November 2026. This article is a separately edited summary, not the employer's notice. Please confirm all salary, eligibility, deadlines, and application requirements on the official portal before applying; official terms prevail if details differ.