Museum Director/CEO | Queer Britain, the national LGBTQ+ museum

Museum Director/CEO Queer Britain, the national LGBTQ+ museum

Shape the future of LGBTQ+ cultural heritage by joining Queer Britain as its next Museum Director/CEO.

• Location: Hybrid/London

Queer Britain is the UK’s first and only physical LGBTQ+ museum. The Director and CEO are responsible for leading the team and ensuring that the museum delivers the highest possible standards of presentation and storytelling and that it is financially resilient, sustainable and responsive to its visitors’ needs. This role offers a unique opportunity for an emotionally intelligent entrepreneurial leader to shape the future of our emerging museum and make a meaningful impact on LGBTQ+ communities, both in the UK and globally.

Who we are

Queer Britain, established as a charity in 2018, developed, launched and operates the UK’s first—and only—physical LGBTQ+ museum. Proudly opening its doors in 2022 in a stunning gallery space in Granary Square, Kings Cross, it has since attracted 40,000 visitors annually. The museum has been honoured with the Museum Association’s Best Small Museum of the Year award and is part of the small but growing number of LGBTQ+ museums worldwide.

Queer Britain is committed to being a museum for all, regardless of sexuality, gender identity, or expression, including its heterosexual counterparts. Its mission focuses on reclaiming queer histories and preserving objects of significance to the LGBTQ+ communities while educating the public about this rich heritage and diverse set of cultures.

The museum delves into the past to explore and celebrate these communities, contributions, and identities, as well as their impact on society and the rights that have been achieved, with one goal to inspire people to protect these gains.

Queer Britain celebrates the achievements of older generations and forebears, and encourages a sense of pride and belonging among younger people. Its expanding collection includes notable works of art, pop culture, literature, documents, and other memorabilia. For instance, there is a rare circa 1916 bronze sculpture of the celebrated author Radclyffe Hall by her partner; the rainbow-fringed cloak worn by pop star and actor Olly Alexander when he came out as gay on Glastonbury’s stage in 2016; and a letter from Elton John to his 16-year-old self.

The museum also showcases private and institutional loans, such as the door from Oscar Wilde’s Reading Gaol cell, a dress belonging to drag icon Divine, Duncan Grant’s erotic sketches, and a bust of Virginia Woolf lent by Charleston House in Sussex. Additionally, it features a cabinet curated by The Museum of Transology and maintains a significant filmed oral history collection.

At the heart of Queer Britain are the people and communities it serves. The museum is particularly dedicated to ensuring that underrepresented groups have a place and feel truly welcome.

In the studio space, the Programming and Community Events Manager organises artistic residencies for groups seldom represented in cultural institutions.

The inaugural residency celebrated queer members of the Gypsy and Roma Travelling communities, culminating in a beautifully co-curated display showcasing their work and culture.

As a young museum, Queer Britain is continuously learning and striving to meet the highest museological standards, with the aspiration to become the best queer museum in the world and achieve accreditation. While the current home is not its final destination, the museum is planning growth in the coming years.

Above all, Queer Britain aims to create a welcoming space where all communities feel at home, challenged yet safe, supported, fascinated, inspired, and celebrated.

About the role

You will provide visionary, strategic and inspirational leadership to the museum team and its volunteers, ensuring that it thrives as a vibrant, meaningful space for all to celebrate and be informed about LGBTQ+ heritage, histories and cultures. It inspires younger people, celebrates older generations and makes sure that queer people can be seen now, through history and into the future.

This role encompasses strategic planning, income generation, fundraising, community engagement and advocacy, PR and marketing along with operational oversight to ensure the museum’s success. Your main objectives as the new Director will be to:

• Celebrate LGBTQ+ History and Culture: Develop and execute a vision that honours and showcases LGBTQ+ history and culture.
• Expand and Sustain Income Sources: Secure diverse funding streams through grants, donors, sponsors, and fundraising initiatives.
• Curatorial and Programme Development: Work with the Head of Collections (Curator) to deliver a curatorial vision for Queer Britain that includes displays, exhibitions and public programmes.
• Strengthen Community Engagement: Build strong relationships with LGBTQ+ communities to ensure relevance and inclusivity.
• Enhance Public Visibility and Reputation: Lead PR and marketing efforts to boost the museum’s visibility and safeguard its reputation.
• Ensure Operational Excellence: Oversee efficient museum operations, including budgeting, staffing, and facility management.
• Uphold Governance Standards: Maintain top governance standards with the Chair, Board, and Company Secretary.
• Drive Trading and Revenue Targets: Ensure shop, hires, and tours meet revenue goals and constantly improve in quality.
• Lead the Transition to a Permanent Home: Guide the move from temporary space to a permanent location with the Board and Property Group.
• Forge Strategic Partnerships: Initiate and manage partnerships to advance Queer Britain’s commercial and cultural goals.

As the Director, you will report directly to the Board and will lead the senior team at Queer Britain. This comprises:

Strategic leadership is at the forefront of this role, with a focus on crafting and executing a vision that aligns seamlessly with the museum’s mission to celebrate and preserve LGBTQ+ history and culture.

This leadership extends to driving the museum’s growth through income generation, employing an entrepreneurial mindset to secure funding from a diverse array of sources.

These include government grants, trusts and foundations, private donors, visitors, corporate sponsors, and dynamic fundraising activities — all crucial for supporting the museum’s expansion, operations, and programming.

Financial management is a key responsibility, ensuring the museum’s resources are managed sustainably.

You will work closely with the Head of Collections (Curator) and the team to deliver an engaging curatorial model that includes exhibitions, displays and public programmes that capture the diversity and richness of the LGBTQ+ experience.

These programmes will span a wide range of topics, including activism, history, popular culture, art, domesticity, and fashion, all reflecting the community’s multifaceted narratives.

Community engagement is paramount.

In collaboration with the board and team, you will be instrumental in forging strong relationships with LGBTQ+ communities and organisations, ensuring the museum remains relevant and impactful.

As the public face of the museum, you will lead public relations and marketing efforts, safeguarding and enhancing the museum’s visibility and reputation.

Working in conjunction with the Head of Operations to guarantee the efficient running of museum facilities. This includes overseeing budgeting, staffing, collections management, health and safety protocols, the Welcome Team, and retail operations.

You will work with the Chair, board, and Company Secretary to uphold the highest standards of governance for both the Charity Commission and Companies House. The Director also serves as a board member for the museum’s Trading Subsidiary, working with the Head of Operations, Retail Manager, and Operations and Finance Manager to ensure that the shop, hires, and tours meet revenue targets and are delivered to ever-improving standards.

Additionally, as Director, you will play a pivotal role in leading Queer Britain’s transition from its current temporary space to a permanent home, working with the Charity Board and Property Steering Group to navigate this significant move.

Finally, you will be tasked with instigating and managing partnerships that advance Queer Britain’s commercial and cultural goals, securing the museum’s place as a cornerstone of LGBTQ+ heritage.

Who we are looking for

Queer Britain is seeking a visionary and dynamic leader with a burning passion for placing queer history in the centre of the UK’s cultural landscape.

You bring extensive leadership experience from the charity or private sectors, ideally within the arts, heritage, or cultural fields. Your proven track record of guiding organisations through transformative growth phases and demonstrating strong fundraising acumen, consistently generating significant income sets you apart.

Your focus on audience development will support the creation of engaging and inclusive experiences that resonate with diverse audiences. Your exceptional communication skills will foster effective collaboration among staff, volunteers, and stakeholders and inspire people to action.

We seek someone with an entrepreneurial mindset who consistently identifies opportunities for innovation and sustainability and a proven record of generating substantial income from multiple sources.

Your ability to engage stakeholders and cultivate robust relationships will be crucial as you passionately advocate for the museum and align organisational values with strategic objectives.

Your strong strategic planning skills are second to none and are coupled with a focus on innovation and sustainability.

Above all, we seek a visionary and inclusive leader to drive our mission of delivering the UK’s first permanent LGBTQ+ museum while ensuring financial health and growth.

If you are passionate about queer history and committed to creating a dynamic and supportive environment where the team, our communities and visitors can thrive, we invite you to apply and help us make a lasting impact.

As a leader, you will be adept at developing and delivering growth strategies and building strategic partnerships, navigating the complexities of museum and charity management with finesse in a dynamic and evolving landscape.

For further information about the role, or to arrange a confidential discussion, please contact our advising consultants at Peridot Partners:

If you would like to know more about this role please contact Rebekah Abbott

We want to thank you for showing interest in this unique, challenging, meaningful, and exciting role.

For years, LGBTQ+ communities have been crying out for a museum that celebrates their heritage, culture, and achievements. We have spent over seven years in service to that call—with the Chair leading on creating the very best governance structures and board and the Director selling the vision, raising money, building communities, building the team, and then securing our first lease, along with all the complexities of setting up and running a museum.

And what a journey it has been. Since opening to the public in 2022, Queer Britain has gained international recognition as one of only a handful of LGBTQ+ museums globally. We have earned a reputation for excellence, winning the Museum Association’s Best Small Museum of the Year award, welcoming 80,000 guests through our doors, and developing partnerships that some museums only dream of. It has been the most satisfying challenge of our lives.

But now it is time for Joseph to move on, and so, we are searching for a new CEO/Director who can bring a fresh burst of energy, passion, and skills to help protect and grow this beloved and relatively newly formed institution into its next exciting phase, ensuring it grows and becomes truly sustainable.

We have a brilliant, motivated, and passionate team that you would be responsible for guiding and serving, as well as a set of communities around us—whether they are LGBTQ+, our corporate partners, donors, members, or others in the cultural sectors—who are cheering on our success.

As co-founders, Queer Britain is more than just a project to us. It is a place where everyone can feel safe to be themselves, encounter and be educated about LGBTQ+ history and culture, be genuinely welcomed, and be invited to share their experiences, connect with friends, and make new ones.

As the first and only LGBTQ+ museum in the UK, we have a huge responsibility not only to our community but to ALL the communities we serve and belong to.

The Director and CEO will be a very special person with commercial nous who can offer caring, inclusive leadership, dynamism, and passion and be able to provide the strategic development needed to take Queer Britain to its next exciting phase of development, including securing new premises to allow the museum to grow to its full potential.

Please take some time to review the information and if this is you, then we would love to hear from you.

Ian Mehrtens (he/him)
Chair and Co-Founder

Joseph Galliano-Doig MBE (he/him)
CEO/Director and Co-Founder

About us

Queer Britain is the UK’s first and only LGBTQ+ museum, and we believe in diversity in the broadest sense: we are a queer museum for all, regardless of sexuality, gender identity or expression – including our heterosexual counterparts.

We believe that LGBTQ+ histories, heritage and culture should be accessible for all to learn about, understand and celebrate.

Since opening its doors in 2022 at Granary Square, Kings Cross, it has garnered significant acclaim, including winning the Museum Association’s Best Small Museum of the Year award.

The museum has become a vibrant hub, attracting 40,000 visitors annually with its small but growing and diverse collection, which includes unique artefacts like Una Troughbridge’s sculpture of Radclyffe Hall, contemporary icons like Olly Alexander’s rainbow-fringed cloak, a letter from Elton John’s Letter to his sixteen-year-old self, and much, much more.

Queer Britain is poised for an exciting year. Scheduled programmes include artistic residencies for underrepresented groups, ensuring their stories are told and celebrated.

These efforts exemplify Queer Britain’s commitment to inclusivity and community engagement, fostering a welcoming environment for all.

Reflecting on past achievements, Queer Britain has not only curated compelling award-winning exhibitions but also advanced advocacy for LGBTQ+ rights through its educational programmes and cultural outreach. It has successfully navigated transitions and expansions, demonstrating strong museum management and governance leadership.

In the future, Queer Britain aims to continue expanding its impact, aspiring to be a world-class museum with a global impact. Our plans include, with the board and our property working group, securing a permanent home and further enhancing our collection and displays.

Queer Britain is poised to shape the narrative of LGBTQ+ history and culture for generations to come.

Displays and collections

Queer Britain regularly updates its display to showcase significant objects and stories from LGBTQ+ history. Our Head of Collections is currently developing exciting plans to expand our exhibiting capacity.

Queer Britain remains committed to engaging with LGBTQ+ communities through tailored events and initiatives. These efforts aim to foster dialogue, provide support, and celebrate the diversity within the LGBTQ+ spectrum.

The museum collaborates with artists and cultural practitioners from diverse backgrounds to create innovative and thought-provoking installations. These artistic residencies often explore intersections of identity, history, and contemporary social issues.

Special events

Throughout the year, Queer Britain hosts special events such as film screenings, performances, and themed celebrations. These events serve to entertain, educate, and create opportunities for networking and community building.

‘I didn’t ever realise how much we needed a space like this — there’s nowhere else quite like it!’

We are a step-free museum. Our space is suitable for wheelchairs and we have a fully accessible gender-neutral bathroom with a changing station on site.

• Step-free access to the building, all key meeting rooms and bathrooms, and an accessible workstation.
• Accessibility dogs are welcome.
• Papers and materials can be presented in different formats.
• A sign language interpreter can be accessed for interviews.
• Working patterns and locations can be adjusted.

Applicants with a disability are invited to contact us in confidence at any point during the recruitment process to discuss steps that could be taken to overcome operational difficulties presented by the role, or if any adjustments or support are required regarding the recruitment process.

For further information about the role, or to arrange a confidential discussion, please contact our advising consultants at Peridot Partners:

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To formally apply, please submit a CV and supporting statement (ideally maximum 2 sides of A4 each) that clearly outlines your suitability for the role against the criteria provided in the person specification, including your interest and motivation in applying for this position.

Please ensure that your application is emailed to response@peridotpartners.co.uk inserting “Application: Queer Britain – Director of the Museum” into the subject field. You will receive an acknowledgement on receipt of your application within 2-3 days. If you do not receive an acknowledgement, please make contact with our admin team.

For further information about the role, or to arrange a confidential discussion, please contact our advising consultants at Peridot Partners:

As a sector-leading executive search consultancy, we know the importance of creating recruitment processes which are fair, inclusive and free from bias. We are committed to promoting equality and diversity and developing a process that values differences.

If you have a disability that meets the definition set out in the Equality Act 2010, and you can show that you meet the ‘essential’ criteria described in the person specification, please let us know.

If you experience any technical or accessibility difficulties, need help making an application, or have any additional support that needs to be considered as part of the interview and selection process, please let us know.

Recruitment selection processes are based on evidence of competence stated in the person specification and in relation to our values.

Timetable

Closing date: 9 a.m. Wednesday 21st August 2024
Candidates informed of outcome: Wednesday 28th August 2024
First stage interviews: Thursday 5th September and Friday 6th September 2024 (virtual)
Candidates informed of outcome: Monday 9th September 2024
Second stage interviews and stakeholder