Royal Museums Greenwich - 3x Trustees, including Chair
- Body
- Royal Museums Greenwich
- Appointing Department
- Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
- Sector
- Culture, Media & Sport
- Location
- Usually at the Museum in Greenwich, though some outstation meetings may be held during the year and some advocacy events may take place in London or elsewhere. During the Covid-19 pandemic the Board of Trustees has been meeting virtually.
- Number of Vacancies
- 3
- Remuneration
- No
- Time Requirements
- Time commitment will be up to 2 days per month for Trustees.
Campaign Timeline
-
Competition Launched
13/07/2021
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Closed for Applications
12/09/2021
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Panel Sift
w/c 4th October
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Final Interview Date
w/c 22nd November
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Announcement
TBC
Assessment Panel
- Panel Member
- Polly Payne
- Panel Role
- Panel Chair
- Positions
- DCMS Director General for Culture, Sport and Civil Society Departmental Official
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- Panel Member
- Jeremy Penn
- Positions
- Royal Museums Greenwich Trustee Representative of Organisation
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- Panel Member
- Elizabeth Buchanan
- Positions
- Senior Independent Panel Member
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- Panel Member
- Salma Shah
- Positions
- Other Panel Member
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Vacancy Description
Vacancies for three new Trustees, including the position of Chair to be elected by the Board of Trustees
The Prime Minister is seeking three new Trustees to join the Board of Royal Museums Greenwich. By virtue of its sites and subjects, Royal Museums Greenwich enjoys a unique conjunction of subjects – History, Science (in particular, astronomy), Arts – and works with its audiences at local, regional, national and global levels to provide a greater understanding of Humanity’s connection with the sea, space and time. We are particularly seeking candidates with a public profile or expertise and experience that can enhance the Museum’s reputation and reach. We would also especially welcome applications from candidates with an interest or background in Astrophysics.
The Prime Minister is also looking to appoint at least one Trustee who has the potential to become Chair of the Board. The Chair is elected by the Trustees from amongst the Trustees, and the current Board has decided to look outside its current membership for a new Chair, and are therefore seeking a potential candidate from amongst the new appointees.
DCMS is committed to eliminating discrimination and advancing equality of opportunity in its public appointments. We particularly encourage applicants from underrepresented groups, those based outside London and the South-East and applicants who have achieved success through non-traditional educational routes. This ensures that boards of public bodies benefit from a full range of diverse perspectives and are representative of the people they serve.
Background
The National Maritime Museum was opened by King George VI in 1937. The Queen’s House was part of the Museum from the outset whilst the Royal Observatory, Greenwich was an addition of 1953. The Cutty Sark was donated to the National Maritime Museum collection in 2015, and in 2011 Her Majesty The Queen formally approved ‘Royal Museums Greenwich’ as the new group brand. The Prince Philip Maritime Collections Centre, completed in September 2017, then consolidated and upgraded the collections storage and conservation functions on the Museum’s Kidbrooke site.
The Museum’s collection comprises more than 1.5 million items including ship models, scientific and navigational instruments, oil paintings, prints and drawings, manuscripts, rare books, ships plans, sea charts and historic photographic negatives. Looking forward, we are thinking about how we serve our communities and where our priorities lie, reshaping how we work with each other and with our stakeholders, prioritising outputs that are relevant and meaningful to them and using our collections and expertise to their fullest potential.
Person Specification
The Board of Trustees is now seeking three new trustees amongst which at least one candidate with the capability to chair the Board.
All candidates will need to demonstrate in their application that they meet the majority of following essential criteria to a high standard:
- Good communication skills and the willingness and the ability to, individually and as part of a team, act as an advocate for the Museum and a supporter of staff in areas such as research, media and funding
- The ability to lead change at a large, public-facing organisation;
- A strong interest in and commitment to the mission and values of the Museum, as well as its future development.
- A commitment to preserving cultural heritage, and improving education and understanding of British and World history.
- A strong commitment to engaging communities outside of London, and factoring UK-wide perspectives into all decision making.
Additionally, candidates seeking to be considered for the role of Chair will need to demonstrate:
- the capability to lead on fundraising initiatives and effectively represent the Museum to outside audiences;
- the ability to work with and lead a diverse board of a significant institution, including ensuring the training and development of individual board members, and that the development and skills of the Trustees match the Museum’s strategic requirements.
Additional Information
Time commitment:
The Board of Trustees meets for four quarterly meetings taking place at the end of January, April, July and October. The business of these Board meetings should last ½ a day.
Depending on the planning cycle, there may also be a single strategic planning meeting at a point in the year.
In addition to the four plenary Board meetings, the candidate would need to have sufficient time resources to:
- attend an induction programme at the Museum – total time 2 days but over a period
- study papers ahead of meetings
- attend a number of evening or day events at the Museum (up to one per month)
- take part in other committees where appropriate
and specifically, for the Chair:
- regularly meet with, and maintain the key working relationship with the Director
- occasionally represent the Museum at meetings with Ministers.
Appointment duration: A four-year term.