Reporting to: Director of Education and STEM
Department: Collections and Education
Contract: Permanent
Hours: 29 hours per week (4 days)
Salary: £29,000 FTE, £23,200 pro rata salary
Purpose of job: To encourage and enable people from all backgrounds to visit the SS Great Britain and engage with stories of the ship and its passengers and of Brunel and his works. To build relationships with local communities, making the SS Great Britain and collections more accessible to all.
Candidate description:
1. An enthusiastic and positive approach, self-motivated and organised with the ability to work without direct supervision and balance competing priorities.
2. Resilient with the ability to adapt to changing circumstances.
3. Readiness to work with people from a range of backgrounds and ability to enthuse and support others and respond to differing needs.
4. Commitment to promoting equity, diversity, and inclusion; creating meaningful community partnerships; and reaching people with a wider range of experiences and backgrounds.
5. Commitment to embedding community participation in the Trust’s work.
6. Commitment to own professional development.
7. Willingness to work flexible hours including occasional evenings and weekends, and to travel to deliver off-site activities.
Main areas of responsibility
8. Deliver and develop the Trust’s communities programme, running activities and events for families, adults, and community groups and organisations on and off site.
9. Build relationships with community groups and organisations across Bristol and the region to support their engagement with the Trust and make the museum more accessible.
10. Working collaboratively across the Trust, develop creative approaches to inspiring and engaging communities with the Trust’s collections and stories, including their relevance today.
11. Build relationships with local people who can shape the development of the Trust’s activities, including through facilitating the Community Advisory Group as part of the NLHF-funded Global Voyages project.
12. Contribute to the Trust’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Leadership Team and Working Group, helping to develop inclusive approaches to the Trust’s work in all areas.
13. Develop and maintain an in-depth knowledge of the Trust’s audiences, and barriers for underserved audiences; carry out research to improve the Trust’s understanding of barriers for people who do not visit, and how to lift them. Actively seek new ways to connect with current and potential audiences.
14. Identify opportunities to participate in local community initiatives and events; develop and deliver appropriate activities.
15. Ensure appropriate risk assessments and health and safety measures are in place for activities.
16. Supervise the Trust’s communities volunteers; work with the Volunteering Manager to develop new volunteering opportunities and increase volunteer numbers.
17. Provide occasional support for the delivery of broader education activities, including the Future Brunels programme.
Skills, knowledge and experience:
Essential
18. Strong interpersonal skills, and the ability to work with people from a range of different cultures and professions at all levels, and engage those from different age groups and backgrounds to establish and maintain positive relationships with community groups and partners.
19. Good planning, time management, and organisational skills.
20. Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including public speaking and facilitation skills.
21. IT proficient with good knowledge of office 365 applications
22. Experience in community engagement, and in creating and sustaining effective relationships with others to develop and deliver events and activities.
23. Experience in partnership working including working with voluntary and community organisations, and knowledge of best practice in developing collaborative working strategies and processes.
24. Experience of co-creation with diverse audiences and working with underserved communities.
25. Knowledge of equity, diversity, and inclusion and developing best practice in meeting the needs of underserved audiences.
Desirable
26. Interest and enthusiasm for museums, industrial, maritime, and social history, or Brunel.
27. Experience of working with and managing volunteers.
28. Experience of monitoring and evaluating projects and reporting to a range of stakeholders.
A Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) enhanced check will be required.
How to Apply:
Please. Completed application forms to be sent to jobs@ssgreatbritain.org
Closing date for applications: 5pm, Sunday 7th September 2025