DiSSCo UK Project Manager, AHRC

Job Description

About Us
We are a world-class visitor attraction and leading science research centre. We use the Museum's unique collections and our unrivalled expertise to tackle the biggest challenges facing the world today. We care for more than 80 million objects spanning billions of years and welcome more than five million visitors annually and 16 million visits to our website.

Today the Museum is more relevant and influential than ever. By attracting people from a range of backgrounds to work for us, we can continue to look at the world with fresh eyes and find new ways of doing things.

We employ 900 staff in a variety of roles, all united by our vision of a future where people and planet thrive. We need everyone to have the passion and drive to help us with our mission to create advocates for our planet and inspire millions to care about the natural world.

Diversity and inclusion matter to us.

Our vision is of a future where both people and the planet thrive. Diversity is one of our core values and we strive to build a workplace where everyone feels a sense of belonging. All new staff who join us learn about the importance of diversity and inclusion to the Museum and how to contribute to creating an inclusive environment.

We know we have more to do, but we are committed to ensuring that everyone who works at the Museum feels they can thrive and feel valued and respected.

About the role

• Coordinate, and work with the DiSSCo UK leadership team to deliver the outline business case for DiSSCo UK, in line with Treasury requirements. This may include coordinating tender processes for consultancy support.
• Examine options, make recommendations and support the implementation of transitional and future final governance for DiSSCo UK, taking account of good practice and learning from other programmes. This will include internal programme governance at the Museum and wider governance including AHRC and our stakeholder collections around the UK.
• Examine options, make recommendations and support the implementation of appropriate funding distribution mechanisms for DiSSCo UK, to allow for funding to be appropriately prioritised and shared across partners, taking account of good practice and learning from other programmes. This will need to factor in the Museum’s position as both programme lead / funding decision lead and prospective funding beneficiary.
• Develop project plans, documentation, measurement, reporting, and benefit/risk management for DiSSCo UK, including activity plans for digitisation pilots and other continued scoping activities.
• Develop, and contribute to the delivery of, a communications plan with NHM, national and thematic (e.g., geo-science) stakeholders. This will include leading some engagement and communication activities e.g. presentations to virtual and physical meetings and events. You may also work as a key point of contact for the stakeholder community.
• Manage and contribute to the long-term roadmap for development of the UK natural science collections data portal, working with technical experts including external stakeholders such as the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)
• Line manage the DiSSCo UK Community Analyst.

About you

• Demonstrable experience in managing projects or programmes, including leading aspects of governance, documentation and implementation/delivery. A project or programme management qualification would be an advantage, but experience is most important.
• Substantial experience of senior stakeholder management and/or community management, ideally in a scientific or collections context
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, including the proven ability to share complex information straightforwardly with a range of audiences
• Significant experience working with large multi-institutional or cross-boundary teams and projects
• Experience successfully bidding for and understanding budgets / funding – experience of Treasury Green Book business case methodology would be an advantage
• Proven experience with digital workplace tools for collaboration and Project Management
• Experience working with diverse specialist teams including software developers, policy makers, collections/laboratory managers and researchers
• Passionate about our shared vision to empower science and society, to make reliable knowledge and evidence about the natural world available to all.

Thriving at the Museum: the way we work
We are proud to work at the Museum and have identified the qualities we all need to embody to reach our shared ambition. This sits alongside the Museum’s values and forms the framework for the way we work.

Find out more here

What we offer

• 27.5 days holiday plus 8 bank holidays (full time equivalent)
• Generous defined contribution Natural History Museum Pension Scheme (employer contribution 4 - 10%)
• Season ticket, bicycle and rental loan
• Life insurance
• Free admission to our exhibitions and many other paid exhibitions at museums, galleries and institutions across London and the UK.
• Staff discount at our Museum shops and cafes
• We offer a wide variety of training initiatives and opportunities to build skills. Investing in staff development is important to us, and we are ambitious about helping staff to grow and fulfil their potential.
• Affordable membership to the Civil Service Sports Council which offers a range of benefits including an extensive list of special offers and reduced entry fees at a selection of cinema chains, theme parks, theatres, retailers and supermarkets. It also provides entry to up to 300 English Heritage sites and other national treasures. For more details, visit https://www.cssc.co.uk
• Membership to our Sports and Social Association (for a small fee), which includes access to our in-house gym and clubs such as football, softball, table tennis and tennis and classes in Middle Eastern dance, yoga and Tai Chi