Archived: Design Studio Manager

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

The Natural History Museum’s Design Studio is integral to delivery of the Museum’s vision and the range of ambitious projects which will transform the Museum over the coming years. An experienced and talented Studio Manager will be a key member of the Design Studio’s creative 2D and 3D team during this exciting transformative period.

The Studio Manager will be responsible for the day-to-day, smooth and efficient running of the Design Studio, helping support a happy and productive creative environment for the team. The Design Studio Manger will manage the flow of creative projects for the Studio, collaborating with in-house and external designers and clients, managing workflow, planning resources and managing budgets as well as contributing to the evolution of the Studio’s working practices.

The Studio Manager will also play an important role in managing the roll out of the Museum’s new brand identity, which launched in July 2023, and together with the Graphic Design Manager, will provide advice and guidance on its use on Museum outputs.

About you

• Educated to degree level, and/or with commensurate professional experience in related area. Having a degree in design related practice is an advantage.
• Significant practical experience of managing a design or creative studio.
• Excellent administration, organisation, and planning skills. Ability to schedule and manage numerous projects of various scales with confidence and rigour.
• Experience of commissioning and negotiating with consultants and suppliers, of managing budgets and preparing tenders.
• Skilled and influential communicator with a sense of diplomacy and great interpersonal skills.
• Problem solver with meticulous attention to detail, a positive approach and ability to multi-task. A skilled negotiator and team player who is flexible, dependable and has the ability to manage time and prioritise effectively.
• Experienced in the use of Microsoft Office Suite including advanced knowledge of Microsoft Word, Excel. Good working knowledge of and / or experience using Adobe creative suite, InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop, and animation software is an advantage.
• Experience or interest of working in, or with, museums or galleries, heritage or charity sector clients is an advantage.

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 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

How to apply

If that sounds like you, please apply online on the Natural History Museum’s careers portal, at careers.nhm.ac.uk

Closing date: 9am, 2 October

Interviews expected w/c 9 October

Salary: £37,230 per annum

Please note that this role does not qualify for Museum sponsorship so the successful postholder will need to have a valid right to work in the UK at the point of offer.