Interpretation Manager (Museum Exhibitions)

Interpretation Manager
Full-time
Hybrid (at least 3 days per week on-site in Bloomsbury, London)
Fixed term (until 2 March 2029)
£35,928 per annum
Application deadline: 12pm (midday) on Monday, 20 April 2026

About the role

The British Museum is looking for a creative and audience‑focused Interpretation Manager to help deliver sector‑leading galleries, special exhibitions, and visitor experiences.

Working at the heart of our Design & Interpretation team, you'll collaborate with curators, designers, project teams, community partners and external specialists to bring stories to life and ensure our displays truly connect with diverse audiences.

This is a fantastic opportunity to help deliver our displays and exhibitions, including major income generating special exhibitions such as Hawai'i: a kingdom crossing oceans and Samurai, ensuring these best meet audience needs and deliver innovative and sector leading displays.

Key areas of responsibility

As our Interpretation Manager, you'll be the audience advocate and interpretation specialist on a portfolio of special exhibition and gallery projects. You will:

* Lead on the implementation of ambitious interpretation plans.
* Champion the intellectual structure for a display set out in the project's interpretation plan, using key messages, visitor outcomes and a focus on target audiences as guiding principles.
* Ensure that exhibitions and other displays successfully engage visitors and meet the needs of priority audiences.
* Shape, edit, and proofread all text within exhibitions, ensuring it is appropriate to the specified audiences.
* Provide research‑driven visitor insight to guide project decisions.
* Support colleagues and contractors with picture research, visitor research, and evaluation.
* Represent the Design and Interpretation Studio team across the museum and respond to relevant public enquiries.

About you

* Proven editorial experience in a Museum or publishing environment.
* Excellent written communication and content‑shaping abilities.
* Ideally, experience of visitor research and working with curatorial teams and designers.
* Proficiency with PC and Mac programmes.
* Strong influencing, liaison, and diplomatic skills
* Ability to work collaboratively and manage multiple projects in a fast‑paced environment
* A passion for understanding audiences and using robust visitor insight

Benefits

At the British Museum, we believe our people are at the heart of everything we do. That's why we've designed a benefits package that goes beyond the ordinary. Our full list of benefits can be found here, but we've outlined some highlights below:

* Free exhibition entry for you and guests, exclusive private views, ICOM and reciprocal museum access.
* 25 days' annual leave plus bank holidays and 2.5 privilege days (and +5 days after 10 years).
* Social and wellbeing perks including Staff parties, social clubs, CSSC sports and leisure, and support from the Civil Service Retirement Fellowship.
* Peer support and allyship with five diversity networks for community.
* Learning and development through courses, mentoring and Athena as well as support for professional qualifications.
* Employee Assistance Programme available 24/7 for counselling, wellbeing support and more.
* Enhanced parental leave including maternity, paternity, adoption and shared parental leave.
* Support for carers through Employers for Carers.
* Civil Service Pension Scheme with a secure, inflation‑linked defined benefit.
* Interest‑free loans including season ticket, rental deposit and bicycle loans.

Our Values

Our values drive everything we do, from how we handle our objects to how we work in our team to fostering a culture where everyone feels heard and empowered:

* Care Deeply
* Embrace the Unknown
* Spark Curiosity
* Value Many Voices

These are a core part of how we recruit. Throughout the application, interview and selection process, we look for examples of how candidates demonstrate these behaviours in their own work and experiences. We encourage you to familiarise yourself with our values and reflect them in your application.

Additional details

At the British Museum, we are committed to a fair and inclusive recruitment process where every applicant has the opportunity to present their genuine strengths and experience in their own voice.

While we recognise that AI tools can be helpful when preparing applications, we expect all submissions to accurately reflect everyone's skills and background, and we may withdraw applications that appear to be generated entirely by AI.

During interviews, we want to hear directly from candidates and therefore do not permit the use of AI to generate or support answers, though assistive technologies used as reasonable adjustments are fully welcomed.

If you have any additional needs that we should be aware of to support you with your application, please provide details

*Unfortunately, for this role we are unable to offer Sponsorship to applicants*

The Museum also adheres to the HMG Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) for pre-employment screening of Civil Servants.

Museum Website: https://www.aplitrak.com/?adid=YW5uYS5nZW9yZ2UuMzQxOTEuMTExOTNAYnJpdGlzaG11c2V1bS5hcGxpdHJhay5jb20