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Cultural Engagement Officer, Kirklees Museums and Galleries

  •  Yorkshire
  •  Â£30k-40k
  •  Full time
  •  Closes February 22, 2026
  •  Kathryn White
  •  Kathryn.White@kirklees.gov.uk
  • #Museums
New

Description

Job Summary

Kirklees Museums and Galleries are looking for a Cultural Engagement Officer to help develop an ambitious new Museum and Art Gallery opening in Huddersfield in 2029. A career-making opportunity to influence inclusive audience engagement in programming from the ground up.

Job Description

Cultural Engagement Officer (Our Cultural Heart)
Full-time, Permanent role
Salary: £34,434- £37,280
Location: Huddersfield (and surrounding areas)

Are you ready to be part of something truly transformative?

Our Cultural Heart (OCH) is an ambitious project, set to become the vibrant centrepiece of Huddersfield and the entire Kirklees region, celebrating our rich heritage and diverse culture and putting Huddersfield back on the national and international map.
For more news and information please use the following link - https://ourculturalheart.co.uk/news/ - News - Our Cultural Heart

We're looking for a passionate individual skilled in engagement work with experience of leading innovative co-production community projects, audience development programmes and delivery of ambitious event and activity programmes within the heritage and cultural sector.

This role is a wonderful opportunity to create an animated and inspiring community co-production and engagement programme which will inform and support every step of our exhibition development, and the associated public programme and lifelong learning offer, ensuring that the new Museum and Art Gallery is firmly rooted in the audiences it serves.

As a key lead in the development and co-ordination of core engagement elements for the brand-new Museum and Art Gallery, you will manage complex stakeholder engagement activity, and work with a variety of teams, council services and external designers to help shape our vision and ensure existing and new audiences are involved at key stages of museum and gallery exhibition development.

If you thrive on forging new partnerships, sparking bold models of collaboration, and propelling fast, hands on action that empowers heritage audiences to share their stories inclusively, this could be the role for you.

Job Requirements

We are looking for:

  • Proven experience leading engaging education and outreach programmes in museums or the cultural sector
  • Strong audience focused approach, with experience of marketing and communications to widen reach and impact
  • Experience contributing to successful fundraising activity
  • Designing and delivering inclusive community programmes, including health & wellbeing and volunteering
  • Confident, effective communicator able to build positive relationships at all levels
  • Experience leading, motivating and supporting staff
  • Ability to manage performance and clearly demonstrate impact and outcomes
  • Sound experience managing budgets and resources
  • Successful partnership working across organisations and sectors
  • Understanding of the Kirklees Council Corporate Plan and the role of Museums & Galleries
  • Experience developing systems and processes to manage complex programmes and use insight to inform decisions
  • Strong project management skills

Job Responsibilities

As the OCH funded Cultural Engagement Officer you will be part of a small but enthusiastic Museums and Galleries team, and you will have a particular focus on co-production and community engagement and wider strategic initiatives.

You will co-ordinate complex stakeholder engagement activity, working closely with an NPO funded freelance Co-Production Mentor on the Co-Production Framework (currently in development), the OCH Project Manager and OCH Project Officer, the Curatorial Team, the Learning and Engagement Team, the Visual Arts Team, and the Operational Team, to ensure that existing, new and diverse audiences are involved at key stages of the Museum and Art Gallery development. Together you will provide crucial stakeholder input which meets critical path deadlines for the new Huddersfield Museum and Gallery exhibition design and fit out, working with the museum and gallery exhibition designers and the council's Communications Team and Research and Development Team.

Useful Links

How to Apply

Apply via Kirklees Council Jobs: https://kirklees.tal.net/vx/lang-en-GB/mobile-0/appcentre-1/brand-4/user-899/xf-95b3c1577ee7/wid-2/spa-1/candidate/so/pm/1/pl/4/opp/16976-Cultural-Engagement-Officer-OCH/en-GB

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