Director

Director

The Library and Museum of Freemasonry

Background

Museum of Freemasonry exists to help people learn about freemasonry in all its social and cultural richness. Through openness, dialogue, many voices and multiple perspectives, we illuminate the history and origins of freemasonry, explore its history, values and spirit, and reveal what it has meant for individuals and society through the ages. We thereby help people gain insight into freemasonry and freemasons past and present.

Our vision is to become a world-class museum, library and archive. Our current strategic aims are as follows:

• Public offer: To create an excellent, relevant, accessible visitor attraction and research environment
• Communications: To increase awareness, reposition the museum, attract audiences and build long-term relationships
• Collections: To develop, care for and build knowledge of our collections
• Our people: To nurture and develop our people, expanding the skills in our team

About the Museum of Freemasonry

The Museum's origins go back to 1838, when the United Grand Lodge of England, the governing body of English freemasonry, allocated a sum of £100 for collecting books, manuscripts and objects of masonic interest, and for commencing the formation of a library and museum. These were housed in the Masonic Hall on Great Queen Street in London. After the First World War () it was decided to build a new masonic hall on the site. The Masonic Peace Memorial opened in 1933 and included a purpose-built museum, library and reading room. Initially just for members, the museum began opening to the general public from the 1980s onwards. In 1996, the Library and Museum Charitable Trust (LMCT) renamed Museum of Freemasonry (MoF) was established as an independent charity. Today, we are a fully Accredited museum, and we welcome visitors from across the world to begin or further their exploration of freemasonry.

Like most museums only a fraction of our collection is on display. We look after an extraordinary array of artefacts, many almost 300 years old. These include items as diverse as songbooks, ceremonial regalia and snuffboxes handmade by Napoleonic prisoners of war. Together, our Museum, Library and Archives collections have been awarded Designated Outstanding status.

In total we have approximately 30,000 objects related to freemasonry and other fraternal societies, and we're still collecting. The Library contains nearly 60,000 items, including books, pamphlets and manuscripts related to freemasonry and esoteric traditions globally. Our Archives contain over 3.5 linear kilometres of documents, drawings, private papers, photographs and audio-visual material, plus digital assets. The collection includes the records of the United Grand Lodge of England, the Supreme Grand Chapter and various freemasonry charities. It also includes archives relating to individual freemasons, lodges and chapters. The Museum is open to everyone free of charge, Tuesday to Friday. Researchers can view museum collection material in storage by appointment, and anyone is welcome to register as a reader to access material in the Library and Archives collections.

The Museum of Freemasonry is an equal opportunities employer.

Purpose of the Job:

The Director of the Museum of Freemasonry (MoF) acts as the Head of Collections overseeing the management, conservation, and access one of the world's largest and most important collection of books, archives and artefacts relating to the history of fraternal societies in general and the United Grand Lodge of England in particular.

The Director will lead our teams who look after the library, archive, and museum collections to manage them on a day-to-day basis. They will work with the chairman and charitable trustees to promote and explain the collection to the broadest possible audience. They will oversee the conservation and display of the collection and lead on organising events, exhibitions, seminars, and outreach to make the collection accessible to the widest range of visitors.

They will provide strategies for developing the collection including liaising with and advising other libraries and museums with similar collections, promoting scholarly research, raising funds, applying for grants, and developing projects. The Director will work closely with the United Grand Lodge of England, which houses the collection and whose collection the library and museum also help to manage.

The Director will manage an annual budget (currently £0.6 million) and will provide strong leadership for the MoF's staff. The role includes overall responsibility for functions such as new acquisitions, collections management, devising temporary exhibitions, visitor activities, public tours, providing and servicing research facilities, marketing, fundraising, financial budgeting and planning and staff management.

Key Responsibilities:

• To lead and manage the staff, drawing on their strengths and helping them to meet their aspirations and those of the MoF users.
• To work with the Chairman and MoF charitable trustees to develop and implement the MoF's aims and objectives, monitor their achievement and assess and manage risk; to develop and implement strategic plans for future periods including external fundraising.
• To act as the public face of the MoF, raising its profile and building its reputation
• To have day-to-day responsibility for budgets and financial management
• To develop the volunteer base in support of established staff
• To oversee the interpretation of the MoF's collections to ensure that what it offers (including permanent displays, temporary exhibitions, formal and informal education programmes, and online presence) is designed to meet the needs of key users and is accessible to the widest possible audience.
• To ensure that the MoF remains one of the leading masonic collections in the world.
• To identify key relationships for the MoF and develop these to enhance resources, influence, and relevance to key user groups.
• To manage the MoF's collections effectively to ensure both their presentation and their accessibility

The successful candidate will be able to demonstrate the following.

Essential attributes:

• An energetic, creative, resilient, financially aware, and entrepreneurial manager, able to realise a practical vision for the MoF and oversee the management of the collections on a day-to-day basis.
• Proven leadership experience
• Experience in museum, library or archives sectors and an ability to relate across these domains.
• Experience of building and maintaining partnerships, working with tact and diplomacy to achieve shared goals
• Interest in the field and a demonstrable enthusiasm for the organisation and the collection
• Educated to bachelor's degree level in a relevant subject.

Desirable attributes:

• Knowledge in the field of fraternal organisations and/or 18th and 19th century social history
• Experience of managing collections
• A knowledge of digitisation and cataloguing
• Postgraduate qualification in relevant area (Museum or Curatorial studies or History)
• Doctorate in relevant field or topic

Salary:

£60,000 - £70,000 gross per annum (subject to experience) plus the following benefits package:

• Private medical cover
• Pension (3.5% employee & 9% employer contributions - increasing to 12% with length of service)
• Life Assurance
• Holiday (30 days)
• Interest free season ticket loan
• Gym membership (subsidised)
• Health and Wellbeing Benefits
• Flexible working

Hours:

The successful applicant is required to work 35 hours per week Monday to Friday.

Application details:

To apply please send your CV and covering letter to: Elizabeth Gay - HR Director - via email button below.

Please ensure that your CV/covering letter evidences the necessary skills and how your experience to date matches the requirements for the role.

CVs received without a covering letter will not be considered.

Closing date for applications is close of business (5pm) on 23 March 2026.

Interviews:

Interviews will take place from 8th - 10 April 2026.