Manager, Indigenous Programs

Ongoing Full-time Executive Level 1 position
- Attractive employee benefits including 15.4% superannuation
- Australia’s leading museum located waterside in beautiful Darling Harbour

The Australian National Maritime Museum is seeking an experienced and organised Manager, Indigenous Programs to lead our Indigenous Programs in this ongoing position.

As one of Sydney’s most visited museums, the Australian National Maritime Museum shares our national maritime story across Australia and the world, online, onsite and through research, presentations and travelling exhibitions, and provides must-visit museum experiences that delight and inspire.

We connect our visitors with the oceans and waterways that are the heartbeat of who we are. From deep time to modern Australian and beyond, we explore our past, our present and future as an island nation shaped by sea, offering a sustainable and cohesive vision for the future.

The Museum welcomes over 2.5 million local, interstate and international visitors annually, and is supported by a thriving and passionate staff, membership, volunteer and education base. Find out more at sea.museum

The Manager, Indigenous Programs will nurture and maintain relationships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities around Australia, and lead representation with other First Nations peoples around the world. The position will build strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders, including national and international First Nations organisations, government agencies, and community and corporate entities.

It entails leading and delivering strategic Indigenous projects, programs, and engagement across the Museum’s activities, including digital and regional initiatives. In furthering the reconciliation process, the Manager, Indigenous Programs will embed Indigenous knowledge into the Museum’s culture, programs, and exhibitions. This role will ensure that Indigenous knowledge and cultural protocols are respected throughout the Museum’s acquisitions, loans, and exhibitions procedures.

**High level overview of accountabilities**:

- Leading the Museum’s strategic and operational programs for the development and sharing of Indigenous collections, activities, and exhibitions.
- Providing advice, recommendations, and reports to support the delivery of Indigenous exhibitions, strategic partnerships, exhibition programming and project management within the Museum.
- Ensuring that museum collections and exhibitions are developed with all appropriate consultation protocols and processes, to faithfully embed Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledge and learning systems.
- Building the National Maritime Collection through the acquisition of Indigenous objects, stories, media, and other material, to highlight the links between Indigenous culture and Australia’s marine environments.
- Overseeing the interpretative planning for exhibitions and displays to share Australia’s Indigenous heritage and to tell historic, traditional, and contemporary stories.
- Ensuring that all information relating to Indigenous collections is fully documented and that all community protocols, permissions and Indigenous cultural intellectual property are recorded and shared as appropriate.
- Representing the Museum in liaison with First Nations peoples in Australia and overseas, as well as external stakeholders such as Indigenous organisations, government agencies and corporate entities.
- Identifying and managing risks and issues relating to Indigenous programs.
- Developing programs and activities for Elders, families, and communities, including cultural awareness and education programs to ensure appropriate community access to the Indigenous collections.
- Play a leading role in shaping the next stage of the Museum’s Reconciliation Action Plan, in consultation with the Museum’s executive and Council Indigenous Advisory Committee.

**Selection Criteria**:

- Demonstrated knowledge and understanding of best practice relating to Indigenous engagement in the cultural sector.
- Proven experience collaborating with Indigenous artists, academics, businesses, and community groups to deliver cultural programs of high quality and positive cultural engagement.
- Ability to garner and ensure compliance with cultural protocols, copyright, and Indigenous cultural intellectual property procedures.
- Public engagement skills and experience in media, conferences, presentations, and digital outreach.
- Demonstrated skills in negotiating complex cultural and political issues, both internally and in public forums.
- Extensive knowledge of digital and social media, with expertise in reaching and engaging new audiences.
- Experience in managing and mentoring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff.
- Effective leadership skills with a strong focus on the ability to lead a team through cultural as well as professional challenges, ensuring positive and productive outcomes.
- Advanced planni