Imperial War Museums
Exhibition Workshop and Display Technician
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What It's Like To Work Here
At IWM, we're driven by a shared purpose: helping people understand conflict and its impact on people's lives. At IWM Duxford, one of Europe's most significant historic aviation sites, you'll join a passionate and collaborative team working to transform how visitors experience our collections, exhibitions and stories.
This is an exciting time to join. Through practical technical skills, attention to detail and collaborative working, the role helps create engaging exhibition environments that bring IWM's collections and stories to life.
Why This Role Matters
Exhibitions and displays are central to how IWM shares stories of conflict and their impact on people's lives. The Exhibitions Workshop & Display Technician plays an important role in ensuring these spaces are safe, accessible and visually impactful, helping to create meaningful experiences for visitors.
Through the construction, installation and maintenance of exhibitions, the role supports the successful delivery of IWM's exhibition programme and the presentation of its collections. Every day, the role brings IWM's values to life through teamwork, craftsmanship and problem-solving, helping to deliver high-quality exhibitions and gallery environments across the museum.
What You'll Be Doing
- Conduct daily gallery inspections to ensure displays, exhibits, and gallery spaces are maintained to a high standard, identifying and reporting maintenance issues as required.
- Carry out routine maintenance and repairs to gallery setworks, including painting, wall repairs, basic carpentry, and general exhibition upkeep.
- Construct and install exhibition elements such as display cases, wall structures, plinths, cladding, panels, and exhibition furniture in line with project plans and design briefs.
- Assist with the installation, dressing, de-installation, and relocation of exhibits within temporary exhibitions and permanent gallery spaces.
- Support the installation and maintenance of audiovisual (AV) equipment used within exhibitions and gallery displays.
- Maintain accurate records of gallery activities, including showcase access logs, object movement documentation, and collections database updates.
- Manage assigned maintenance requests, implement preventative maintenance schedules, and ensure all work is completed within agreed deadlines and budgets.
- Maintain stock levels of conservation-grade materials, tools, and equipment, while ensuring workshop, storage, and mount-making areas remain organised and safe.
- Adhere to Health & Safety regulations by ensuring the safe use, maintenance, and operation of tools, machinery, and workshop equipment, while promoting a clean and safe working environment.
- Collaborate effectively with internal departments, external contractors, partners, and volunteers to support exhibition projects, collections care activities, and organisational objectives.
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What We're Looking For
We'd love to hear from you if you have:
- Demonstrable workshop experience, ideally in a museum or gallery environment.
- Good carpentry and technical skills, e.g previous experience of woodworking, exhibition/set building.
- Decoration skills, such as plastering, filling, general making good and painting.
- Proven ability to use a range of workshop equipment and hand tools, for example a panel saw, bench and band saws, planer, spindle moulder, pillar drill and handheld circular saws.
How You'll Work
This is a five day/week post. Working hours are 8am to 4.15pm Monday to Thursday and 8am to 4pm Friday, to enable daily checks and as much maintenance work as possible to be carried out on the public site before opening. From time to time flexibility with working hours is required to accommodate deadlines or priorities. Travel within the UK including to other IWM locations will be required. Out of hours and weekend work may be necessary during busy periods, in particular in the run up to exhibition openings and for maintenance purposes. Time off in lieu will be offered to cover this.
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What Success Looks Like (First 6–12 Months)
- Successfully completed organisational induction, mandatory training, and Health & Safety requirements, ensuring compliance with workplace policies and procedures.
- Developed a strong understanding of exhibition production operations, workshop activities, and maintenance requirements across multiple museum sites.
- Carried out routine gallery and exhibition maintenance tasks, ensuring displays and public spaces were maintained to a consistently high standard.
- Maintained accurate records of maintenance activities, display requests, and workshop operations using internal departmental systems.
- Built effective working relationships with colleagues across Production, Exhibitions, and wider organisational teams to support project delivery.
- Demonstrated strong attention to detail and an understanding of conservation and collections care principles when undertaking maintenance and display activities.
- Contributed to the planning and delivery of work programmes, identifying practical solutions to improve maintenance processes and exhibition operations while working independently and efficiently.
For a full list of duties and the person specification (which your application will be marked against) please view the Job Description.
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