Manager, Heritage Centre

Are you an experienced heritage, archives or collections professional who enjoys balancing strategy, stewardship and service? Do you thrive on leading a small specialist team, building strong relationships, and making collections accessible while ensuring long‑term preservation?

The Royal Agricultural Society of NSW (RAS) is seeking a capable and proactive Manager, Heritage Centre to lead the activities and administration of the RAS Archives, Library and Museum and manage the staff within the Heritage team.

Most well‑known for the annual Sydney Royal Easter Show, the RAS also delivers a wide range of educational, cultural and community programs across NSW.

In this role you will provide leadership and direction for the Heritage Centre, delivering the Heritage strategy and ensuring strong collection management practices are in place. You will oversee archival and collection governance (including appraisal, retention, access, storage and conservation programs), manage collection growth through acquisition and donor engagement, and establish policies, procedures, planning and budgeting to support the Heritage Centre’s long‑term goals.

You will also lead the planning and delivery of exhibitions and displays, work closely with internal stakeholders and committees, and liaise externally with donors, researchers, consultants and supporters to support RAS heritage initiatives.

You are an organised and consultative leader with strong attention to detail and documentation standards, and you bring proven experience in archives/collections management and/or heritage operations. You are confident working with primary sources, implementing sound systems and processes, and providing high‑quality service to internal and external stakeholders.

To be successful in this role, you will demonstrate:

• Eligibility for professional membership to the Australian Society of Archivists (highly regarded).
• Qualifications in History, Cultural Studies or similar (highly regarded).
• Demonstrated experience in archival/collection management, research and analysis, and working with primary sources and records.
• Strong attention to detail and understanding of documentation and recordkeeping standards.
• Experience in exhibition planning and delivery (highly regarded).
• People leadership experience, including staff supervision, workload planning and performance conversations.
• Budget management capability, including monitoring expenditure and supporting annual budget/CAPEX processes.
• Advanced Microsoft Office skills and confidence preparing reports/presentations for stakeholders.
• A mature, professional style with strong interpersonal skills, adaptability and initiative.
• Willingness to work with a degree of flexibility (some evening/weekend work may be required).