We're Hiring! Evaluation Consultant

Cambridge Museum of Technology: Evaluation Consultant

Consultant Brief for Evaluation Consultant  

Type of contract: Consultancy / Self Employed  

Remuneration: Up to £5,000 (excl VAT) inclusive of travel and other incidental expenses, paid periodically by arrangement.  

Location: Cambridge Museum of Technology, The Old Pumping Station, Cheddars Lane, Cambridge CB5 8LD.  

Background 

Cambridge Museum of Technology is the home of our industrial heritage. Based in the city’s historic sewage pumping station, the Museum helps people to explore, enjoy, and learn about their industrial heritage by celebrating the achievements of local industries and the people who worked in them. 

Visible from all corners of Cambridge, the original chimney at the Museum stands tall as a reminder of our industrial past, and a landmark beacon of our relevance today. The Museum occupies a key Riverside site and has huge potential to grow as a community hub, leisure facility and educational centre. The Victorian sewage pumping station is a scheduled monument on Historic England’s At-Risk Register, and some of our (working) technologies on display are the last of their kind. Visitors to our museum can expect to learn the story of sewage and waste disposal in the Victorian Pumping Station, as well as discover Cambridge’s fascinating but forgotten industries. The important Pye collection displays Cambridge’s impressive early high-tech companies.   

Full Steam Ahead 

Supported through The National Lottery Heritage Fund, the ‘Full Steam Ahead’ project recruited three new heritage roles, to expand the Museum’s capacity for both general opening, and for increased education and community outreach work.  

The Museum will be able to expand its schools programme, reaching more young people and engaging with teachers to form lasting links. To facilitate this expanding engagement, there will be new opportunities to support and train community and education volunteers to help the Museum deliver this exciting programme. Digital education and family resources will also be developed alongside this new activity, to ensure the significant collections remain widely accessible for all.   

The funding will also reinvigorate existing space in the Engineer’s House to be used as a space for community hires. Building on fantastic partnerships within the local Abbey community, the Museum will offer more opportunities for engaging with industrial heritage and our collection, through events and workshops.  

Evaluation Consultant Brief 

We are seeking to appoint an experienced evaluation consultant to establish an evaluation framework (in 2025/26). The consultant must demonstrate experience of evaluating similar projects, from initial benchmarking through to the production of a final evaluation report that will be submitted to the NLHF, following an agreement of a draft by the Museum Enterprise Manager and Board of Trustees. 

We intend to appoint in February/March 2025 and anticipate that the work will take place throughout the life of the project which is currently due to end December 2026. The exact timescale and approach to be agreed as part of the appointment process 

The consultant will produce a 12-month evaluation report (June 2025), 18-month evaluation report and evaluate our project (in 2026), and provide support/advice to the project team, as required.  

Evaluation planning and delivery will be in keeping with:  
• NLHF best practice (Evaluation good practice guidance | The National Lottery Heritage Fund)  
• Our delivery stage evaluation, which aligns our work with the NLHF ten-year strategy  
• Our project outcomes  

Application will be based upon expressions of interest and interview. 

Location and Timings  

We anticipate some of this work will take place on site, however, some contact can be remote via Teams/telephone as appropriate. Due to the nature of working with volunteers, please note that it may be necessary from time to time to engage in the evening and weekends when availability is most likely. 
 

Remuneration for the Contract  

The total fee will be up to £5,000 excl VAT. Payment will be paid in instalments to be agreed upon appointment. (Our suggestion would be 25% upon appointment, 50% on delivery on first draft of the interim and final report, and 25% on completion).  

The Evaluation Consultant will be registered self-employed/employed by their consultancy company and responsible for their own National Insurance and Tax payments as required by HMRC. 

Appointment Process and Timescale  

We intend to appoint in February/March 2025 and anticipate that the work will take place throughout the life of the project which is currently due to end December 2026. The exact timescale and approach to be agreed as part of the appointment process Application will be based upon expressions of interest and interview.  

The expression of interest should include:  

• A statement of the strengths and evidence of relevant experience that you will bring to the project  

• Examples of similar projects completed since 2012 and their relevance to this contract. We would also like to see examples of similar reports produced by the consultants at the interview. 

• Your proposed methodology  

•  Your proposed timetable for carrying out the work  

• A breakdown of your budget/costings which must include all costs and travel and subsistence and VAT if charged.  

• Time allocation and day rates  

• If working as part of a team, the details of the lead consultant, who will remain available as the main point of contact throughout the project. Details of who will carry out the work, their background and experience   

Expressions of interest should be submitted via email to Lindsey.Bavin@Museumoftechnology.com  in a format of the consultant’s choice. Emails should contain the title Evaluation Consultant.  
 

Submissions must be received by 5pm on 13th February 2025.  

Remembering John Sharpe (1939 - 2024)

It is with great sadness that we announce the death of our friend and a founder of the museum, John Sharpe. It is thanks to the work of him, and a few others, that meant our Pumping Station survived and became the museum it is today.

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While at the University of Cambridge Engineering Department, John had learnt that the Cheddars Lane Sewage Pumping Station was nearing the end of its life, and one lunchtime John with research students Alex Richie and Ken Moxham paid a visit to the site. The concept of preserving the Pumping Station as a Museum of Technology for Cambridge began to emerge. Supported by Ken Knell, who as librarian in the Engineering Department had access to reprographics facilities, this emerging concept was publicised by trustees and others at a number of local traction engine rallies.

Time was short, however, as the Pumping Station had already ceased operation, and Council employees were already arranging scrap contracts for the plant. John, however, engaged directly with the then Leader of the Council, and at the last minute the Council decided to support preservation. Understandably, relations with the Council employees were initially frosty!

But what to do now with a decaying building, rusting machinery left as it had been on the last day of operation, grudgingly permitted very occasional access – and no money! A two-pronged approach was conceived:

• firstly, the formation of a Board of Trustees with formal responsibility for the Pumping Station and responsibility for raising funds (no lottery funds then existed); and

• secondly, the formation of a Society to promote the then new discipline of Industrial Archaeology in Cambridge, to hold lectures and produce publications and to provide a pool of volunteers who would be prepared to work at the Pumping Station – thus was formed the Cambridge Society for Industrial Archaeology.

 John was the initial chair of the Trustees, who included Dr Joseph Needham – Master of Gonville and Keys and a world-leading specialist in early Chinese technology and two Lister brothers (from Lister Engineering). Other early trustees included John Shaw – lecturer at the University Engineering Department, and Messrs Jones and Harmer. Initial progress in fund-raising was slow, and early campaigns involved known contacts of the Trustees. Relatively small sums were raised.

Cambridge Society for Industrial Archaeology was a much more vibrant and dynamic organisation, again with John Sharpe as Chairman and with committee members including Ken Knell, Nick Smith (University Library), Don Unwin (from Cambridge Scientific Instruments) and Mr Lovell (a teacher) as treasurer. Membership was split fairly equally between town and gown. Regular meetings were held in the Engineering Department, typically attracting 40+ attendees and on occasion many more. Thanks to Ken Knell an extensive range of publications was rolled out. Holding a stall at the Freshers Fair resulted in an annual inflex of new members.

Once permitted by the Council, regular working parties were held at Cheddars Lane, and a start was made on clearing the detritus from those last days of operation, where possible making the building weather-tight – all this done with no electricity – so no power tools and lighting provided by tilly lamps and a propane powered large gas light. The top loading bay was gradually cleared and new exhibits were brought in from surrounding industries.

This initial work culminated in 1971 in the first annual Steam Weekend visited by thousands of locals interested in seeing inside Cheddars Lane. Through local connections, particularly with Chis Hall and the East Anglian Traction Engine Club, several traction engines participated, and steam from Chris Hall’s steam roller was used to power one of the auxiliary steam engines, and another steam road vehicle powered the generator set. But perhaps the highlight for most visitors was the operation of one of the gas engines using propane from large bottles. Such was the demand for gas, that the bottles cooled to the extent that a gas-burner needed to be placed on them to keep the gas flowing. The noise from the occasional backfire in the exhaust was sufficient to alert all the neighbouring households that Cheddars Lane was back operating.

After completing his research, John got a job at the Medical Research Council at Mill Hill (north London) and moved away from Cambridge. In 1982, unable to continue to devote the effort required, John resigned as a Trustee of Museum of Technology.

The developments at Cheddars Lane since that first Steam Weekend, slow initially, but most substantial since, have secured the pumping station permitting the engines to run from time to time under steam, and further developed the initial concept of a museum to celebrate industry and technology in the Cambridge area. That is a different story which many others are better placed to describe. But it remains that without John, the Pumping Station would have been demolished and there would have been no Museum of Technology on the Cheddars Lane site.

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As a museum, we would like to wish a final thank you to John for all his hard work, gumption and perseverance. We truly would not be here today if it wasn’t for the actions of him and his fellow founders, and for that we will be forever grateful.

Year in Review | 2024 at CMT

Heritage Fund | New Staff | Food Festivals | Steam Days | Volunteer Records | Education

2024 proved to be a groundbreaking year for Cambridge Museum of Technology. From announcing our Heritage Fund project ‘Full Steam Ahead’ earlier in the year to ending the year with the annual Royal Institution Christmas Lectures, we really did have it all!

A massive THANK YOU to all our visitors (our greatest year on record!), our volunteers, our staff and trustees, our on-site hospitality partners, the National Lottery Heritage Fund, and all of our supporters. As an independent museum, support like this is essential, and we really could not do this without you all.

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Along with our usual visitor hours, the museum played host to over 50 events throughout the year including:

• Two Steam Days (April | November)

• Exhibitions (What Happened Next | Moving Now | TECHNE | Motorcycles | Morris Minors | Volunteer Art Exhibition | Dragon Computers | & Much More!)

• Festivals (Folk Day | Food for the Planet)

• Workshops (Twilight at the Museum | British Science Week | Summer at the Museum | Maths Week England | Printing)

• STEM education and tours (school and community group visits | Pye History Trust |Open Cambridge)

• Community Events (Toddle into Tech | Repair Cafe | Dying for Life)

• Research Presentations (Cambridge Industrial Archaeology Group |Association for Industrial Archaeology)

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As a Museum, we also celebrated some personal achievements!

In March, we announced that we had received a grant of £99,932 from The National Lottery Heritage Fund for an exciting heritage project, Full Steam Ahead. This grant allowed us to start work on our Engineer’s House so we can use it for community events in the future, as well as create three new roles at the museum and welcome two new staff members!

Joanne Hamilton, previously our Front of House Team Leader, stepped into the role of Communities and Visitor Engagement Officer. With this role, we will put community at the heart of our museum, and help make our exhibitions as welcoming and accessible as possible. Lindsey Bavin joined the team as our Museum Enterprise Manager, helping to adapt our events and hiring system, and lead on our Heritage Fund project. As our new education officer, Hannah Battersby has been charging along with developing our education offer, helping to get pupils in the museum and learning about all things technology! Our team is completed by Catherine Rooney, who as administrator, has helped keep the museum on its feet while we waited for new staff members, and now ensures everything is running smoothly!

The Museum received a record number of visitors through its doors, increasing on its previous 2023 record. As well as developing our exhibitions, we moved our shop this year to ensure the best visitor experience possible! This has really upped our shop sales, including the work done by our wonderful, generous craft group which brought in over £800 this year (well done team!).

Our volunteers recorded 6693 hours this year (with 4 volunteers recording over 500 each!). We also welcomed 14 new regular volunteers to the team, and five new trustees to the team – Amy, Kieran, Matthew, Bhagwat and our new chairperson, Vincent! 

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The Future

As we head into 2025, the question of what is in store is on everyone’s minds. For us here at CMT, 2025 is hoping to be one filled with:

• School visits

• New exciting events

• Community events, collaborations and festivals

• Great on-site partners

• Developing our museum hire offer

We strive to create memorable experiences for all our visitors, and we're already looking forward to welcoming you back next year. 2025 is bound to be an exciting one for the museum — stay tuned for updates on our upcoming events and special offers by checking our website or following us on social media. We can't wait to see you all again soon!

We're Hiring! Collections Officer

Cambridge Museum of Technology: Collections Officer 

Cambridge Museum of Technology: Collections Officer

1 year fixed term 

2 days per week 

£28k per annum, (£11.2k pro rata) 

Overall Purpose of Job: 

Working with volunteers and other members of staff, this role is integral to ensuring that the collections are well managed and can be used in the temporary exhibition and learning programmes. 

The Collections Officer will manage and care for the collections according to sector standards, train volunteers, and enable use of the collections in exhibitions and learning. 

The role holder will also complete a previously started disposals project. During the museum’s redevelopment (2017 -2020), a collections review was undertaken and a disposals list drawn up. The role holder will continue the project, rehoming deaccessioned objects. 

Within the small staff team, this post will also have key holding and Duty Manager responsibility on a rota basis. 

Key Responsibilities: 

• Document the collections, including accessioning and cataloguing objects on Modes, in accordance with the museum’s policies and Spectrum standards; 

• Care for the collections, including pest management, conservation cleaning, repacking collections, and working with volunteers to maintain large, working objects; 

• Enable access to the collections and support the exhibitions and learning programmes through advising on appropriate use, getting objects out for events, and preparing collections for display; 

• Rationalise collections in line with the Museum Association’s disposal guidelines and Code of Ethics, completing a previously started disposals project 

• Train and supervise volunteers in collections roles, on tasks such as accessioning, checking pest traps, and conservation cleaning; 

• Update policies and procedures, ensuring that all work meets sector and Accreditation standards; 

• Apply for small grants if they arise; 

• Work with the Board of Trustees, Management Committee, and Collections Committee to ensure that all activities are communicated and considered within the wider museum operation; 

• Provide Duty Manager and key holding responsibility on a rota basis with other staff members. 

Person Specification 

Essential 

• Experience working with museum collections 

• Experience working with volunteers 

• Knowledge of Spectrum procedures and best practice in collections care 

• Computer literacy, including Microsoft Office, and collections management systems such as Modes 

• Excellent attention to detail 

• Good communication skills 

• Good interpersonal skills and ability to work as part of a team 

• Ability to work independently, organising and prioritising own workload 

• Flexibility and ability to adapt to shifting demands 

• Interest in industrial heritage 

• Willingness to work occasional weekends and evenings, with time off in lieu 

Desirable 

• Experience rationalising collections 

• Experience working with larger or working collections, such as industrial machinery 

• Knowledge of ABTEM guidelines 

Closing Date: 23rd December 2024 at noon.  

Interviews expected to take place: Early January 

Please send a CV and Covering Letter to info@museumoftechnology.com