HEAD OF PROGRAMMING AND COLLECTION.

Crawford Art Gallery is a National Cultural Institution dedicated to the visual arts and is home to more than 3,000 works spanning historic and contemporary Irish and international art. Located in Cork City, the Gallery is an important part of Ireland’s cultural and tourism landscape.

Crawford Art Gallery is undergoing a major redevelopment under the Ireland 2040 programme, creating enhanced exhibition, learning and public spaces and an accessible cultural destination designed to connect people, artworks and arts practice.

THE POSITION

The Head of Programming & Collection is a new senior leadership role reporting to the Gallery Director, with responsibility for shaping and delivering the Gallery’s artistic vision. The successful candidate will lead the strategic development of the Gallery’s artistic programming and Collection, bringing together exhibitions, conservation, research, learning and public programmes to create meaningful engagement with diverse audiences.

The role will provide artistic and curatorial leadership across the Gallery, developing ambitious multi-year programming and ensuring the Collection remains central to its artistic vision and public engagement. Working with the Gallery Director and senior colleagues, they will lead multidisciplinary artistic teams, build strategic relationships nationally and internationally and play a central role in shaping the artistic identity of the redeveloped Gallery.

REQUIREMENTS

The successful candidate will operate at a senior leadership level and have a proven track record of leading complex artistic and cultural programmes within a public-facing organisation. Candidates will hold a relevant qualification in Art History, Fine Art, Visual Culture, Curatorial Studies or a related discipline, together with significant experience across programming, collection management, curatorial practice and visual arts management, including experience of leading or managing teams.

The successful candidate will bring strong artistic and strategic judgement, extensive knowledge of visual arts practice, museum and gallery programming and Collection stewardship, together with excellent communication and relationship-management skills. They will demonstrate collaborative leadership, financial accountability and the ability to develop strategic partnerships with artists, cultural organisations and other stakeholders. Experience of national Collections, international partnerships, artistic commissioning or major cultural transformation would be advantageous.

HOW TO APPLY

Crawford Art Gallery has retained Principal Connections to assist with this important appointment. Candidates will be sourced through an advertised selection and executive search process. To apply, please submit a CV via email to Principal Connections at: [email protected] for the attention of Eilish Devine, Partner on or before 12 noon on Friday 2 October 2026.

For further information, please refer to the Candidate Information Booklet – Download Here.

Crawford Art Gallery is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from all sections of the community. If you have a disability or your first language is not English and you have any difficulties with any aspect of our recruitment process, please contact Principal Connections – executive search. All recruitment documentation can be provided in other formats.

For a confidential discussion please contact Eilish Devine on +353 (0)1 703 88 09.

PLEASE NOTE

Please note that some job advertisement platforms do not publish telephone numbers, email addresses, or website URLs within advertisements. If no contact details appear in this advertisement, please contact our main office line, which can be found on our website.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

• Principal Connections has been retained as the exclusive executive search partner to manage this important appointment process and is acting as an employment agency on behalf of our client.

• Our client is an equal opportunities employer and is committed to fostering an inclusive and diverse workplace.

• Candidates for this appointment will be identified through a combination of advertised selection and targeted executive search activities.

• Only applications submitted via the designated online application channels (or, where applicable, through the email address provided within a print advertisement, briefing prospectus, job description etc.) will be considered as part of the formal selection process.

• Please note that any offer of employment will be subject to satisfactory reference checks together with any additional background screening, verification procedures, or assessments considered appropriate to the appointment process.

• By applying for this vacancy through Principal Connections, you acknowledge and accept our Terms & Conditions, Privacy Policy, and Cookies Policy, all of which are available on our website .

ABOUT PRINCIPAL CONNECTIONS

Principal Connections is a leading executive search and leadership consulting firm serving organisations across Ireland, the United Kingdom and internationally. We are also part of Agilium Worldwide LLC (Est. 1984), independently ranked one of the world’s top global executive search groups. (55+ offices, 30+ countries, 250+ consultants).

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