C4B Conservator: Organics

The British Museum has an exciting opportunity for an experienced Conservator to join the Organic Materials Conservation team in the Department of Collection Care and contribute towards maintaining and developing a world class collection.

The main purpose of this role is to lead in the care of the collection through a combination of interventive and preventive measures in support of the Museum's operating plan, and to proactively engage with the public programme activities of the Conservation Section. The role requires the post holder to have good general knowledge in the care and conservation of a wide range of organic materials, and significant post-graduate experience of working in the area of organic object conservation. Specialist knowledge and experience in the conservation of objects made of wood, as well as decorative surfaces including Asian lacquer (urushi) are desirable.

The post holder will also contribute to the management of the studio and will line-manage two members of staff ensuring the delivery of the work-plan. Key Areas of Responsibility include: conserving objects made of organic materials for loans, temporary exhibitions, and permanent display, advising on the care and conservation of collections made of organic materials, acting as conservation exhibition and loan liaison and member of core project teams as necessary, line managing, motivating, and developing staff, devising and undertaking projects for the care of the collections in store, underpinning care of the collection through research, documentation, surveys, data collection, and analysis, ensuring best practice and compliance with latest health and safety legislation, contributing to the conservation of materials/object types outside own area of expertise as necessary, working collaboratively with colleagues within the department and across the museum, developing new preventive or interventive measures as appropriate, proactively engaging with the department’s outreach activities through public speaking and publication, assisting with the day-to-day running of the department, contributing to the development of funding bids, collaborating with other institutions or groups, and developing or ensuring good relations with relevant stakeholders, acting as an advocate for the museum, working flexibly in line with museum priorities, and other duties as assigned.

The British Museum offers a competitive benefits package including: Generous annual leave allowance of 25 days (rising to 30 days after 10 years’ service) plus 2.5 privilege days and plus bank holidays, membership of the civil service defined benefit pension scheme, free entry to a wide range of museums and exhibitions, participation in private and public Museum activities, interest-free travel, bicycle, and rental deposit loans, professional and personal development opportunities, employee Assistance Programme, and discounts on food and gift shop purchases.

The British Museum is committed to promoting equality of opportunity for all staff and job applicants. We aim to create a working environment in which all individuals can make best use of their skills, free from unlawful discrimination or harassment. We value the benefits that a diverse workforce brings to a museum which represents world culture. The Museum is committed to ensuring that no job applicant suffers unlawful discrimination because of any protected characteristics. Our recruitment procedures aim to ensure that individuals are treated because of their relevant knowledge, skills, and experience. The Museum also adheres to the HMG Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) for pre-employment screening of Civil Servants.

We have a legal responsibility to ensure that employees have the right to work in the UK. If you currently do not hold the right to work in the UK, we can only sponsor a limited number of roles that meet eligibility criteria. To offer a sponsorship, the job role you apply needs to be in the list of eligible occupations: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/skilled-worker-visa-eligible-occupations. Additionally (with some limited exceptions), the role will need to meet the minimum salary threshold of £38,700 or the going rate for the job, whichever is the highest. You can find more information here: https://www.gov.uk/skilled-worker-visa/your-job