Curator Modern Europe 1800 to Present

About the role:
To curate, research, document, display and augment the Museum’s collection of European material culture dating from 1800 to the present in support of the Museum Operating Plan and all relevant Museum strategies. This includes interpreting the significance of the collection for the public through exhibitions and planning for the eventual re-display of the Museum’s collection. The jobholder will be expected to become a recognised authority internally, nationally, and internationally in and beyond, their relevant areas of academic expertise.

Key areas of responsibility:
• To generate and lead new research projects in support of the Research and Display Strategies
• To lead major cross-museum permanent exhibition projects as part of the Museum’s Masterplan to re-display the collections in the light of 21st century thinking with a greater focus on Empire and its legacies.
• To build the collections as necessary in support of the of the Acquisition Strategy and in relation to the Masterplan
• To integrate traditional, regional and minority material cultures into these new displays to create a holistic view of European culture and the ways in which the modern world has both exploited and been inspired by traditional crafts.
• To document the collections to a high standard, cataloguing objects digitally on the collection database with image taking and uploading as necessary, as well as maintaining essential paper records.
• To work with the relevant teams within the museum on care of the collections, their storage, display, and conservation

About you:
• Good first degree in a relevant humanities subject, e.g. history, art history, English, Classics
• Postgraduate qualification in a relevant humanities subject.
• Experience of display, research, cataloguing, publication, and public speaking such as lectures, gallery talks or broadcast projects.
• Experience of managing in museum or university context
• Ability to lead and manage curatorial and research teams.
• Fluency in at least one other European language
• Externally recognised authority in a relevant subject area such as 19th-20th century jewellery, ceramics, decorative arts 1820 to present, material culture of traditional European societies including textiles, British Empire, enslavement, colonialism, Eastern Europe and the Iron Curtain
• Significant publication record in relevant subjects

About the British Museum:
Founded in 1753, the British Museum’s remarkable collection spans over two million years of human history and culture. The Museum is one of the leading visitor attractions and its world-famous collection includes the Rosetta Stone, the Parthenon sculptures, Egyptian mummies, the Admonitions Scroll, the Holy Thorn Reliquary, the Royal Gold Cup and the Amaravati sculptures.

The 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 (find out here what benefits a civil service pension provides).
• Free entry to a wide range of museums and exhibitions
• Participation in private and public Museum activities, including talks by leading curators from around the world and behind-the-scenes opportunities to learn how museums care for and manage their extraordinary collections.
• Interest-free travel, bicycle, and rental deposit loans
• Professional and personal development opportunities
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Discounts on food and gift shop purchases

Additional details:
For more information about this role, please see the job description.
If you have any additional needs that we should be aware of in order to support you with your application, please provide details to [email protected].

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.

We offer a flexible way of working scheme that allows our employees to work remotely in a way that suits them and the organization. We welcome questions and conversations at interview stage about how flexible working could work for you.

The Museum also adheres to the HMG Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) for pre-employment screening of Civil Servants.

Museum Website: https://bmrecruit.ciphr-irecruit.com//templates/CIPHR/jobdetail_7294.aspx