Project Curator: Hidden Stories of Childhood

We are looking to appoint a Project Curator to undertake research and make publicly accessible the life stage of childhood via the Museum’s collections curated in the departments of Greece & Rome and Egypt & Sudan, in support of the Museum’s masterplan, the Museum Operating Plan and all relevant Museum strategies.

This is a unique opportunity to help bring hidden stories of childhood to the public through investigating collections, archives and databases. The successful postholder will define and compare the nature and biases of the collections housed in both departments.

Key areas of responsibility:

Support a research project on the museum’s archaeological collections that relate to ancient childhood, including projects involving external partners.
Make the collections and knowledge about ancient childhood using the objects curated in the departments of Greece & Rome and Egypt & Sudan publicly accessible via research, publication, digitial, display and/or broadcast.
To contribute to the redisplay of the collection, and to improve the display of the collection in the Museum and elsewhere both on- and off-site.
To support on upgrading the documentation of the collections that relate to the departments of Greece & Rome and Egypt & Sudan.
To participate in the Museum’s public programme, delivering talks, seminars, lectures, participating in and organizing conferences, seminars and broadcasts.
Assist with the general day-to-day running of both departments, including dealing with enquiries from the public in various communication formats.

About you:

BA/BSc (or equivalent) in relevant subjects to this role.
Good knowledge of ancient Egypt and/or the ancient Mediterranean and familiarity with relevant material culture.
Experience of research and publication in relevant subject.
Good organisational skills; excellent time management.
Interest in the history of childhood.
Experience of working with a relevant collection and/or fieldwork project.
Experience of working with museum documentation and museum databases.
Experience of working with and handling archaeological collections.
Some experience of management issues (people, projects, budgets).
Open, effective oral communicator; ability to write fluent English for academic contexts.
Ability to demonstrate initiative, where appropriate.
Ability to work as part of a team; ability to work independently.

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 a leading visitor attraction, and its world-famous collection includes the Rosetta Stone, Egyptian mummies, the Sutton-Hoo finds, and the Lewis Chessmen. The Museum also holds an extensive collection of prints and drawings spanning 600 years, including works by the greatest graphic artists such as Dürer, Michelangelo and Rembrandt.

You can view a selection of our impressive collection of prints and drawings in our virtual gallery.

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 to support you with your application, please provide details to [email protected].

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 new minimum salary threshold of £41,700 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

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 specifically encourage applications from candidates from ethnic minority groups who are underrepresented within our senior roles.

We offer a flexible way of working scheme that allows our employees to work remotely in a way that suits them and the organisation. We welcome questions and conversations at interview stage about how flexible working could work for you. We would typically see this role as working on site about three days a week.

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_8261.aspx