Overview
Role Summary
Collection Manager: Care and Access (BM_ARC)
Collection Care and Moves
Full-time (41 hours per week)
Permanent
£33,469 per annum
Application deadline: 12pm (midday) on 31 October 2025
About the role:
Collection Managers lead and manage the work of a team of Assistant Collection Managers in delivering Museum projects and daily care of the collection.
The postholder will work with colleagues across the Museum and will contribute to the planning and supervision of activities connected with the care of, and access to, the collection by BM staff and a range of external audiences.
This role will focus primarily on the maintenance of stores, object handling, movement, and documentation, and operation of the research room. It may also include the preparation of objects for display and loans including, installation and packing, and working on deadline-driven storage and larger scale object move projects.
The postholder will contribute to the development of standard procedures and a formalised Training Programme to be applied at BM_ARC and across the Museum, reflecting recognised best practice in the sector.
Key areas of responsibility:
- Manage a team of Assistant Collection Managers including planning and management of development within their team, and proactive performance management.
- Work with the Senior Collection Managers to plan delivery of relevant Museum activities with a particular focus on scheduling and resource allocation, leading on certain activities as required.
- Promote the cohesive and harmonious operation of all collection management teams across the Museum, supporting the work of the Senior Collection Managers.
- Develop processes at BM_ARC that support best practice standards in object handling, care, storage, documentation, loans, and condition reporting, ensuring the implementation and maintenance of those standards at BM_ARC and across the Collection Care team.
- Manage processes connected with the security, audit, and essential documentation of the collection.
About you:
- Good general education including GCSEs or equivalent
- Demonstrable interest in aspects of the British Museum’s collection
- Manual dexterity
- Understanding and appreciation of materials and objects
- Practical experience of object/art handling, transport and installation in a museum or similar environment
- Ability to manage and motivate a team, manage budgets, timetables and deliver a varied programme of work.
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 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 bmrecruit@britishmuseum.org.
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
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.
IMPORTANT: Before applying for this role, please make sure you have the right to work in the country where the role is based. Unless it clearly stipulates within in the job advert above that the hiring company is looking to or able to sponsor applicants it is deemed that the hiring employer will only consider applications from those able to comply with and work in the country where the role is based.
