Film Conservator - Film Operations in England

Join to apply for the Film Conservator - Film Operations role at British Film Institute (BFI).

Contract: Fixed term contract for 12 months

Hours: Part time 28.45 hours/3.5 days per week (including 1 hour lunch break)

The BFI’s National Film Archive in Berkhamsted is looking for a Film Conservator – Film Operations, on a part time fixed term basis. The Film Conservator will work on inspection, preparation, repair, documentation in Axiell Collections, and reference digitisation of identified film collections materials. They will work with Senior Conservators in Film Operations on selected projects to develop skills and knowledge, and will maintain high conservation standards of film handling, utilising available technology where possible to improve the accuracy and efficiency of inspection on return of film materials.

Key responsibilities include:

• Carry out film handling, inspection, condition checking, preparation and repair, documentation, and reference scanning activities to specified quality standards; check and document the results including direct entry of information to the Axiell Collections database.
• Assign and amend collections Item Object status, consulting Senior Film Conservators, Curatorial and/or Collections Development colleagues where necessary.
• Produce thorough and consistent conservation documentation to agreed standards, recording the relevant Film Operations activities.
• Use Axiell Collections and Axiell Move systems to update relationships between Item, Carrier, Container and Location records.
• Edit these records to ensure that collections items are appropriately barcoded and that their locations are tracked at all times.

We are looking for candidates who have:

• Experience with developing first rate film handling, working with film collection materials of all gauges. Experience might have been gained within a film archive, laboratory, post‑production facility or similar organisation.
• Experience of identifying and carrying out conservation treatments to a wide range of historical film formats.
• Film handling skills sufficient to safely examine, repair and identify new and heritage film master copies on analogue equipment.
• Knowledge of archival and film production practices and techniques.
• Must have a strong understanding of the relationship between film elements and their physical characteristics.
• Experienced in conveying detailed technical insights through documentation, in a collections database and/or condition reports.

About the BFI: We are a cultural charity, a National Lottery distributor, and the UK’s lead organisation for film and the moving image. We believe society needs stories. Film, television and the moving image bring them to life, helping us connect and understand each other better. We share the stories of yesterday, search for the stories of today, and shape the stories of tomorrow.

At the BFI you’ll enjoy benefits such as excellent support for working parents, 25 days annual leave, pro‑rated, (plus bank holidays and additional paid time off at Christmas), tickets to BFI festivals and events plus many others. We support diversity and inclusion, and as an organisation recognise that we need to address under‑representation within our teams. As such we strongly welcome and encourage applicants from our under‑represented groups; who identify as D/deaf and disabled and/or are Black and Global Majority. We guarantee a first interview to our under‑represented groups who meet our minimum requirements.

Further details about the role, the BFI and our benefits can be obtained by visiting www.bfi.org.uk/about-bfi/job-opportunities. Depending on the volume of applications, you may be asked to complete a small task or attend a pre‑interview screening call to further assist the hiring team in shortlisting for this role. Interview dates may be subject to change. The closing date for applications is 23:59 on 19 January 2026. First interviews will be held on 29th January 2026. Second interviews will be held on 4th February 2026.