Collection Move Projects Curator

The British Museum is seeking an experienced Project Curator to play a leading role in one of the most ambitious collection relocation and storage programmes in the museum sector. This is a rare opportunity to work at scale across a globally significant collection, collaborating with curatorial, collections care, and documentation teams to deliver complex, high-impact projects that will shape the future accessibility, care and research use of collections for decades to come.

As Collection Move Projects Curator, you will act as the key liaison between curatorial departments and collection move project teams, ensuring that collaboration and communication are maintained throughout the programme. You will lead on designing and delivering curatorial work packages that prepare collections for packing, transport and rehousing, with a focus on ensuring they remain research-accessible. Working across teams and sites, you will combine curatorial expertise with project leadership, helping to embed innovative approaches and best practice.

This is a really exciting opportunity for someone who thrives in a collaborative and intellectually stimulating working environment who can contribute to high-profile, large-scale projects engaging with a diverse range of stakeholders and is excited by the chance to present and influence at senior levels. If you are passionate about collections, thrive in complex project environments, and are ready to make a lasting impact in the museum sector, we would love to hear from you.

About you

• Degree in a subject relevant to museum collections and an externally recognised authority in a relevant subject area.
• Proven experience in project management within a cultural, research or heritage context, ideally with a track record of contributing to major research or curatorial projects.
• Strong understanding of museum collection standards, including legal and ethical considerations.
• Experience of stakeholder management, as well as programme and budget management.
• Excellent communication skills and the ability to build relationships across diverse stakeholders.
• Able to lead collaborative work across multiple teams and disciplines.

Key areas of responsibility

• Lead and coordinate cross-departmental projects to prepare collections for relocation and long-term storage.
• Act as a trusted liaison between curatorial teams and collection move project teams, ensuring strong communication and collaboration.
• Develop and implement standards for collection preparation, documentation and movement.
• Support programme planning including resource allocation, budgets and delivery timelines.
• Manage or matrix-manage curatorial and research staff working on project delivery.
• Advise on collection rehousing and research facilities, ensuring ongoing accessibility.
• Contribute to improving access to collections for both internal users and the public.
• Engage with internal and external stakeholders, including national and international partners.

The Masterplan

The British Museum is undertaking its biggest transformation since its founding nearly 300 years ago. This physical and intellectual transformation includes large scale building and gallery transformation, new ways of connecting with audiences and different ways of working. As we look towards this exciting future, we remain guided by the words of our founder Hans Sloane – who dreamed of a museum connecting all arts and sciences, which would be accessible to everyone, everywhere.

Benefits

• Free exhibition entry for you and guests, exclusive private views, ICOM and reciprocal museum access.
• 25 days’ annual leave plus bank holidays and 2.5 privilege days (and +5 days after 10 years).
• Learning and development through courses, mentoring and Athena as well as support for professional qualifications.
• Employee Assistance Programme available 24/7 for counselling, wellbeing support and more.
• Enhanced parental leave including maternity, paternity, adoption and shared parental leave.
• Support for carers through Employers for Carers.
• Civil Service Pension Scheme with a secure, inflation-linked defined benefit.

Values

Our values drive everything we do, from how we handle our objects to how we work in our team to fostering a culture where everyone feels heard and empowered: These are a core part of how we recruit. Throughout the application, interview and selection process, we look for examples of how candidates demonstrate these behaviours in their own work and experiences. We encourage you to familiarise yourself with our values and reflect them in your application.

Additional information

At the British Museum, we are committed to a fair and inclusive recruitment process where every applicant has the opportunity to present their genuine strengths and experience in their own voice. 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. The Museum also adheres to the HMG Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) for pre-employment screening of Civil Servants.