Curator: European Deep History 6,000-800BCE in London

The museum is seeking an exceptional Curator to take a leading role in shaping, researching, and sharing the European Deep History collection material culture (c. 6000–800 BCE) in the department of Britain, Europe & Prehistory. This is an exceptional opportunity for a subject specialist to drive collections forward combining research excellence, public engagement, and innovative display within a globally recognised museum environment.

As Curator, you will act as a recognised authority in your field, leading the stewardship and development of a remarkable collection including lithics, pottery, organic and metal artefacts. You will combine academic rigour with public impact, ensuring the collection is expertly researched and documented, as well as accessible and inspiring to audiences worldwide. You will also lead the documentation and digitisation programme of relevant objects for this period across four sites.

This is a high‐impact role at a time of transformation. You will collaborate in setting the scholarly agenda, influence how the collection is interpreted globally, and ensure it remains relevant, accessible, and inspiring in the digital age.

If you are ready to bring expertise, creativity, and leadership to one of the most significant collections of deep history in Europe, the museum would love to hear from you.

About you

• You are ambitious and collaborative with a passion for European archaeology and material culture of this period.
• A degree in archaeology (PhD completed or in progress is desirable).
• Established reputation as a subject specialist, with strong knowledge of artefacts dating from the period 6000‐800 BCE.
• A significant publication record in relevant subjects and proven research excellence.
• Experience in museum curation, academia, or archaeological practice.
• A track record of delivering research, exhibitions, or public engagement initiatives.
• Strong skills in collections documentation, digitisation, and interpretation.
• Confidence in leading teams, managing projects, and working across disciplines.
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to engage diverse audiences.
• Fluency in English and knowledge of another European language.
• Creative with the ability to think outside of the box and develop innovative directions to drive engagement with the collections.

Key areas of responsibility

• Lead on the research, interpretation, and development of the European Deep History collection.
• Drive major documentation and digitisation programmes of 6,000‐800‐year‐old artefacts curated across four sites in London and at Shenfield near Reading to enhance curation and access.
• Collaborate in the shaping and delivery of major gallery redisplays as part of an ambitious institutional Masterplan.
• Initiate and secure externally funded research projects and partnerships.
• Lead and mentor curatorial, research, and digitisation teams.
• Advise on acquisitions and loans and meet statutory duties on Treasure cases, Portable Antiquities and Export Licences.
• Engage audiences through exhibitions, publications, outreach, and public programmes.

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

At the British Museum, we believe our people are at the heart of everything we do and have designed a benefits package that goes beyond the ordinary. Our full list of benefits can be found here, but we've outlined some highlights below:

• 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).
• Peer support and allyship with five diversity networks for community.
• 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.

Our Values

Care Deeply, Embrace the Unknown, Spark Curiosity, Value Many Voices. 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. We may be able to provide visa sponsorship for this role, subject to meeting eligibility requirements. The Museum also adheres to the HMG Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) for pre‐employment screening of Civil Servants.