Project Curator: African Photography Project

About the role:
To undertake research into and make publicly accessible the Africa photographic and associated object collections identified as part of the African Histories and Heritage Photography programme. As part of this role to support the Museum’s wider digitisation and documentation project. To play a pivotal role in supporting the development and delivery of this programme with outputs in Africa and the UK.

Key areas of responsibility:
• To lead research into the Africa photographic and associated object collections, and the collections of identified external partners, through the African Histories and Heritage Photography Programme
• To make the Africa photographic collection, and knowledge about it, publicly accessible via publication, digital, display, and broadcast
• To lead on upgrading the documentation of the Africa photographic collection
• To lead on developing strategies for the display of the Africa photographic collection in relevant spaces across the Museum and elsewhere both on- and off-site
• To act as an advocate for the Museum
• To raise money to support the Africa Photography Project where appropriate

About you:
• BA/BSc (or equivalent) in Anthropology or related subject
• Experience working with archival photograph collections, especially relating to Africa.
• Experience of museum documentation/digitisation
• Experience of a temporary exhibition or gallery refurbishment
• Experience of engaging the public in the relevant field
• Publications in peer reviewed journals or in book form


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 [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 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.

Museum Website: https://bmrecruit.ciphr-irecruit.com//templates/CIPHR/jobdetail_7850.aspx