Project Curator: Registration of Palaeolithic-Mesolithic collections

Project Curator: Registration of Palaeolithic-Mesolithic collections Britain, Europe & Prehistory
Full-time (41 hours per week)
Fixed term for 3 Years
£35,165 per annum
Application deadline: 12pm (midday) on 10 February 2025

About the role:
The postholder will be responsible for the registration of Palaeolithic and Mesolithic stone artefact collections onto MI+, the British Museum collections database. They are stored at Orsman Road a British Museum outstation in Shoreditch, London. They will be expected to have a good knowledge of Palaeolithic and Mesolithic stone tool technology and typology, organise collections in relation to the relevant archives and have a good understanding of collections databases. They will work alongside a small team who specialise in the Palaeolithic and Mesolithic periods.
Please note we have 2 vacancies available.
Key areas of responsibility:
• Lead on the organisation of Palaeolithic and Mesolithic stone artefact collections in consultation with archives and publications in preparation for registration on MI+.
• Use specialist knowledge to make decisions on level of registration, particularly assessing appropriateness for individual or bulk registration on MI+.
• Use specialist knowledge to select artefacts to be photographed for download onto Odin.
• Make knowledge of the Palaeolithic and Mesolithic collections publicly accessible through digital resources and publication.
• Answer public enquiries relevant to the field of research

About you:
• Masters or PhD in Palaeolithic or Mesolithic archaeology
• Wide knowledge of Palaeolithic and Mesolithic archaeology
• Research involving lithic typology and technology
• Experience of stone tools and lithic analysis
• Experience of recording lithic collections on databases
• Organisation of large collections
• Familiarity with museum databases and data storage
• Working well within a team

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 such as 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.

We offer a flexible way of working scheme that allows our employees to work remotely in a way that suits them and the organisation. We welcome questions and conversations at interview stage about how flexible working could work for you. We would typically see this role as working on site about 5 days a week.

The Museum also adheres to the HMG Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) for pre-employment screening of Civil Servants.

Museum Website: https://www.britishmuseum.org/about-us/jobs