Head, East Asian Collections

Location: St Pancras
Contract: Permanent
Hours: Full time (36 hours)
Grade: SB4
Salary: £52,724 per annum

About the role
The British Library holds an outstanding collection of heritage and contemporary materials from and relating to East Asia, including manuscripts, printed books, journals, newspapers, prints and other materials, covering more than 3000 years of history from early written records to contemporary items.

We are now recruiting for the post of Head, East Asian Collections to lead the team in the East Asia section in developing, managing, promoting and making accessible collections in Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Mongolian, Manchu and other languages. The post-holder will be responsible for all projects and activities relating to these collections, and will take a leading role in developing future major programs and partnerships, working collaboratively within the Asian and African Collections department, across the Library and with external partners. They will work with the team in exploring new ways of interpreting, promoting and making accessible the collections through a range of activities, including documentation and digitisation projects, research, culture and public engagement events (in person and on-line) and exhibitions.

This is an exciting opportunity for candidates with a strong professional or research profile in an area or language/s relevant to East Asian collections, combined with proven expertise in managing heritage and contemporary collections in a library, archive or museum setting. We are looking for experience in successfully leading people and in efficiently managing resources and projects, as well as in developing collaborative relationships with international partners and/or fundraising. Excellent communication and organisational skills are essential to this post, as well as a passion for sharing expert knowledge and engage with diverse users and audiences.

About us
We are the national library of the UK and we are here for everyone. Our shelves hold over 170 million items – a living collection that gets bigger every day. Although our roots extend back centuries, we aim to collect everything published in the UK today, tomorrow and far into the future. Our trusted experts care for this collection and open it up for everyone to spark new discoveries, ideas and to help people do incredible things.

We have millions of books, and much more besides. Our London and Yorkshire sites hold collections ranging from newspapers and maps to sound recordings, patents, academic journals, as well as a copy of every UK domain website and blog. Our public spaces provide a place to research, to meet friends, to start up a new business or simply to get inspired by visiting our galleries and events. We work with partners and libraries across the UK and the world to make sure that as many people as possible have the chance to use and explore our collections, events, and expertise. And we’re always open online, along with more and more of our digitised collection.

What we can offer you
-A competitive salary.
-A fantastic pension scheme with minimum employer contributions of 28.97% (this may be higher dependent on grade).
- Flexible working hours, with the ability to take up to 5 days flexi leave in a 3-month period.
- 25 days holiday.
- Full details of employee benefits can be found on our Careers: Benefits

Closing date: 5 May 2025
Prospective interview dates: 22 & 23 May 2025

We are able to provide sponsorship under the UK Skilled Worker visa for this role.

We particularly welcome applications from Black, Asian, Mixed Race and other ethnically diverse candidates and disabled candidates. We would like to increase the representation of these groups within The British Library to ensure our workforce is as diverse as the public that we serve. Creating an inclusive workplace is the core of our business and a way to engage the diversity of thought that is essential to achieve our aims.

Museum Website: https://ce0752li.webitrent.com/ce0752li_webrecruitment/wrd/run/ETREC179GF.open?WVID=5071482BMD