Assistant Archivist

British Museum

  • Bloomsbury, Central London Wiltshire
  • £29,642 per year
  • Permanent
  • Full-time
  • 20 days ago
Assistant ArchivistSalary: £29,642 per annum
Location: Bloomsbury with occasional travel to other sites in Reading, Wiltshire and London.Role SummaryAssistant Archivist
Research, Archives and Libraries
Full-time (41 hours per week)
Fixed Term (23 months)
£29,642 per annum
Application deadline: 12pm (midday) on 5 September 2025About the role:The Assistant Archivist will be responsible for supporting the British Museum’s Senior Archivist and Archivist to deliver the day-to-day operational requirements of the archive service at the British Museum, including the movement and cataloguing of archive holdings.This role will be responsible for helping to manage the Museum archive by assisting with mapping, rationalising, cataloguing, classifying holdings, and providing access to staff and members of the public.Key areas of responsibility:
  • Support the Senior Archivist and the Archivist to deliver listing, cataloguing, access to the archive and conservation assessments.
  • Mapping, rationalising, and cataloguing archive material, to meet archive accreditation standards.
  • Maintaining user services by providing staff and public access to the archive, assisting with user enquiries regarding the content and use of the Museum archive and supporting provenance research.
  • Maintain the organisation of the archive, ensuring items are kept in their proper location.
  • Maintain compliance with the legislative and regulatory frameworks surrounding the care and management of the archives.
About you:
  • Degree in a subject relevant to the Museum’s collections, or equivalent experience
  • Proven technical and professional information management skills
  • Experience of handling fragile archive records
  • Awareness and understanding of archive cataloguing standards
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 .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
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 .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: . 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: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 the interview stage about how flexible working could work for you.The Museum also adheres to the HMG Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) for pre-employment screening of Civil Servants.

British Museum