Administrator for the Learning & Programmes department

The British Museum; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 18,000 - 24,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

Free exhibition entry

Civil Service Pension Scheme

25 days annual leave

Job summary

The British Museum is seeking an experienced Administrator for its Learning & Programmes department. This part-time role (2 days/week) is hybrid, with at least one on-site day in Bloomsbury, London.

You will support financial processes, co-ordinate meetings, and manage diaries and confidential information. You will work in a collaborative environment, supporting senior stakeholders and contributing to smooth daily operations.

Qualifications

• Experience in financial administration, budget management, procurement or accounts administration.
• Strong IT skills, including Microsoft Outlook and other business systems.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Experience handling confidential information with discretion and professionalism.
• Confident making travel arrangements for colleagues.
• Strong organisational skills and ability to work accurately under pressure.
• Confidence building relationships with a wide range of stakeholders.
• Proactive and collaborative approach; able to work unsupervised.
• Excellent attention to detail and record-keeping skills.

Responsibilities

• Manage day-to-day departmental financial administration including purchase orders, invoices and budget tracking.
• Prepare monthly payroll submissions and maintain accurate records.
• Arrange UK and international travel for team members.
• Coordinate departmental meetings and provide admin support to senior stakeholders.
• Manage diaries and meeting schedules; take accurate minutes including confidential discussions.
• Respond to enquiries by phone and email with professional service.
• Assist with public events during normal hours, e.g., attendee registration.
• Order office supplies and manage deliveries.

Skills

Financial administration

Budget management

Procurement

Payroll administration

Unit4

Microsoft Outlook

Communication

Travel coordination

Record-keeping

Tools

Unit4

Microsoft Outlook

Job description

Administrator for the Learning & Programmes department

Part-time working 2 days per week (mainly Thursday-Friday)

Hybrid (at least 1 day per week on-site in Bloomsbury, London)

Permanent

Application deadline: 23:59 on Sunday, 30 August 2026

About the role

We are looking for a highly organised and proactive Administrator to join the British Museum’s Learning and Programmes department. Working as part of a job share arrangement, you will provide comprehensive administrative assistance, help manage departmental finances, and play a key role in ensuring the smooth day-to-day running of the team. You will predominantly work Thursday-Friday each week, but flexibility in this, particularly through your induction and training, would be advantageous.

As Departmental Administrator, you will be responsible for a range of financial, administrative and coordination activities. You will work closely with colleagues across budget management, purchasing, payroll administration, travel arrangements, diary management and departmental meetings. A key element of the role is assisting senior leaders and attending important meetings, where you will be responsible for producing accurate minutes and handling confidential information with professionalism and discretion.

This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced administrator who enjoys working with financial processes, coordinating multiple priorities and building strong relationships with colleagues across the organisation.

About the department

The Learning and Programmes department plays a vital role in the British Museum. Including delivering a range of adult programmes, supporting community partnerships and providing family and school programmes and visits. The volunteers also sit within the Learning and Programmes department.

This is a fantastic opportunity to provide essential support to a department that provides a pivotal part in enabling participation with the Museum’s collections across a diverse range of audiences.

About you

We are looking for an experienced administrator who can confidently balance competing priorities while maintaining excellent attention to detail.

You will demonstrate:

• Some experience in financial administration, budget management, procurement or accounts administration. Previous experience with Unit4 or similar finance systems is advantageous.
• Strong IT skills, including proficiency in Microsoft Outlook and other business systems.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Experience managing confidential information with discretion and professionalism.
• Confident making travel arrangements for colleagues.
• Strong organisational skills and the ability to work accurately under pressure.
• Confidence building relationships with a wide range of stakeholders.
• A proactive and collaborative approach to work with the ability to work unsupervised.
• Excellent attention to detail and record-keeping skills.

Key areas of responsibility

• Manage day-to-day departmental financial administration, including purchase orders, invoices and budget tracking, procurement processes and budget management.
• Prepare monthly payroll submissions and maintain accurate records.
• Arrange UK and international travel for team members.
• Coordinate departmental meetings and provide administrative assistance to senior stakeholders.
• Manage diaries and meeting schedules when required and take accurate minutes during meetings, including confidential and confidential discussions.
• Respond to enquiries by telephone and email, providing a professional and helpful service.
• Assist with public events within normal working hours as required, such as registering attendees on arrival.
• Order office supplies and manage deliveries.

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.

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.
• Civil Service Pension Scheme defined benefit with 28.97% employer contribution.
• 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.

Our Values

Our values drive everything we do, from how we handle our objects to how we work in our team to fostering a culture where everyone feels heard and empowered:

• Care Deeply
• Embrace the Unknown
• 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.

If you have any additional needs that we should be aware of to support you with your application, please provide details to [e-mail].

Internal Applicants:

We welcome internal applicants regardless of background, department or length of service but encourage you to let your manager know before applying.

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