Assistant Collection Manager: Loans and Display

British Museum; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 27,000 - 36,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Free exhibition entry

Civil Service Pension Scheme

25 days annual leave

Learning and development

Employee Assistance Programme

Job summary

The British Museum in London is seeking an Assistant Collection Manager (Loans and Display) for a fixed-term contract of 2 years and 3 months. The role is full-time, based in Bloomsbury with occasional travel to other sites.

You will work hands-on with objects, preparing, packing, mounting and installing displays for UK and international loans, coordinating installation schedules and ensuring safety standards.

Qualifications

• Practical experience of object handling in museum, gallery or heritage contexts.
• Good manual dexterity and use of workshop equipment.
• Understanding of object types and handling/display requirements.
• Knowledge of packing for transit, mount-making and installation/deinstallation is advantageous.
• Ability to plan installation activities with deadlines and priorities.
• Strong problem-solving and attention to detail.
• Excellent communication and collaboration with colleagues and external partners.
• Occasional out-of-hours work and travel within the UK and internationally.

Responsibilities

• Safely handle, move, pack and prepare museum objects for UK and international loans, exhibitions and displays.
• Design and craft mounts and supports using workshop materials.
• Support installation/deinstallation of exhibitions and loans at the Museum and other venues.
• Plan and coordinate installation schedules, resources and practical needs.
• Maintain accurate object and location records with condition checks and photography.
• Coordinate with internal teams and external organisations on object movement and display.

Skills

Object handling

Workshop tools

Installation planning

Problem solving

Communication

Travel flexibility

Tools

Hand tools

Job description

Assistant Collection Manager: Loans and Display

Vacancy Type Fixed Term Contract length Fixed term for 2 years, 3 months Working Pattern Full Time Is hybrid working available? No Location Bloomsbury, London (with occasional travel to other sites as required) Salary £31,675 per annum Application Deadline Sunday, October 25, 2026 Job Profile Job Profile document Role Summary

Role Summary

Interviews are expected to take place on Thursday, 19 October.

About the role

This is an exciting opportunity to join the British Museum’s Loans & Display team, helping to deliver the Museum’s busy programme of exhibitions as well as UK and international loans.

Primarily a hands-on technical role, you will work with objects from across the collection, supporting their safe preparation, movement, packing, display and installation. You will also use our organisational skills to support the coordination of loans and other activity.

The team works in a fast-paced environment, often to tight deadlines, offering excellent opportunities to develop and innovate technical skills, methods and processes while contributing to an ambitious programme of exhibitions and loans.

If you are passionate about the practical care and movement of collections and are looking for an opportunity to develop your technical expertise while contributing to a high-profile programme of exhibitions and international loans, we would be delighted to hear from you.

About you

We are looking for someone with demonstrable practical experience and technical knowledge relevant to museum collections, exhibitions and loans, ideally gained within a museum or gallery environment.

You will bring:

• Practical experience of object handling and working safely with museum, gallery or heritage collections.
• Good manual dexterity and confidence using appropriate hand tools and workshop equipment.
• An understanding of different object types, materials and their handling and display requirements.
• Knowledge and experience of technical activities such as packing objects for transit; mount-making; and exhibition installation and deinstallation is advantageous.
• Able to plan or schedule practical installation activities, with the organisational skills to manage competing priorities and deadlines.
• Strong problem-solving skills with excellent attention to detail and the ability to develop practical solutions to technical challenges.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to work effectively with colleagues and external partners.
• The flexibility to undertake occasional out-of-hours work and UK and international travel where required.

Key areas of responsibility

As an Assistant Collection Manager within Loans & Display, you will:

• Safely handle, move, pack and prepare museum objects for UK and international loans, exhibitions and displays.
• Design and make appropriate mounts and supports for objects, using a range of materials, techniques and workshop equipment.
• Support the installation and deinstallation of exhibitions, displays and loans, both at the British Museum and at other venues.
• Help plan and coordinate installation activity, including schedules, resources and practical requirements, to ensure projects are delivered safely and to deadline.
• Undertake condition checking, documentation and photography, maintaining accurate object and location records.
• Work closely with colleagues across the Museum and with external organisations to coordinate the safe movement and display of objects.
• Identify practical challenges and contribute to technical solutions and improvements in working methods and processes.
• Where required, act as a courier accompanying objects on UK and international loans.
• Ensure appropriate collections care, security and health and safety standards are maintained throughout all activities.

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.

Benefits

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).
• Social and wellbeing perks including Staff parties, social clubs, CSSC sports and leisure, and support from the Civil Service Retirement Fellowship.
• 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.

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
• Spark Curiosity
• 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.

Additional information

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. If you are on a permanent contract and want the fixed-term contract to be treated as a secondment, you will need to obtain your manager’s support before submitting an application.

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