Collections Care Assistant

University of Edinburgh; City of Edinburgh; On-site; GBP 26,000 - 29,000; Part time

Job summary

The University of Edinburgh is seeking a part-time Collections Care Assistant to support the Heritage Collections and Conservation teams, contributing to the high-quality care and management of the University's rare and unique collections.

This 10-month fixed-term post offers flexible 15/15/9 hour patterns across undergraduate, postgraduate taught and research cohorts, with a pro rata salary of £26,093–£28,778 per annum.

Job description

Job Description

Grade UE04: £26,093 - £28,778 per annum pro rata

Information Services / Heritage Collections / Library & University Collections

Part-time - hours per week as follows:

• 15 hours for undergraduate students
• 15 hours for postgraduate taught students
• 9 hours postgraduate research students

Fixed-term: 10 months fixed term contract

Vacancies available: 2

Where discovery never stops. Be part of something bigger.

Whether you're looking to take the next step in your current specialism, explore a new challenge, or broaden your experience, we offer opportunities where you can flourish and make a real difference. Our people come from a wide range of backgrounds, each bringing their abilities and experiences to our organisation, helping us thrive and innovate together.

The University of Edinburgh is a world-class organisation. We are a large University covering a wide range of activities. In Professional Services, we support the University's research and teaching, offering many career and role specialisms.

The Opportunity:

This is an excellent opportunity for students interested in pursuing a career in the cultural heritage sector. As Collections Care Assistant, you will support the Heritage Collections department's Conservation and Collections Management team, contributing to the high-quality care and management of the University's rare and unique collections.

Beyond the role itself, this position is designed to help you develop valuable, sector-specific skills and practical experience. Whether you are aiming to enter the cultural heritage workforce or seeking a strong foundation for postgraduate study, this role offers meaningful professional development and a genuine opportunity to build your CV.

People are at the centre of the University community and everything we do. We are a place where everyone is welcome and offer a range of policies and benefits designed to support you in building the right meaningful flexibility that works for you.

Discover more about working at the University of Edinburgh on our Jobs website

A career with us has a range of other benefits that can be tailored to your lifestyle:

• Working within one of the world's leading universities
• Contributing to the work and purpose of the University.
• Opportunities to develop new skills and broaden your experience
• Interesting work

This post is part time: 15 hours for undergraduate students;15 hours for postgraduate taught students; 9 hours for postgraduate research students; we are open to considering flexible working patterns.

Please note, these recommendations apply to the total number of hours you are employed across all posts.

As a valued member of our team, you can expect:

• A competitive salary.
• An exciting, positive, creative, challenging and rewarding place to work.
• To be part of a diverse and vibrant international community.
• Comprehensive Staff Benefits, including generous annual leave entitlement, a defined benefits pension scheme, a wide range of staff discounts, family-friendly initiatives, and flexible work options. Check out the full list on our staff benefits pageand use our reward calculator to discover the value of your pay and benefits.

Championing equality, diversity, and inclusion

The University of Edinburgh holds a Silver Athena SWAN award in recognition of our commitment to advance gender equality in higher education. We are members of the Race Equality Charter, and we are also Stonewall Scotland Diversity Champions, actively promoting LGBT equality.

Prior to any employment commencing with the University, you will be required to evidence your right to work in the UK. Further information is available on our right to work webpages.

Key dates to note

The closing date for applications is 8 October 2026.

Unless stated otherwise, the closing time for applications is 11:59 pm (UK time). If you are applying from outside the UK, the closing time shown on our adverts will automatically adjust to your browser's local time zone.

Interviews will be held mid-October.

About Us

As a world-leading research-intensive University, we are here to address tomorrow's greatest challenges. Between now and 2030 we will do that with a values-led approach to teaching, research and innovation, and through the strength of our relationships, both locally and globally.

About the Team

The Library helps people to grow their knowledge and create new connections through open services, collections and environments, sparking ideas that change the world. Library & University Collections teams (approximately 200 staff) provide leadership and oversight for the University's library and museum collections and services, and lead the University's transition to Open Scholarship. Collections comprise over 2 million print volumes, 2 million e-books, 200,000 e-journals and 100 kilometres of Heritage Collections which include rare books, archives, artworks and musical instruments. Library & University Collections deliver highly-regarded services to support teaching, learning and research across the University and wider communities. Services and access to collections are provided online and onsite through the Main Library, site libraries, the Centre for Research Collections, award-winning makerspace services and St Cecilia's Hall Concert Room & Music Museum.