Conservator

History of Science Museum; Oxford; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 42,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

38 days of annual leave

Childcare services

Family leave schemes

Discounted travel

Job summary

The History of Science Museum in Oxford is seeking a conservation specialist to join the Research, Teaching and Collections team on a 12-month, full-time secondment. The role focuses on hands-on conservation, condition assessment, and documentation of microscopes, magic lanterns and related objects, with close collaboration with the Greenbaum Curator.

You will prepare conservation plans, record-keeping, and work within collections management systems to ensure integrated conservation and

Qualifications

• Professional qualification in conservation or equivalent experience.
• Demonstrable high‑quality interventive and preventive conservation on complex objects.
• Ability to communicate specialist knowledge clearly to colleagues across disciplines.

Responsibilities

• Undertake detailed condition assessment, conservation treatment and documentation of microscopes, magic lanterns and related objects.
• Collaborate with the Greenbaum Curator to ensure integrated conservation and cataloguing processes.

Skills

Conservation

Interventive conservation

Documentation

Education

Professional qualification in conservation

Tools

Collections management systems

Job description

THIS POST COULD BE CONSIDERED AS A SECONDMENT OPPORTUNITY

About the role

Working as part of the Research, Teaching and Collections team, the postholder will play a central role in enabling the cataloguing, interpretation, and display of this globally significant collection.

The role combines hands‑on conservation with project‑based collection development. The postholder will undertake detailed condition assessment, conservation treatment, and documentation of a large and varied group of microscopes, magic lanterns and associated objects, while working in close partnership with the Greenbaum Curator to ensure that conservation and cataloguing processes are fully integrated. This is a highly collaborative role requiring the ability to communicate specialist knowledge clearly to colleagues from a range of disciplines.

This is a full‑time, fixed‑term position, working 37.5 hours per week for 12 months.

Due to the nature of this post, the successful candidate will be required to undertake a satisfactory Basic Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) due to having direct access to the museum collections.

About You

You will hold a recognised professional qualification in conservation (or equivalent experience) with a specialism in objects conservation. You will have demonstrable experience of undertaking high‑quality interventive and preventive conservation on complex objects, ideally including scientific or mechanical instruments. You will also have strong practical skills and judgement in the treatment of composite objects, with an understanding of appropriate materials, techniques, and ethical frameworks, and experience of producing clear, accurate, and well‑structured conservation documentation and working with collections management systems.

What We Offer

As an employer, we genuinely care about our employees’ wellbeing and this is reflected in the range of benefits that we offer including:

• 38 days of annual leave


• A comprehensive range of childcare services


• Family leave schemes


• Discounted bus travel and Season Ticket travel loans

More information is available at https://www.ox.ac.uk/about/jobs/life-in-oxford

Diversity

Our staff and students come from all over the world, and we proudly promote a friendly and inclusive culture. Diversity is positively encouraged, through diverse groups and champions, as well as a number of family‑friendly policies, such as the right to apply for flexible working and support for staff returning from periods of extended absence, for example, shared parental leave.

We are committed to ensuring that our recruitment processes are inclusive and accessible. If you require the job description or any other materials in an alternative format, or if you would like to request any adjustments to support you through the application or interview process, please contact the recruitment team at [e-mail].

Please discuss secondments with your line manager in the first instance, as you must have their agreement that you can be released for a secondment before you submit an application. Further information can be found here.

Only applications received online by 12.00 midday (BST) on Wednesday 21st October 2026 can be considered. Interviews are expected to take place on Thursday 29th October 2026.