Conservator: Eastern Art on Paper & Silk

British Museum Company; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 32,000 - 39,000; 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 a Conservator for Eastern Art on Paper & Silk, based in Bloomsbury, London. The role focuses on conserving Chinese and other East Asian and South Asian paintings, with training in the Hirayama Studio and responsibilities across exhibitions, loans and storage projects.

You will work within the Pictorial Art Conservation team, applying conservation theory and ethics while developing expertise and sharing knowledge with colleagues and audiences.

Qualifications

• Qualified conservator with practical experience in paper conservation.
• Strong interest in Chinese and South Asian pictorial art.
• Solid understanding of conservation theory, ethics, preventive conservation and material deterioration.

Responsibilities

• Develop specialist expertise in conservation of Chinese, other East Asian and South Asian paintings.
• Help deliver exhibitions, loans and displays.
• Support projects to improve care, storage and accessibility of the collection.
• Collaborate with curatorial, conservation and collections teams to deliver priorities.
• Share expertise through talks, publications and public engagement.
• Contribute to development of conservation approaches, research and documentation.

Skills

Paper conservation

Chinese art

South Asian art

Tools

Hirayama Studio

Job description

Conservator: Eastern Art on Paper & Silk

Vacancy Type Permanent Contract length N/A Working Hours 4 days per week, working 31.3 hours Working Pattern Part Time Is hybrid working available? No, on-site working daily If hybrid how many days on site minimum? N/A Location Bloomsbury, London Salary £35,043 FTE (30,467.94 pro rata) Application Deadline Sunday, November 22, 2026 Job Profile Job Profile document
Role Summary

About the role

This role offers an exciting opportunity to establish yourself as a valued member of the Pictorial Art Conservation team while developing specialist expertise in the conservation of Chinese and other East Asian and South Asian paintings. Alongside dedicated training in Chinese paintings conservation in the world-renowned Hirayama Studio, you will contribute to the care, study and long-term preservation of the collection through both interventive and preventive conservation activities.

You will play an important part in delivering the Museum’s priorities, supporting exhibitions, loans and collections storage projects while helping to ensure objects are cared for to the highest professional standards. Working closely with colleagues across the Museum, you will also contribute to research, public engagement and the ongoing development of conservation practice.

About you

You are a qualified conservator with practical experience in paper conservation and a strong interest in Chinese and South Asian pictorial art. You have a sound understanding of conservation theory, ethics, preventive conservation and material deterioration.

You are an organised and collaborative professional who can balance detailed conservation work with competing priorities. Comfortable working independently and as part of a team, you communicate effectively with colleagues and wider audiences, and are committed to developing your expertise in Chinese, other East Asian and South Asian pictorial art.

Key areas of responsibility

• Develop your specialist expertise in the conservation of Chinese, other East Asian and South Asian paintings.
• Help deliver an ambitious programme of exhibitions, loans and displays.
• Support projects that improve the care, storage and accessibility of the collection.
• Work closely with curatorial, conservation and collections colleagues to deliver shared priorities and successful cross-Museum projects.
• Share your expertise through talks, publications, social media and other public engagement activities.
• Contribute to the development of conservation approaches, research and documentation that support the Museum’s commitment to best practice and collection care.

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 considerable employer contribution.
• 25 days' annual leave plus bank holidays and 2.5 privilege days (and +5 days after 10 years). This is pro-rata'd for part-time colleagues.
• Discounts at onsite catering, Museum shops and local Bloomsbury partners.
• 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.
• Interest-free loans including season ticket, rental deposit and bicycle loans.

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.