Conservator: Storage

Artsjobsonline Ltd; Camden Town; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 55,000; Full time

Job summary

British Museum is seeking an experienced Conservator: Storage to lead preventive conservation for stores across the estate, including Orsman Road and the Archaeological Research Collection in Reading. You will manage risks to the collection and ensure preservation needs shape planning, delivery, and movement projects.

With substantial post‑qualification experience in the heritage sector, you will assess risks to diverse materials, monitor environmental data, and implement preventive measures

Qualifications

• Post-qualification experience in the heritage sector.
• Strong practical knowledge of preventive conservation and collection storage.
• Experience assessing risks to collections and environmental data interpretation.
• Ability to plan complex work and influence across teams.

Responsibilities

• Identify and manage preventive conservation risks across collection stores.
• Shape practical conservation solutions for varied materials and environments.
• Monitor environmental data and interpret trends to propose actions.
• Support collection moves and storage projects from planning through delivery.
• Collaborate across the Museum to embed preventive conservation in projects.

Skills

Preventive conservation

Environmental monitoring

Risk assessment

Project planning

Collaboration

Education

Conservation degree

Eligible for PACR accreditation

Job description

As Conservator: Storage, your main focus will be providing preventive conservation support for collection stores across the British Museum estate, including Orsman Road and the British Museum Archaeological Research Collection in Reading. You will lead work to understand and manage risks to the collection in storage, taking account of the specific environmental and preservation needs of its varied materials.

Alongside this storage focus, you will support preventive conservation colleagues across the Museum's galleries and contribute to collection move and storage projects, helping to reduce risk throughout planning and delivery. Working collaboratively across the Museum, you will provide expert advice and help ensure preventive conservation requirements are embedded in projects, including work connected with the Museum's wider Masterplan.

About you

You will bring considerable post qualification experience in the heritage sector, with strong practical knowledge of preventive conservation and experience of collection storage. You will have a recognised professional conservation qualification to degree level or equivalent experience and be eligible for, or working towards, PACR accreditation.

You will be confident assessing risks to collections made from a wide range of materials, with experience of environmental monitoring, analysis and reporting. You will have experience of implementing and evaluating preventive conservation approaches, standards and preservation measures to support the long-term care of collections. You will combine sound professional judgement and problem solving skills with the ability to plan complex work, collaborate and influence effectively.

Key areas of responsibility

• Protect the collection by identifying and managing preventive conservation risks across collection stores
• Shape practical conservation solutions that respond to the different environmental and preservation needs of collection materials
• Monitor and interpret environmental data, using evidence to identify emerging risks and recommend effective action
• Support collection moves and storage projects, helping to minimise risk to objects from planning through to delivery
• Collaborate with colleagues across the Museum to provide preventive conservation advice for stores, galleries and other collection spaces

The Masterplan

The British Museum is undertaking its biggesttransformationsince 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.