Head of Organic Conservation

The British Museum; London; On-site; GBP 49,000; Full time

Job summary

A prominent cultural institution in London seeks a Head of Organic Conservation to lead a specialist team. The ideal candidate will have significant experience in organic materials conservation, strong leadership, and excellent people skills. Responsibilities include developing operational plans and ensuring compliance with safety protocols. Generous benefits including 25 days annual leave and professional development opportunities are offered.

Benefits

Generous annual leave allowance

Civil service defined benefit pension scheme

Free entry to a wide range of museums

Interest-free loans for travel and rentals

Professional and personal development opportunities

Employee Assistance Programme

Discounts on food and gifts

Qualifications

• Well-established history of conservation in a museum or heritage sector.
• Management experience within a heritage organization.
• Membership of relevant professional organizations.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage a team of organic conservators.
• Develop operational plans for the team.
• Ensure compliance with security and health and safety.

Skills

Leadership skills

Expertise in organic materials conservation

Excellent communication skills

Education

Recognized professional qualification to degree level

Job description

Role Summary

Head of Organic Conservation
Collection Care
Full-time (41 hours per week)
Permanent
£48,568 per annum
Application deadline: 12pm (midday) on 7 October 2025

About the role:

To lead, develop, manage and set standards for a specialist team of organic conservators. To make a major contribution to the Management and planning of the Conservation Team in support of the Museum Operating Plan, the Public Programme and all relevant museum strategies.

Key areas of responsibility

• Lead, manage and motivate a team of staff with expertise in the conservation of organic materials
• Develop operational plans for the Organic Team – in conjunction with other senior members of Conservation, support the preservation, conservation, and research strategies of the Conservation and Collection teams of the Museum.
• Lead of dissemination of work of the Organic Team to the Conservation community through staff activities, publications, and lectures
• Manage contribution to commercial activities – including international loans and consultancy and contribute to the generation of income for the department.
• Ensure compliance with security and health and safety
• Manage delegated budgets for materials

What you’ll bring to the team

You will have a well-established history of organic materials conservation in a museum or heritage sector environment and hold a recognised professional qualification to degree level.

You will display clear leadership and motivational skills and have management experience within a heritage organisation. You will have excellent people skills and an ability to represent the interests of the department and Museum nationally and internationally.

You will be a recognised expert in the field of organic materials conservation and a member of relevant professional organisations.

About the British Museum:

Founded in 1753, the British Museum’s remarkable collection spans over two million years of human history and culture. The Museum is a leading visitor attraction, and its world-famous collection includes Egyptian crocodile armour, Vindolanda tablets, the Sutton-Hoo finds, and the Lewis Chessmen. The Museum also holds an extensive collection of prints and drawings spanning 600 years, including works by the greatest graphic artists Dürer, Michelangelo and Rembrandt. You can view a selection of our impressive collection of prints and drawings in a virtual gallery.

The Museum offers a competitive benefits package including:

• Generous annual leave allowance of 25 days (rising to 30 days after 10 years’ service) plus 2.5 privilege days and plus bank holidays.
• Membership of the civil service defined benefit pension scheme (benefits of a civil service pension).
• Free entry to a wide range of museums and exhibitions
• Participation in private and public Museum activities, including talks by leading curators from around the world and behind-the-scenes opportunities to learn how museums care for and manage their extraordinary collections.
• Interest-free travel, bicycle, and rental deposit loans
• Professional and personal development opportunities
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Discounts on food and gift shop purchases

Additional details:

For more information about this role, please see the job description.

Interviews are planned for 21 October 2025.

We have a legal responsibility to ensure that employees have the right to work in the UK. If you currently do not hold the right to work in the UK, we can only sponsor a limited number of roles that meet eligibility criteria. To offer a sponsorship, the job role you apply needs to be in the list of eligible occupations. Additionally (with some limited exceptions), the role will need to meet the minimum salary threshold of £41,700 or the going rate for the job, whichever is the highest. You can find more information here.

The British Museum is committed to promoting equality of opportunity for all staff and job applicants. We aim to create a working environment in which all individuals can make best use of their skills, free from unlawful discrimination or harassment. We value the benefits that a diverse workforce brings to a museum which represents world culture. The Museum is committed to ensuring that no job applicant suffers unlawful discrimination because of any protected characteristics. Our recruitment procedures aim to ensure that individuals are treated because of their relevant knowledge, skills, and experience.

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