Lead Preventive Conservator

British Library; Greater London; On-site; GBP 43,000; Full time

Job summary

A national library of the UK is seeking a Lead Preventive Conservator to lead preventive conservation efforts and manage a team at the St Pancras site. This role involves advocating for sustainable practices, risk mitigation, and serving as a liaison for stakeholders. Candidates should have a degree in Preventive Conservation or similar and relevant heritage experience. A competitive salary and generous benefits are offered, along with flexible working hours.

Benefits

Competitive salary

Pension scheme with 28.97% contributions

Flexible working hours

25 days holiday

Qualifications

• Degree in Preventive Conservation or equivalent experience.
• Experience in a relevant heritage context using risk management.
• Knowledge of designing and implementing policy, processes, and procedures.

Responsibilities

• Lead preventive conservation and disaster preparedness across the St Pancras site.
• Manage a preventive conservation team delivering risk mitigation work programmes.
• Serve as liaison for stakeholders to promote preventive conservation culture.
• Collaborate with the Sustainability Manager on collection care practices.
• Interface between Conservation departments in St Pancras and Boston Spa.

Skills

Good communication skills

Experience in Preventive Conservation

Education

Degree or equivalent in Preventive Conservation or similar

Job description

Location: St Pancras

Contract: Permanent

Hours: Full time (36 hours)

Grade: A

Salary: £42,179 per annum

Overview

The British Library is seeking a Lead Preventive Conservator to provide leadership and advocacy in preventive conservation and disaster preparedness across the St Pancras site, London. Embedded within the conservation department, the role manages a small Preventive Conservation team, delivering a work programme using risk mitigation for collection storage, transit, display and use in all St Pancras spaces. By promoting the adoption of a preventive conservation culture within the library, the role is an important liaison and advisor for a wide range of stakeholders to enable access to collection material. The role works closely with the Sustainability Manager, continually developing collection care practices that support the BL Sustainability and Climate Change Strategy. The Preventive Team also provides an effective interface between the aligned Conservation departments in St Pancras and Boston Spa, Yorkshire.

Responsibilities

Lead and advocate preventive conservation and disaster preparedness across the St Pancras site.

Manage a preventive conservation team, delivering a work programme using risk mitigation for collection storage, transit, display and use.

Serve as liaison and advisor for stakeholders to promote preventive conservation culture.

Collaborate with the Sustainability Manager to develop collection care practices supporting sustainability.

Interface between Conservation departments in St Pancras and Boston Spa.

Qualifications

The post holder will have a degree or equivalent experience in Preventive Conservation or a similar discipline. Experience of working in a relevant heritage context using risk management and knowledge of designing and implementing policy, processes, and procedures is required. Good communication skills are essential.

About us

We are the national library of the UK and we are here for everyone. Our shelves hold over 170 million items – a living collection that gets bigger every day. Although our roots extend back centuries, we aim to collect everything published in the UK today, tomorrow and far into the future. Our trusted experts care for this collection and open it up for everyone to spark new discoveries, ideas and to help people do incredible things.

Benefits

• A competitive salary.
• A fantastic pension scheme with minimum employer contributions of 28.97% (may be higher depending on grade).
• Flexible working hours, with the ability to take up to 5 days flexi leave in a 3-month period.
• 25 days holiday.
• Full details of employee benefits can be found on our Careers: Benefits.

Things you need to know

• We are unable to provide sponsorship under the UK Skilled Worker visa for this role.
• Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check (DBS check).
• Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application; however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified, applications may be withdrawn.
• We particularly welcome applications from Black, Asian, Mixed Race and other ethnically diverse candidates and disabled candidates. Creating an inclusive workplace is the core of our business and a way to engage the diversity of thought that is essential to achieve our aims.

Closing date: 11 January 2026

If you have any questions, please contact [e-mail]