Television Project Curator

British Film Institute (BFI); Berkhamsted; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 45,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading cultural charity in the UK, the BFI, seeks a Project Curator for its TV Curatorial team, focusing on the accessioning of the TV-am Collection. The role includes managing physical and digital materials, advocating for the collection, and collaborating with colleagues on cataloguing and access.

Benefits

25 days annual leave plus bank holidays

BFI pension scheme with 5% employer contribution

BFI Childcare Scheme contribution

Complimentary tickets to screenings and events

Discount on BFI products

Additional paid time off between Christmas and New Year

Enhanced pay for Maternity & Paternity leave

Qualifications

• Significant experience in moving image archiving or equivalent qualification.
• Awareness of collection management standards.
• Experience with historical video formats.

Responsibilities

• Responsible for accessioning materials from the TV-am collection into the BFI National Archive.
• Promote and advocate for the collection, including researching funding opportunities.
• Assist in the selection of materials for digitization and access.

Skills

Moving image archiving

Collections management standards

Digital moving image preservation

Minimum moving image cataloguing requirements

Education

Equivalent qualification in archiving

Job description

The job requirements are detailed below. Where applicable the skills, qualifications and memberships required for this job have also been included.

We are looking for a Project Curator to join our TV Curatorial team, working within the collections of the national television archive. This role will focus on planning and carrying out the accessioning of the TV-am Collection to the BFI National Archive. TV-am held the ITV franchise for breakfast television from 1983 to 1992 and the collection is comprised of long running series including Good Morning Britain and Frost on Sunday, which are held on obsolete video formats and digital files. The Project Curator will appraise the collection with reference to existing holdings in the BFI National Archive and undertake the accessioning, cataloguing and public engagement planning for the collection with the support of the team.

Please note this role will require substantial physical handling of archive videotape materials.

Key responsibilities include:

• To be responsible for the physical and digital identification, acquisition and full accessioning of materials from the TV-am collection into the BFI National Archive.
• To promote the collection and advocate for it as a resource, including researching fundraising opportunities and potential research partnerships.
• To work with colleagues to develop documentation planning and cataloguing for the collection with support from the Assistant Curators.
• To work with colleagues to prioritise and manage the selection of materials for digitisation and access.

We are looking for candidates who have:

• Significant and demonstrable experience of moving image archiving, or equivalent qualification.
• Demonstrable awareness of and adherence to standards for collections management.
• Experience working with historical video formats and digital moving image preservation.
• Knowledge of minimum moving image cataloguing requirements.

A full list of responsibilities and minimum requirements can be found in the job description.

About the BFI

We are a cultural charity, a National Lottery distributor, and the UK’s lead organisation for film and the moving image. We believe society needs stories. Film, television and the moving image bring them to life, helping us connect and understand each other better. We share the stories of yesterday, search for the stories of today, and shape the stories of tomorrow.

• 25 days annual leave (rising to 30 with service) + bank holidays + the o ption to buy up to 5 extra days of annual leave
• Additional paid time off between Christmas and New Year
• BFI pension scheme with 5% employer contribution
• BFI Childcare Scheme, where we contribute to childcare costs for children up to the age of 14
• Enhanced pay for Maternity & Paternity leave
• Complimentary tickets to BFI Southbank & IMAX screenings and events
• Free BFI Player subscription + discount on BFI DVDs, books, merchandise, and film tickets

Plus many more, which can be found in our Working at the BFI information pack on our website.

We support diversity and inclusion, and as an organisation recognise that we need to address under representation within our teams. As such we strongly welcome and encourage applicants from our under-represented groups; who identify as D/deaf and disabled and/or are Black and Global Majority. We guarantee a first interview to our under-represented groups who meet our minimum requirements.

Further details about the role, the BFI and our benefits can be obtained by clicking the links to the left.

Depending on the volume of applications, you may be asked to complete a small task or attend a pre-interview screening call to further to assist the hiring team in shortlisting for this role. In this instance, interview dates may be subject to change.

The closing date for applications is 23:59 on Thursday 26 June 2025

First interviews will be held on Wednesday 09 July 2025

Second interviews will be held on Wednesday 16 July 2025