Curatorial Archivists

The BFI is looking for two Curatorial Archivists to join their Curatorial Team on a fixed-term basis until 31 March 2026.

The Curatorial Archivists will focus on key areas of moving image collections development with core curatorial knowledge informing their work, serving as a crucial bridge between curators, collections management and data and digital preservation teams, ensuring accurate accessioning, cataloguing and overall collections appraisal activity. They will also be responsible for film, video and digital moving image accession, disposal, documentation and specification of conservation work.

• To take responsibility for acquisition, accession and, where necessary, disposal of material on offer to the BFI National Archive.
• To receive and assess acquisition offers, in consultation with curators, as necessary. To document acquired materials and identify any conservation and collections management work required, in accordance with BFI policy and procedures and relevant international standards.
• To undertake identification, accessioning and documentation of materials at collection and/or item level. To participate in programme of retrospective documentation of onsite collections against agreed targets.
• Working within good practice guidelines, to undertake cataloguing in CID of priority titles including newly acquired film, video and digital moving images and those that are part of BFI cultural programme. To catalogue items within the archive to agreed standards using Axiell collections management software.

• Good general knowledge of British moving image history and familiarity with UK film and TV industries.
• Qualification, or equivalent experience, in archiving or library/information.
• Experience of moving image archiving or other appropriate form of heritage collections management.
• Excellent understanding of moving image archiving, including film, video and digital moving image preservation and collections management.
• Excellent knowledge of cataloguing standards.

A full list of responsibilities and minimum requirements can be found on our website.

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.

At the BFI you’ll enjoy benefits such as excellent support for working parents, 25 days annual leave (plus bank holidays and additional paid time off at Christmas), tickets to BFI festivals and events plus many others.

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 visiting the BFI website .

The closing date for applications is 23:59 on Wednesday 17 April 2024

First interviews will be held on w/c 22 April 2024

The closing date for this position is 17/04/2024 at 23:59