Documentation and Recovery Specialist

The British Museum is seeking a skilled Documentation and Recovery Specialist to join its team. As a key member of the museum's collections department, you will play a crucial role in supporting the recovery of missing and stolen items from the Greece and Rome collections.

This is a fixed-term position until 31 January 2028, offering a competitive salary of £35,165 per annum. You will work full-time, approximately 41 hours per week, including one hour for lunch.

We are looking for an experienced professional with a strong background in archival research and collection documentation. Your primary responsibilities will include:

• Conducting archival research to assess the scale and nature of losses and damage to the Greece and Rome collections;
• Supporting the full documentation and digitization of the Greece and Rome collections, including registering unregistered items, recovering items, updating records for damaged or missing items, and developing a deeper understanding of historic losses;
• Publishing the results of the recovery programme, including the scale and nature of losses and damage;
• Disseminating lessons learned from the Recovery and Documentation programmes;
• Promoting the collections and the importance of collection documentation.

You will be working closely with other teams within the museum to achieve these objectives. The ideal candidate will have excellent communication and interpersonal skills, as well as the ability to work independently and as part of a team.

To be considered for this role, you will need:

• A strong background in archival research and collection documentation;
• Experience of independent research and equivalent archival research;
• An understanding of the workings of collection-based organisations;
• Word processing skills, including familiarity with spreadsheets and databases;
• A personable manner and strong time-management skills;
• Excellent spoken and written English language skills;
• The ability to work as part of a team and communicate effectively with colleagues.

The British Museum offers a range of benefits, including:

• A generous annual leave allowance of 25 days (rising to 30 days after 10 years' service) plus two-and-a-half privilege days and bank holidays;
• Membership of the civil service defined benefit pension scheme;
• Free entry to a wide range of museums and exhibitions;
• Participation in private and public Museum activities, including talks by leading curators and behind-the-scenes opportunities;
• Interest-free travel, bicycle, and rental deposit loans;
• Professional and personal development opportunities;
• An Employee Assistance Programme;
• Discounts on food and gift shop purchases.

The British Museum is committed to promoting equality of opportunity for all staff and job applicants. We value the benefits that a diverse workforce brings to our representation of world culture.