Overview
Project Curator: South Asia (Mughals to Raj and Assam) – London
About the role
This three-year Project Curator role will support the development and delivery of the British Museum’s Mughals to Raj exhibition and Assam textile loan project. Working closely with the Lead Curator, you will contribute to exhibition research, publication development, public programming, project archiving and the ongoing documentation of the South Asia collection.
As a core member of the project team, you will work across departments and with external partners to help deliver a major international exhibition and a major loan exhibition. The role offers an excellent opportunity for an early career South Asia specialist to develop curatorial expertise while contributing to research, interpretation, collections management and public engagement activities.
About you
You will bring a strong academic background in South Asian art history or a related discipline, with a postgraduate qualification such as a PhD particularly valued. You will have excellent research, writing and communication skills, along with experience of presenting information clearly to a range of audiences. High proficiency in Microsoft Office and confidence working with digital collections, imagery and project documentation are essential.
You are a collaborative and diplomatic team player who can also work independently and take ownership of competing priorities. Organised, accurate and resilient, you thrive in a busy project environment and can balance the demands of several concurrent workstreams while maintaining high standards and meeting deadlines. You are an effective communicator who builds positive relationships with colleagues, partners and external stakeholders at all levels.
Key areas of responsibility
- Support the planning and delivery of the Mughals to Raj exhibition, publication and related public programme in partnership with the Lead Curator and project team.
- Manage exhibition documentation, object records, digital imagery and project databases to ensure accurate and timely project delivery.
- Coordinate with lenders, partners and internal colleagues to gather loan information, rights and reproduction permissions and related project requirements.
- Conduct curatorial, object and picture research, including supporting photography commissions, publication content and exhibition interpretation.
- Draft and edit exhibition texts and related materials, and contribute to gallery tours, lectures and other public engagement activities.
- Build strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders, represent the Lead Curator when required and support wider South Asia collections work and enquiries.
- Assist with the Documentation and Digitisation programme
The British Museum is undertaking its biggest transformation since its founding nearly 300 years ago. This physical and intellectual transformation includes large scale building and gallery transformation, new ways of connecting with audiences and different ways of working. As we look towards this exciting future, we remain guided by the words of our founder Hans Sloane – who dreamed of a museum connecting all arts and sciences, which would be accessible to everyone, everywhere.
At the British Museum, we believe our people are at the heart of everything we do and have designed a benefits package that goes beyond the ordinary. Our full list of benefits can be found here, but we’ve outlined some highlights below:
- Free exhibition entry for you and guests, exclusive private views, ICOM and reciprocal museum access.
- Civil Service Pension Scheme defined benefit with 28.97% employer contribution.
- 25 days’ annual leave plus bank holidays and 2.5 privilege days (and +5 days after 10 years).
- Discounts at onsite catering, Museum shops and local Bloomsbury partners.
- Social and wellbeing perks including Staff parties, social clubs, CSSC sports and leisure, and support from the Civil Service Retirement Fellowship.
- Peer support and allyship with five diversity networks for community.
- Learning and development through courses, mentoring and Athena as well as support for professional qualifications.
- Interest‑free loans including season ticket, rental deposit and bicycle loans.
Our values drive everything we do, from how we handle our objects to how we work in our team to fostering a culture where everyone feels heard and empowered:
- Care Deeply
- Embrace the Unknown
- Spark Curiosity
- Value Many Voices
These are a core part of how we recruit. Throughout the application, interview and selection process, we look for examples of how candidates demonstrate these behaviours in their own work and experiences. We encourage you to familiarise yourself with our values and reflect them in your application.
If you have any additional needs that we should be aware of to support you with your application, please provide details to bmrecruit@britishmuseum.org.
Right to Work: The British Museum holds a Skilled Worker sponsor licence. Applicants are responsible for determining whether the advertised salary and role meet current UKVI sponsorship requirements and for ensuring they have, or can obtain, the appropriate right to work in the UK. The Museum cannot provide immigration advice, and eligibility should be checked before submitting an application.
Internal Applicants: We welcome internal applicants regardless of background, department or length of service but encourage you to let your manager know before applying. If you are on a permanent contract and want the fixed-term contract to be treated as a secondment, you will need to obtain your manager’s support before submitting an application.
The Museum also adheres to the HMG Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) for pre-employment screening of Civil Servants.
IMPORTANT: Before applying for this role, please make sure you have the right to work in the country where the role is based. Unless it clearly stipulates within in the job advert above that the hiring company is looking to or able to sponsor applicants it is deemed that the hiring employer will only consider applications from those able to comply with and work in the country where the role is based.
