Project Curator – UK Palaeolithic Project

About the role

The stone tool collections held by the Ashmolean Museum, the Museum of Natural History and Pitt Rivers Museum are vast, comprehensive and of considerable research value – put together they are one of the most significant lithics collection in the UK. This project will focus on the British Palaeolithic – this is the greatest strength of the lithic collections and also sits well with the amazing Pleistocene faunal collections in the Museum of Natural History.

The Project Curator will be responsible for cataloguing and photographing the entire collection and 3D scanning key items. Catalogue data will be held in the internal Collections Management Systems (Axiell EMu; MuseumPlus) and will be made accessible worldwide through the individual Collections Online sites as well as through a web presence on the University’s Gardens, Libraries and Museums site. They will also spend some time developing and delivering teaching sessions for students, learning resources for schools, pop-up exhibitions, public programming, and volunteer opportunities.

This is a full-time, fixed-term post for 36 months. The post could be fully on-site or hybrid (up to two days a week working from home).

Due to the nature of this post, the successful candidate will be required to undertake a satisfactory Basic Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check.

About You

The successful candidate will have an undergraduate degree with a substantial Archaeology component and experience of identifying and classifying prehistoric lithic artefacts.

They will also have a track record of collections-focused museum work, including photographing museum objects and using collections management systems (CMSs) such as Axiell EMu or MuseumPlus.

Experience of using a structured light scanner to make 3D scans would be desirable but is not essential.

What We Offer

As an employer, we genuinely care about our employees’ wellbeing and this is reflected in the range of benefits that we offer including:

• An excellent contributory pension scheme
• 38 days of annual leave
• A comprehensive range of childcare services
• Family leave schemes
• Cycle loan scheme
• Discounted bus travel and Season Ticket travel loans

More information is available at https://hr.admin.ox.ac.uk/staff-benefits

Diversity

Our staff and students come from all over the world, and we proudly promote a friendly and inclusive culture. Diversity is positively encouraged, through diverse groups and champions, as well as a number of family-friendly policies, such as the right to apply for flexible working and support for staff returning from periods of extended absence, for example, shared parental leave.

We are committed to ensuring that our recruitment processes are inclusive and accessible. If you require the job description or any other materials in an alternative format, or if you would like to request any adjustments to support you through the application or interview process, please contact the recruitment team at recruitment@glam.ox.ac.uk.

How to apply

You will be required to upload your CV and a supporting statement as part of your online application. Your supporting statement should list each of the essential and desirable selection criteria, as listed in the job description, and explain how you meet each one. CVs alone will not be considered.

We aim to provide a supportive working environment and are happy to discuss training and professional development opportunities. The Chair of this recruitment panel will be Duncan Murdock, Collections Manager (Earth Collections), who can be contacted with enquiries relating to the role (duncan.murdock@oum.ox.ac.uk). General queries about the recruitment and application process should be directed to the GLAM Recruitment team (recruitment@glam.ox.ac.uk).

Only applications received online by 12.00 midday (BST) on Friday 8 May 2026 can be considered. Interviews are expected to take place on 4 June 2026.

Location: Oxford University Museum of Natural History, Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PW, as well as Ashmolean Museum and Pitt Rivers Museum as required.
Pay Scale: STANDARD GRADE 6
Salary: £35,681 - £41,636 per annum
Vacancy ID: 185657