Collections Assistant – Oxfordshire County Council

Aim Museums; Oxford; On-site; GBP 22,000 - 26,000; Full time

Job summary

A local government museum service is seeking a Collections Assistant to support the care and access of its museum collection. You will assist with conservation efforts, maintain documentation, and engage with the public through exhibitions and social media. Strong communication skills and a background in the heritage sector are essential. This is a permanent role based in Oxford, offering an opportunity to enhance skills in collections management.

Qualifications

• Experience working or volunteering in a heritage sector setting.
• Ability to engage public with collections.
• Familiarity with collections management systems/databases.

Responsibilities

• Support care and access of the museum collection.
• Assist preventive conservation and maintain documentation.
• Deliver public engagement activities and respond to inquiries.

Skills

Strong communication skills

Computer literacy

Experience in heritage sector

Job description

Collections Assistant – Oxfordshire County Council

Job Title: Collections Assistant

Hours: 14.8 hours per week

Terms: Permanent

Location: Oxfordshire Museum Service, Oxford County Council

About Us

Oxfordshire County Council are seeking to appoint a Collections Assistant atthe Oxfordshire Museum Service on a permanent basis, reporting directly to the Curator of Social History.This is an exciting time to join the service as we strive to enhance our collections and explore new ways to make them accessible to audiences.

Our museum service cares for a collection of approximately 112,000 objects, divided equally between Archaeology and Social History, each overseen by a dedicated Curator.The collections are diverse, with objects from the Palaeolithic period through to contemporary collecting.

We make our collections accessible via our range of services including through our key operating sites. The Oxfordshire Museum is our flag ship site of permanent and temporary galleries, attracting over 100,000 visitors every year. The Museum Resource Centre (MRC) is our bespoke storage and conservation centre.Home to tens of thousands of objects as well as curatorial and learning staff, the MRC is where conservation and collections management takes place.The service also manages two remote sites, Swalcliffe Barn (near Banbury), a medieval tithe barn with agricultural collections, and the Bishops Palace (Witney) an open archaeological site of special historic interest.

About the Role

The Collections Assistant supports the care and access of our museum collection.This is a hands-on role that works closely with colleagues and volunteers on collections care, assisting preventive conservation and looking after the collections behind the scenes.The Collections Assistant helps maintain our documentation and enhance digital records, improving access and knowledge of the collections.

The role also helps to deliver public engagement activities, supporting with exhibitions, social media, and responding to public enquiries.Collaboration is central, as they work alongside the Curator of Social History and the wider Collections team to maintain high standards of collections care and public service.

About you

The successful applicant will have experience of working or volunteering in a heritage sector setting, and engaging the public with collections. They will have strong communication skills and computer literacy, a familiarity with or willingness to learn about collections management systems/databases, and the ability to undertake manual tasks.

The successful applicant will be happy working independently, as part of the Collections team, or with wider museum colleagues, and with volunteers.They will help us to deliver excellent collections practices by demonstrating the Oxfordshire County Council values of ‘Taking Responsibility’ and ‘Equality and Integrity in everything we do’.