Head of Conservation

Salary: £57,471 - £67,902

The BFI is seeking a full time Head of Conservation for the BFI’s National Archive, which holds one of the largest film and television collections in the world, carefully preserving these collections so that future generations can enjoy the UK’s film heritage.

About the BFI National Archive

The BFI National Archive’s aim is to open up the world of our moving image heritage to today’s and tomorrow’s audiences for understanding and enjoyment, while ensuring wide research into and creative use of the collection. Providing superb conservation and restoration care and management is central to our plans. This role provides an opportunity to rethink and reimagine how we undertake this critical work.

The role of the Conservation department is primarily to preserve, conserve and restore, but also to facilitate the use of the BFI National Archive. By combining expert knowledge of materials and techniques with outstanding practical skills, underpinned by experimentation and innovation, conservators and specialist technicians help make our collections safe and accessible for future generations through care and restoration. We share our expertise with colleagues around the world and have benefited from many collaborations with external institutions, and wish to pursue more.

About the role

You will be responsible for leading and developing the conservation team, providing direction to ensure long term preservation and restoration of the collections. You will have a good knowledge of digital film, television and moving image technologies, and substantial experience of film conservation, preservation and restoration practices.

You will have practical experience of the challenges encountered in conservation and a strong track record of providing clear and effective leadership of skilled practitioners, allowing you to reinvigorate our focus and reputation as a leader in the area of moving image conservation and restoration, and develop our overall conservation strategy.

We support diversity and inclusion, applicants from our under-represented groups, both of non-white ethnicity and/or those who identify as D/deaf and disabled we guarantee a first interview on meeting our minimum requirements. How we are doing, including our pay gaps and our commitment to Black Lives Matter can be found on our website.

Based in Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire you will enjoy benefits such as our pension scheme, excellent support for working parents, 28-33 days annual leave, tickets to BFI festivals and events plus many others.

To apply

Further details about the post can be found on our website.

First interviews will be held on Thursday 21 and/or Friday 22 October 2021.

Second interviews will be held on week commencing 25 October 2021. 

The closing date for this position is 11/10/2021 at 23:59