About the Role
The Oxford University Museum of Natural History is leading the Oxford element of the Central England Digitisation Co-Hub, a major national programme that is transforming access to natural history collections through large-scale digitisation. Working closely with colleagues across Oxford, Cambridge and partner institutions, you will help preserve and make globally significant collections accessible to researchers and the public.
You will play a key role in the digitisation of natural history specimens across the Museum of Natural History and the Oxford University Herbaria. Working within a small, collaborative Digitisation Team, you will prepare and safely handle specimens, capture high-quality images and metadata, and ensure digitised records meet institutional and sector standards before publication through national and international collections platforms.
You will supervise and support Digitisers in their day-to-day work, helping to maintain efficient workflows, monitor quality, troubleshoot operational issues and contribute to continuous improvement. You will also work closely with colleagues across the Central England network, share best practice, contribute to reporting and public engagement activities, and help train staff, volunteers and interns.
This is a full-time, fixed-term post for 18 months.
About You
You will have demonstrable experience of collections digitisation or museum collections management, together with excellent attention to detail and the ability to work accurately when following complex workflows involving delicate and irreplaceable specimens. You will have experience of using collections management systems or relational databases, alongside strong IT skills, including Microsoft Office, and experience checking and validating data to ensure accuracy and consistency.
You will have experience supervising or coordinating the work of others, with the ability to allocate work, embed good practice and support colleagues to achieve high standards. You will be an organised and adaptable team member, capable of prioritising a varied workload while communicating effectively with colleagues, volunteers and external partners. Experience within natural history collections, biodiversity data standards or museum digitisation projects would be an advantage.
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
[email protected].
How to apply
You will be required to upload your CV and a supporting statement (or supporting evidence form using the attached template) as part of your online application. Your supporting evidence form/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 Sarah Joomun, Digital Collections Manager, who can be contacted with enquiries relating to the role (
[email protected]). General queries about the recruitment and application process should be directed to the Recruitment team within our Human Resources department (
[email protected]).
Only applications received online by 12.00 midday (BST) on Monday 27 July 2026 can be considered. Interviews are expected to take place on Monday 17 August 2026.
