Director of Collections

Open since 1683, the Ashmolean Museum is the University of Oxford’s museum of art and archaeology. Situated in the heart of the city, we are an iconic destination open to everyone, every day. With c.900k visitors a year pre-Covid, we are the most visited university museum in the world. The collections and archives at the Ashmolean are a global resource comprising over 1 million objects and works of art covering almost the entire span of human history, across four major curatorial departments: Antiquities, Eastern Art, Western Art, and the Heberden Coin Room. Amongst our world-leading holdings are the most significant Pre-Dynastic Egyptian collections outside Egypt, the earliest collection of Classical sculpture and inscriptions in Britain, and one of the world’s finest assemblages of Western European drawings.

The Director of Collections is the most senior curatorial role within the Museum, sitting on the Museum’s senior management group with responsibility for leading curatorial and collections strategy. They line manage the Keepers of all curatorial departments, as well as the Head of Conservation and Head of Digital Collections, and will themselves act as Keeper (supported by a deputy) of the Department in which their expertise sits. The post also carries a college fellowship; as a College Governing Body Fellow, the Director of Collections is expected to play an active role in the academic life and governance of the college.

Candidates for the role will bring a specialisation in one of the key areas of the Ashmolean’s collection, with a track record of significant publication and an international scholarly reputation. They will have management experience, as well as a track record of planning, developing and delivering major exhibitions or projects, internally and jointly with other institutions.

We believe our strengths lie both in empowering individuals and teams to address fundamental questions of global significance, while providing all our staff with a welcoming and inclusive workplace that enables everyone to develop and do their best work. Recognising that diversity is our strength, vital for innovation and creativity, we aspire to build a truly diverse community which values and respects every individual’s unique contribution.

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.

Your application and personal data will be shared with Saxton Bampfylde Ltd who is an external recruitment agency working on this appointment together.

Only applications received online before 12:00 midday (GMT/BST) on Friday 3 February 2023 can be considered. Interviews are expected to take place in late February/early March.

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