Project Assistant (Spirit Store)

Location: Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PW

About the role

The Oxford University Museum of Natural History (OUMNH) currently has over 7 million objects with the majority of the collections being stored at the main museum site. This includes the fluid preserved collections, numbering some 20,000 jars. This material is due to be transferred to the new Collections Storage Facility (CSF), currently being built in Swindon, where a separate purpose-built fluid store is being constructed.  

We are about to embark on a 12-month project to prepare the fluid preserved collections held at the Museum for transport to the CSF in 2027. We require a Project Assistant to work within a small team to prepare fluid specimens ahead of a later move to the new store.

The Museum’s fluid collection holds zoological materials from across the animal kingdom, with significant holdings of crustacea, arachnids, reptiles, and anatomical preparations including human remains. Dating from the 17th century through to today, materials have been prepared for a wide range of activities, with an equally wide range of storage types, sealing methods, and jar sizes and styles. The vast majority are stored in industrial methylated spirit (IMS), but there are also collections in formalin, phenoxytol, glycerine, Kaiserling solution and other historic preservatives.

This is a full-time, fixed-term position, working 36.5 hours per week for 12 months.

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

About You

The successful applicant will have experience of handling and moving museum or heritage collections, with an understanding of the standard requirements for record keeping and data entry. The post will be based full-time at the Oxford University Museum of Natural History, and requires working in a cramped store, standing, regularly using stairs in order to access collections, lifting natural history specimens stored in fluid filled glass jars of variable weights and sizes and using manual handling equipment where required.

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.

Only applications received online by 12.00 midday (BST) on Monday 22 September 2025 can be considered. Interviews are expected to take place on Friday 3 October 2025.

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