Job profile

Salary: £34,602 - £40,545 per annum  

Fixed Term Contract: until 31 March 2026 

We are looking for two Digital Curatorial Archivists to join the BFI’s Our Screen Heritage Project within the Knowledge, Learning & Collections department.  

Our Screen Heritage is a time-bound major strategic national lottery project with ambitious outcomes.  The project is funded by the BFI Screen Heritage Fund, awarding National Lottery funding.   

The role of the digital curatorial archivists in Our Screen Heritage is to focus on key areas of digital moving image collections development for the BFI National Archive major lottery programme. The role forms the crucial bridge between curatorial selection and digital preservation, ensuring accurate accessioning, cataloguing and overall digital collections appraisal activity.   

Key responsibilities include: 

• As a part of curatorial team, to take responsibility for acquisition, accession and, where necessary, disposal of digital material on offer to the BFI National Archive through Our Screen Heritage programme. To assess acquisition offers, in consultation with curators, as necessary. To document acquired materials and identify any digital conservation work required, in accordance with BFI policy and procedures and relevant international standards.  

• Undertake identification, accessioning and documentation of digital materials at item level. To participate in programme of retrospective born digital collections review and documentation against agreed targets.  

• Work within best practice guidelines, to undertake cataloguing in CID of priority titles including newly acquired digital moving images and those that are part of BFI cultural programme.  To catalogue items within the archive to agreed standards using Axiell collections management software. 

We are looking for candidates who have: 

• Good general knowledge of British moving image history and familiarity with UK film and TV industries. 

• Qualification in archiving or library/information or equivalent experience. 

• Excellent knowledge of cataloguing standards. 

• Excellent knowledge of the use of automated archive systems, spreadsheets and information databases for documentation and collections management, utilising established international standards. 

A full list of responsibilities and minimum requirements can be found in the job description. 

About the BFI  

We are a cultural charity, a National Lottery distributor, and the UK’s lead organisation for film and the moving image. We believe society needs stories. Film, television and the moving image bring them to life, helping us connect and understand each other better. We share the stories of yesterday, search for the stories of today, and shape the stories of tomorrow. 

Benefits 

• 25 days annual leave (rising to 30 with service) + bank holidays + the option to buy up to 5 extra days of annual leave  

• Additional paid time off between Christmas and New Year 

• BFI pension scheme with 5% employer contribution 

• BFI Childcare Scheme, where we contribute to childcare costs for children up to the age of 14 

• Enhanced pay for Maternity & Paternity leave 

• Complimentary tickets to BFI Southbank & IMAX screenings and events 

• Free BFI Player subscription + discount on BFI DVDs, books, merchandise, and film tickets 

Plus many more, which can be found in our Working at the BFI information pack on our website.  

We support diversity and inclusion, and as an organisation recognise that we need to address under representation within our teams. As such we strongly welcome and encourage applicants from our under-represented groups; who identify as D/deaf and disabled and/or are Black and Global Majority. We guarantee a place at the first stage selection process to our under-represented groups who meet our minimum requirements.   

Further details about the role, the BFI and our benefits can be obtained by clicking the links to the left.

Depending on the volume of applications, you may be asked to complete a small task or attend a pre-interview screening call to further to assist the hiring team in shortlisting for this role. In this instance, interview dates may be subject to change.  

The closing date for applications is 23:59 on Monday 02 June 2025 

First interviews will be held on Monday 09/Tuesday 10 June 2025 

If required second interviews will be held on TBC