Curator of Natural Sciences

About Heritage and Culture Warwickshire

Heritage and Culture Warwickshire (HCW) provide a wide range of services that help local communities and visitors to connect and engage with their local heritage. We safeguard Warwickshire’s archives, history and natural sciences, protect its historic and natural environment and provide high quality arts and cultural opportunities and lifelong learning for everyone in the County and beyond.

Heritage and Culture Warwickshire has several sites based in and around Warwick;
Market Hall Museum, St Johns House, Warwickshire County Record Office and the Warwickshire Museum Collections Centre. We are a countywide service and working with partners from within and outside Warwickshire County Council offer outreach services to local communities.

We’re looking for a natural science collections specialist with in-depth knowledge to manage and develop collections of animal remains, plant specimens, fossils, rocks and minerals, spanning over half a billion years of Earth history – and share them with audiences across Warwickshire and beyond.

This is a job‑share position as our Curator of Natural Sciences is commencing flexi‑retirement from January 2026, until December 2028. You’ll share responsibilities – leading on caring for and interpreting our Natural History and Geology collections, working collaboratively – across our collecting disciplines – with colleagues and partners to deliver exhibitions, events, and learning activities. This is a hands‑on role where you’ll combine professional collections care with creative interpretation and community engagement.

You will join our team, Heritage and Culture Warwickshire – working closely with the Curator of Human History and Collections Assistants and with colleagues across the services, including learning and community engagement staff.

• Manage, document, and care for natural history and geology collections.
• Develop exhibitions, other media and activities that inspire and engage.
• Support research, respond to enquiries, and manage loans.
• Supervise staff and volunteers.
• Build partnerships and secure funding to enhance our service and its collections.
• Represent the Museum Service at local, regional, and national levels.
• Work collaboratively with colleagues across Heritage Culture and Warwickshire.
• Be familiar with and adhere to the Museums Association Code of Ethics.

• Detailed knowledge of geological and natural history collections and demonstrable knowledge of the natural sciences in general.
• Postgraduate qualification in Museum/Heritage Studies or equivalent experience.
• Extensive experience of managing and interpreting museum collections.
• Strong IT skills and experience with collections management systems.
• Excellent communication and organisational skills.
• Collaborative, creative, pragmatic and forward‑thinking approach.

This is an opportunity to shape how Warwickshire’s natural science collections are preserved and shared. You’ll work in a supportive team, with opportunities for professional development and involvement in, and initiation of, innovative projects.

Market Hall Museum and Warwickshire Museum Collections Centre, Warwick

For further information please see the Job Description and Person Specification below;
Curator of Natural Sciences

Warwickshire County Council is a place where everyone feels valued, included, safe, supported, and welcome. Our people are at the heart of this vision, could you be one of them!

At Warwickshire County Council we are committed to ensuring Warwickshire’s economy is vibrant and supported by the right jobs, training, skills and infrastructure. Our people vision for Warwickshire County Council is a great place to work where diverse and talented people are enabled to be their best.

Your future matters to us, we provide a generous pension scheme which includes an employer contribution rate of typically around 19 percent per month, to help support your financial security during retirement. The scheme also offers a valuable package of benefits for members and their…