Assistant Curator (Entomology) | Full time | 35 hours| Fixed term for 2 years
Full Time Salary: £31,929 to £34,549 per annum
Hours: 35 hours per week | Monday - Friday
Location: National Museums Collection Centre| Fully On-Site
National Museums Scotland is one of the leading museum groups in Europe with one of the largest and most diverse collections in the world.
As an organisation our values are Creative, Inclusive, Collaborative and Forward-thinking.
We are looking for enthusiastic, passionate, honest, service-driven individuals to join our Natural Sciences team as Assistant Curator (Entomology).
Benefits of joining us as our Assistant Curator (Entomology) will include:
* Annually alongside your salary of £31,929, National Museums Scotland contributes 28.97% of this towards you being a member of the Civil Service Pension Scheme
* A generous annual leave of 28.5 days plus an additional 8 paid days public holidays.
* Cycle to Work scheme
* Free access to national (and international) museums and exhibitions
* Exclusive discounts on both local and national High Street and online retailers
* A range of wellbeing benefits including Employee Assistance Programme 24/7
* Flexible working options such as hybrid working, part-time working, paid special leave, career breaks and unpaid leave
* Access to all the above and more from day one of employment.
To see more of our benefits, please visit our dedicated benefits page on our careers portal.
About the Assistant Curator (Entomology) role:
National Museums Scotland offers a unique opportunity to contribute to the care, development, and preparation of one of the UK’s most significant entomological collections for digitisation.
As Assistant Curator (Entomology), you will support the curation of a globally important insect collection comprising approximately 2 million specimens, preserved in both dry and fluid formats. The collection is particularly strong in British—especially Scottish—insects, with major holdings in Diptera, Lepidoptera, Coleoptera, and parasitic Hymenoptera. It includes historically important material from collectors such as Dufresne, Wilson, Balfour-Browne, and Pelham-Clinton, and spans over 250 years of entomological history. The collection continues to grow through strategic acquisitions, international and national fieldwork, and contributions to major initiatives such as the Darwin Tree of Life (DToL), BIOSCAN, and UK Barcode of Life (UKBoL) projects. It is housed at the National Museums Collection Centre. This role is a two year post, funded by the NMS Charitable Trust (Pelham Cinton Fund)
As an Assistant Curator (Entomology) at National Museums Scotland you will:
* Re-house and re-curate entomology collections in preparation for digitisation
* Integrate new acquisitions into the main collection and improve documentation
* Contribute to collections care and the loans programme, including courier duties
* Host scientific visitors and answer public enquiries
* Apply specialist knowledge to facilitate public access to the collection
Skills and experience we’re looking for in our Assistant Curator (Entomology):
* A degree in Zoology, Entomology or a relevant subject
* Knowledge of and enthusiasm for entomology and principles of taxonomy and zoological nomenclature
* Knowledge of best practices in entomological collections management
* Experience working (paid or unpaid) with natural history collections
* Excellent ICT and data entry skills, including Microsoft Office and collections management databases
Hiring the right person for the right job is everything to us. We want to encourage you to apply if you think this is the role for you.
Please be sure to view our recruitment pack for this role (available on our careers website: careers.nms.ac.uk) for full details of the position that may help with your application.
The closing date for this role is 13/07/2025. The Selection Event is likely to take place in the week of 21/07/2025.