Knowledge & Research Assistant

Merrifield Consultants are delighted to be partnering with a respected membership body, dedicated to advancing standards and research within its sector, to recruit a proactive and detail‑driven Knowledge & Research Assistant. This is an exciting opportunity to support a specialist department spanning museum services, library and information services and research administration.

Summary of the role

You will provide high‑quality administrative and customer‑facing support across three small specialist teams. You’ll play a key role in ensuring smooth day‑to‑day operations of the Museum and Library & Information Service. You will also provide administrative cover for the Research Team, supporting meetings, inboxes and project coordination.

The Role

Working across the Knowledge & Research department, you will support internal and external events, assist with visitor engagement and help maintain high standards across museum and library services. You will also provide administrative support to the Research Team, including inbox management, meeting coordination and budget logging.

Key Details

Salary: £22,641 (FTE £29,349)

Contract: Part‑time / 27hrs per week over 4 or 5 days

Location: London

Working style: Onsite

Department: Knowledge & Research

Responsibilities

• Support team‑wide events, including open days and activities.
• Assist with internal and external events alongside the wider events team.
• Welcome visitors and assist with guided tours and researcher supervision.
• Support the movement, storage, packing and documentation of collections.
• Assist with heritage projects such as oral history recording and editing.
• Help maintain displays and ensure the museum environment is well presented.
• Carry out circulation tasks: issuing, renewing and returning books.
• Maintain OpenAthens accounts and support members with access queries.
• Catalogue new materials and keep collections organised and tidy.
• Provide cover for the Knowledge & Research Coordinator on non‑working days.
• Respond to enquiries and maintain administrative records.
• Manage inboxes, triage enquiries and coordinate responses.
• Arrange meetings, take minutes and support project administration.
• Assist with budget monitoring, logging expenses and collating receipts.

Person Specification

Essential

• Experience in a busy, customer‑facing administrative role.
• Excellent IT skills, including MS Office.
• Strong organisational skills and attention to detail.
• Confident communicator with good customer service experience.
• Flexible, proactive and able to prioritise effectively.

Desirable

• Experience in a museum, gallery, library or similar public‑facing environment.
• Knowledge of library systems, including cataloguing and OpenAthens.
• Experience in the charity or membership sector.

How to Apply

If you are excited by the opportunity to support a specialist Knowledge & Research team and enjoy working in a varied, customer‑focused environment, we would love to hear from you.

Please apply today or contact Merrifield Consultants for further information.

We practice a diverse and inclusive recruitment process that ensures equal opportunity for all we work with, irrespective of race, sexual orientation, mental or physical disability, age or gender. As an organisation, we encourage applications from all backgrounds and will ensure measures are met when required, to allow a fair process throughout.