SANBI Job Opportunities: Collections, Curation & Data Coordination
The South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) and the Natural Science Collections Facility (NSCF), are pleased to announce three exciting career opportunities within the NSCF programme.
South Africa has an estimated 100 natural science collections at approximately 40 institutions. Together they provide over 18 million objects or specimens representing about 100,000 different species of plants, animals, and fungi. The NSCF is a virtual Facility, comprised of a network of institutions – museums, herbaria, universities and science councils – that hold natural science collections that are accessible to external researchers.
As a research infrastructure project funded by the Department of Science, Technology & Innovation (DSTI) and coordinated and hosted by the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI), the NSCF provides a coordinating structure across several of South Africa’s natural science collections.
There are several job opportunities available at the NSCF. Find out more below – and please note: all applications are due by Friday 17 November 2025.
Assistant Director: Collections Management (Compton Herbarium)
The South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) is looking for a self-motivated individual to co-ordinate curation and collection management standards and procedures at the Compton Herbarium, drive implementation of policies, standards, and processes, and to provide strategic input, planning and reporting for targets.
- Location: Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden
- Reference Number: NSCF/003/2025
- PLEASE NOTE: This is not an NSCF Hub post, though it carries an NSCF reference. It is a SANBI post, at the Compton Herbarium.
Find out more and apply here: Assistant Director: Collections Management at South African National Biodiversity Institute
Senior Specialist 1: Data Coordination (Specimen Databases) at NSCF
The South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) is looking for a self-motivated individual to co-ordinate curation and collection management standards and procedures at the Compton Herbarium, drive implementation of policies, standards, and processes, and to provide strategic input, planning and reporting for targets.
- Location: Pretoria National Botanical Garden or Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden
- Reference Number: NSCF/002/2025
Find out more and apply here: Senior Specialist 1: Data Coordination (Specimen Databases) at South African National Biodiversity Institute
Senior Specialist 1: Data Coordination (Specimen Databases) at NSCF
SANBI is looking for a self-motivated and meticulous individual to coordinate and oversee specimen data and database-related activities within the NSCF, including the development and application of tools, standards, and workflows, managing data migration, customization, digitization, and data cleaning processes, with a particular focus on Specify software.
- Location: Pretoria National Botanical Garden or Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden
- Reference Number: NSCF/002/2025
Find out more and apply here: Senior Specialist 1: Data Coordination (Specimen Databases) at South African National Biodiversity Institute
Data Quality Specialist at NSCF
The South African National Biodiversity Institute is looking for a self-motivated individual to co-ordinate curation and collection management standards and procedures at the Compton Herbarium, drive implementation of policies, standards, and processes, and to provide strategic input, planning and reporting for targets.
- Location: Pretoria National Botanical Garden or Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden
- Reference Number: NSCF/001/2025
Find out more and apply here: Data Quality Specialist at South African National Biodiversity Institute
Interested in More SANBI jobs?
The South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) contributes to South Africa’s sustainable development by facilitating access to biodiversity data, generating information and knowledge, building capacity, providing policy advice, showcasing and conserving biodiversity in its national botanical and zoological gardens. There are several other job opportunities available at SANBI – find out more here: Jobs at South African National Biodiversity Institute
What are biodiversity biobanks?
Biodiversity biobanks are repositories of biologically relevant resources, including reproductive tissues such as seeds, eggs and sperm, other tissues including blood, DNA extracts, microbial cultures (active and dormant), and environmental samples containing biological communities….
