Job Vacancies

Darwin is a welcoming community of postgraduate students and academics. Our beautiful riverside location provides a home in central Cambridge for students from over 80 different countries, studying for the full range of postgraduate degrees.

Founded in 1964, we were the first exclusively postgraduate College in Cambridge, and from its foundation the College has admitted both women and men as students and Fellows. For over 60 years Darwin has offered an egalitarian, inclusive space within which research and study can flourish. Our members and alumni are at the forefront of innovative responses to global challenges, from the climate crisis to emerging viruses

Darwin is a friendly, supportive place to work, in a beautiful central Cambridge setting. We're always keen to hear from candidates looking to become part of our community. Our current vacancies can be viewed below.

Please contact recruitment@darwin.cam.ac.uk if you have any questions about these posts, or about working at Darwin in general.

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College Porter

£24,469.25 per annum for 30 hours per week
The working pattern for this role is 3 x 10-hour shifts per week:

Week 1
Wednesday: 20:30 – 06:30
Thursday: 20:30 – 06:30
Friday: 20:30 – 06:30

Week 2
Friday: 20:30 – 06:30
Saturday: 20:30 – 06:30
Sunday: 20:30 – 06:30

The Porter will be required to work shifts over the Christmas and Easter period.

You will be required to represent the College by providing reception, switchboard and general front of house services to College members, visitors, and guests with a high standard of professionalism and courtesy.

You will need to ensure the welfare of the College members and help ensure that College rules are adhered to.

The role requires you to be able to effectively communicate in English in order to provide a high level of service to callers (in person, on the phone and by email) to the Porters’ Lodge.

You must have experience of working in an environment where customer care is important.

Experience of working in a role with responsibility for security and/or safety is desirable.

A good level of fitness is required to be able to respond quickly to situations that may arise on the main site and other College locations.

The role requires you to work at the Darwin College site in the centre of Cambridge.

The full job description outlines the requirements of the post.

Benefits

  • Free meals during working hours and college kitchen opening hours.
  • 33 days’ annual leave a year (inclusive of bank holidays) (pro rata for part time workers). After 5 years’ service your annual holiday entitlement will be increased by one day.
  • Non-contractual annual bonus.
  • Uniform is provided.
  • Defined contribution Pension scheme.
  • Free access to the College gym.
  • Training and Professional Development.
  • Access to the Cambridge University Library.

To apply, please submit a CV and a covering letter to recruitment@darwin.cam.ac.uk

Closing Date: Friday 16th October 2026.

Chef de Partie

Full-time – 40 hours per week (no split shifts)

£31,361 (Salary Scale DC21) per annum

This is an exciting role within the Catering team at Darwin College.  You will be working with the Head Chef and Catering team to maintain the high standards of the College.  We are a small, respected kitchen in Cambridge and focus on enhancing the training and skills of all our staff.

We are an award-winning kitchen, using local produce, where everything is cooked in house.  As Chef de Partie you will be responsible for a section and report directly to the Head Chef. You will maintain a healthy awareness of current trends in hospitality and ensure that high levels of customer service are maintained when dealing with customers.

You will be interested in a career in hospitality. You will have experience in running a section of your own and ideally have a good foundation in cookery and presentation skills. The successful applicant will have a NVQ level 2 in professional cookery or similar.

Due to the nature of the role the successful applicant will be expected to work weekends and weekdays on a rota system.

We offer 33 days holiday (including bank holidays), pension scheme, meals on duty, uniform, and the opportunity to work in our award-winning team.

For further details please contact the Head Chef on 01223 368872.

The full job description outlines the requirements of the post.

Benefits

  • Free meals during working hours and college kitchen opening hours.
  • 33 days’ annual leave a year (inclusive of bank holidays) (pro rata for part-time workers). After 5 years’ service your annual holiday entitlement will be increased by one day.
  • Non-contractual annual bonus.
  • Uniform is provided.
  • Defined contribution Pension scheme.
  • Free access to the College gym.
  • Training and Professional Development.
  • Access to the Cambridge University Library.

To apply, please submit a CV and a covering letter to recruitment@darwin.cam.ac.uk

Closing Date: Friday 23rd October.

 

Non-stipendiary Research Fellowships

Darwin College invites applications for election to several non-stipendiary Research Fellowships starting from 1 October 2027.

The candidate who heads the list will be designated the Charles and Katharine Darwin Research Fellow.

Eligibility

The Fellowships are open to candidates from any university. The Fellowships are intended for outstanding researchers of any age who are close to completing, or who have recently completed, their PhD degree, or an equivalently recognised qualification. No more than three years of research should have been undertaken since the candidate’s PhD was conferred by 1 October 2027. Any career breaks or part-time working will be taken into account.