Senior Curator, Collections & Monuments

Reporting to the Manager of Heritage Resource Management the Senior Curator Collections and Monuments is responsible for overseeing the management of Hamilton’s artifact collection including curation, policy development and implementation, preservation and conservation adhering to international museological standards. The Senior Curator is most responsible for the collection database, manages budgets and  the work of staff and contract workers responsible for performing collections inventory, document processing, recordkeeping, and conservation work.

The Senior Curator, Collections and Monuments plays an important role in establishing and achieving goals to improve the care and preservation of and access to the museum collections and may be called upon to lead staff-wide projects in these areas, such as emergency preparedness and building security. They lead and support the collections and conservation teams to deliver excellence in curatorial work and collections care in line with the Hamilton Civic Museums strategy and City Policies.

General Duties

• Supervise all aspects of collections management including the development and implementation of collection management plans, best practices, policies, and procedures for the accession/deaccession, inventory, monitoring and conservation of all works in the collection.
• Manages the digital collections management system. Responsible for the integrity and security of the database, digitization efforts, software upgrades and database system migrations and metadata development.
• Manages collections storage spaces and oversees the professional and secure storage and handling of objects.
• Supervises conservation and collections staff and interns.
• Lead maintenance, preservation and strategic planning activities for the City’s monuments portfolio.
• Coordinate logistics related to exhibition development, including temporary loans, artifact transport, insurance, supervision of shipping and receiving, preparation of condition reports, storage while not on display and consultation with conservator.
• Manages copyright permissions for collections, exhibitions, and archives for internal and external publication requests.
• Maintains an awareness of internal and external trends and applies knowledge to long-term vision.
• Proactively builds and maintains professional relationships, networks and contacts across the organization.
• Work with the Senior Curator, Learning and Interpretation to develop new innovative ways to interpret the collections and deepen the experience and engagement of digital audiences online and in situ.
• Work with sectional staff teams to create greater access to the collections through formal and informal learning and community programs; participate as a team member for the research and development of specific, focused exhibitions.
• Leads/Chairs Acquisition/Deaccessioning and Collections Committee of colleagues and peers making decisions on collections development, including leading the development and implementation of related policies and procedures.
• Delivers outreach programs, tours of the Collections storage facilities, and creates content for digital and social media posts, to increase public knowledge, awareness, and use of the collections.
• Seek out and explore grant opportunities; contribute to grant applications and prepare final reports where required;
• Represents the City of Hamilton at professional associations and organizations.
• Researches and provides accurate information to staff, representatives of other museums and the general public regarding artifacts in the collection.
• Develops operating, grant and capital budgets in consultation with supervisor.  Monitors expenses on an on-going basis.  Reports on budget to supervisor.
• Works in accordance with the provisions of applicable health and safety legislation and all City of Hamilton corporate and departmental policies and procedures related to occupational health and safety.
• Performs other duties as assigned which are directly related to the major responsibilities of the job.

Qualifications

1. Post-secondary degree, certificate or diploma in Museum Studies or related field, with significant related work experience working in artifact collections management (including database management).
2. Must have 3 – 5 years demonstrable experience in collections management work at a senior level in museums or heritage organizations.
3. Experience developing and implementing accessioning and deaccessioning policy with related processes and standard operating procedures with strong research, critical thinking and analytical skills.
4. Strong problem-solving and project management skills, with an ability to be receptive to changing priorities and to manage multiple work processes and projects simultaneously.
5. Significant, demonstrable experience working with Collection Management Systems.
6. Strong interpersonal and leadership skills, with the ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing at all organizational levels and with the general public with experience supervising multiple staff.
7. Demonstrate experience developing digital tools for audience engagement and access.
8. Demonstrate a strong interest in Indigenous History, 19th to 20th Century Canadian and North American History, a knowledge or interest in global history; archaeology would be considered an asset.
9. Has an interest in diaspora communities, newcomer issues and the frameworks of immigration;
10. Demonstrates an interest, aptitude and enthusiasm for sharing knowledge of the past, present and future through storytelling and desire to create innovative projects and meaningful experiences that are inclusive of all;
11. Demonstrate an environment that is collaborative, professional, creative, engaging and respectful of all;
12. Must be in possession of or able to obtain a Possession and Acquisition (PAL) license for firearms.
13. Working knowledge of business application environments (Microsoft Office, SharePoint, database management systems and collection management software).
14. Must be able to travel to multiple sites in one day.
15. Will be required to work evenings, weekends and/or holidays according to operational needs.

NOTE: Flexible schedule with some evening and weekend work required.