Director of Collections Management at The Mariners’ Museum and Park
Job Title: Director of Collections Management
Job Status: Full-time
Location: Newport News, VA
Salary: $70,000-$80,000
Description
The Mariners’ Museum and Park is interested in hiring a Director of Collections Management to join our Team. The Mariners’ Museum and Park has been recognized as a Hampton Roads Top Workplace for each of the past three years. That recognition reflects, in part, the high level of commitment that our Team feels toward serving our local, national, and global communities, as our Mission calls us to do. We are a passionate bunch striving for excellence in all that we do. We also learn a lot from one another about the Museum and its world-class collections, about the Park and its “living collection” (the forest, lake, and wildlife in our Park), and about the communities we serve. The Director of Collections Management will be a full partner and leader on our Team.
This person reports to the Vice President of Collections and leads the Collections Management Department and the overarching stewardship of the Mariners’ Museum object collection, including the substantial collection of USS Monitor artifacts owned by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The Director of Collections Management will serve all of the traditional functions of the role, like:
- Supervise the Collections Management Team – staff, volunteers, and interns – and assume responsibility for their professional development and wellness.
- Ensure the accuracy and completeness of all aspects of collections record-keeping for the permanent collections and loan material.
- Develop and implement the Collections Department budget.
- Work with the Conservation, Facilities, and Digital Services Departments (in addition to others) to ensure the Museum and USS Monitor collections are integrated into the overall conservation program (active treatment and preventive conservation).
- Develop and implement the necessary infrastructure, policies, and processes to support the fullest possible and practicable physical and/or digital access (internal and external) to the Museum and USS Monitor collections.
- Sustain the existing service culture within the Collections Management Team to “go the extra mile” in facilitating a positive internal and external patron experience accessing the Museum and USS Monitor collections.
Additionally, there are some intriguing “stretch” aspects of the role at this particular moment in the 90-year history of The Mariners’ Museum and Park. Specifically,
- The Director of Collections Management will properly resource and prepare members of the Collections Management Team to serve on cross-functional matrix project teams, a new and promising way of organizing our internal operations.
- We are in the midst of a period of growth in the life cycle of the institution. Specifically, we are growing the overall Team (including anticipated future growth of the Collections Management Team), growing our programming and the communities that we serve, growing revenues and endowment, and investing in the facility. Of particular relevance to the Director of Collections Management role, the Mariners’ Team has begun the early stages of planning for a future Center for the Collection that will include purpose-built space to support the conservation of, research in, and access to the Museum and USS Monitor collections.
- We are in the midst of a digital transformation, which includes ongoing efforts to integrate digital access to collection records and original digital interpretive content with physical access to collection items.
The Mariners’ Museum and USS Monitor collections are substantial and truly world-class, serving as a premier resource for maritime and world history engagement and research.
https://www.marinersmuseum.org/learn/discover-the-collection/
Requirements
The person who will succeed in this role will be able to:
- exercise good judgment,
- pay close attention to detail,
- take the initiative when appropriate,
- thrive in a fast-paced, complex environment, and
- internalize the culture of respect, empathy, and servant leadership that our Team is building.
This opportunity sets up particularly well for an ambitious and talented experienced collections management professional who aspires to lead, but has not yet had a director-equivalent role OR a successful, seasoned director seeking an opportunity to serve with a mission-driven Team in the midst of a once-in-a-lifetime growth cycle.
- Must be a strategic thinker and proactive problem solver with strong communication and interpersonal skills.
- Must be well-organized, have excellent time management skills, and can multitask.
- Must be able to pass a background check and drug screen prior to employment.
The Mariners’ Museum and Park offers an excellent benefits package to include paid sick leave and vacation, generous health insurance contributions, and a 403b retirement match. The salary range for the Director of Collections Management is $70,000 – $80,000. No phone calls, please – only applicants being considered for interviews will be contacted.
The Mariners’ Museum is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action/Equal Access employer and actively encourages applications from minorities, women, individuals with disabilities, and veterans.