Description

The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco are seeking an Assistant Registrar. Under the supervision of the Director of Registration & Collections Management, the Assistant Registrar provides general support and assistance to the department staff in all registration activities, with particular emphasis on exhibitions. This position maintains department documentation, including records, files, and correspondence, and performs a full range of administrative duties. The Assistant Registrar assists with the financial management of the department, including purchase order requests and budgetary preparations. They also may provide assorted general assistance.

The Registration & Collections Management department is responsible for implementation of the Museums’ policies and procedures pertaining to the acquisition, deaccession, storage, lending, borrowing, insurance, movement, transport, and overall disposition of objects in the collections as well as for loans to the Museums. The department staff coordinate, administer, document, report on, and oversee assembly, preparation, installation, and dispersal of art objects; conduct inventories; perform and refer condition reporting on art objects; assess facilities for storage and display of art; propose and manage related projects; follow all institutional procedures for financial transactions including procurement, business travel-related expense, A/P, A/R; participate in the larger museums’ range of activity.

Typical Duties and Responsibilities:

  1. Assists in the accession of objects into the permanent collection, exhibition, and loan programs. Measures and marks objects. Uses up to date software programs to document, track, evaluate, and analyze information, and to produce finished documents, including receipts, Certificates of Insurance, and budgets; inputs and retrieves computerized data. Prepares reports. Reviews finished materials for completeness, accuracy, format, and compliance with policies and procedures.
  2. In regard to exhibition-focused work:
    1. The safe handling, packing, and shipping of artworks to and from the Museum;
    2. Examination of artwork and production of condition reports and receipts;
    3. Communication with donors, lenders, vendors, packers, and shipping agents;
    4. Coordination of conservation examination and treatment of artworks;
    5. Maintenance of location tracking system, storage facilities, including Permanent and Loan Collection records;
    6. Periodic inventory checks and routine collection maintenance activities;
    7. Courier work for an art shipment.
  3. Composes draft correspondence, memoranda, and other written materials based on knowledge and understanding of FAMSF and department activities. Maintains and revises filing and record systems; assures that accurate indexing and record controls are in place to expedite efficient information retrieval.
  4. Assists in the maintenance and monitoring of department budget records. Records and tracks expenditures by account. Maintains related computerized data entry and filing of hard copies. Produces budget reports for periodic review. Assists in the preparation and research of annual Registration budget and insurance renewal projections. Performs other clerical duties as assigned.
  5. Processes forms, purchase orders, and other records specific to departmental operations. Coordinates the purchase order system of Registration expenditures with department members. Coordinates Registrars’ expenses relating to work-related travel, including their participation in national and international conferences, or related to art courier work. Assists in arranging travel for staff and for lenders’ art couriers.
  6. Assists in art inventory and location lists. Moves and coordinates the movement of artworks within museum facilities and to/from donors and lenders with curators, conservators, and technicians. Maintains the general order and cleanliness of art storage areas.
  7. Assists in the deaccessioning of art objects. Researches curatorial and registration files. Coordinates transports with auction houses and enters sale records into computerized database.
  8. Maintains department calendar and assists in scheduling for technical assistance, meetings, and appointments.
  9. Contributes to updates and tracking of FAMSF Facility Reports. Handles Certificates of Insurance as needed.
  10. Monitors and maintains working operation of office equipment and orders supplies as needed.

The pay range for this position is $18.79 – $25.18 per hour.

This is a union position eligible for the Museums’ benefits package, including medical, dental, and vision insurance plus a generous time off package.

Application Deadline: August 9, 2016

We accept online applications only. To apply online, please visit: http://famsf.snaphire.com/home

The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco are the city’s largest public arts institutions and comprise the de Young and the Legion of Honor museums. The de Young, designed by Herzog & de Meuron and located in Golden Gate Park, showcases American art from the 17th through the 21st centuries, international contemporary art, textiles and costumes, and art from the Americas, the Pacific, and Africa. The Legion of Honor displays a collection of over 4,000 years of ancient and European art including Auguste Rodin’s The Thinker and houses the Achenbach Foundation for Graphic Arts in a Beaux-Arts style building overlooking Lincoln Park and the Golden Gate Bridge.

COFAM is the Corporation of Fine Arts Museums and is the privately funded non-profit corporation which supports the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, a department of the City and County of San Francisco.

COFAM is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and is committed to a policy of nondiscrimination in all phases of employment in accordance with all federal, state, and local laws.

Requirements

Education: Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited college or university. Coursework in Art History or Museum Studies preferred.

Work Experience: Minimum two years training and work experience in administrative and business practices in an art museum registration office, exhibitions-focused preferred.

Substitution: Master’s degree from an accredited university in art, art history, museum studies, arts administration, or a closely related field may substitute for one year of experience.

Skills and Abilities:

  • Knowledge of and experience with museum registration methods and techniques preferred.
  • Extremely high proficiency with software and databases, including applications such as Microsoft Office, Outlook, FilemakerPro, and collections management database systems.
  • Knowledge of and experience with best practices in handling, housing, packing, storing, moving works of art of all formats and media.
  • Extremely high level of accuracy and attention to detail.
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
  • Demonstrated organizational skills and knowledge of pertinent office and administrative procedures including: basic accounting (A/P, A/R, POs); rigorous collections documentation practices;, receipting; organizing and maintaining digital and hard-copy records.
  • Ability to make accurate arithmetic calculations.
  • Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with internal museum colleagues, volunteers, and interns; the ability to represent the Museum professionally and effectively to outside professionals, lenders, donors, and members of the community.
  • Ability to efficiently and effectively work on a variety of projects concurrently, with attention to the goals and priorities of the department and the Museums.
Job Information
  • San Francisco, California, 94118, United States
  • 29691614
  • July 27, 2016
  • Assistant Registrar
  • Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco
  • Registrar/Collections Management
  • Full-Time
  • Indefinite
  • BA/BS/Undergraduate
  • 2-3 Years
  • $18.79 – $25.18 (Hourly Wage)