This position is responsible for the overall management of the centralized care and stewardship of the Museum’s collections in accordance with the Museum’s professional standards and standards set by the American Alliance of Museums (AAM). This position performs and/or supervises a full range of professional duties related to collections management and maintenance, trafficking of objects (loans, acquisitions, exhibitions, risk management), database integrity and records in support of the history, provenance, status, condition and location of objects.  As a member of the Museum’s senior management team, this position participates in policy formation and strategic decision-making.

  • Develops, administers and monitors the Registration and Workshop budgets;
  • Develops, communicates and enforces ethical collection policies and procedures in support of University and AAM guidelines; periodically reviews policies to ensure applicability and make changes as necessary;
  • Reviews, ensures and investigates all matters surrounding the provenance of objects entering the collections; handles issues and challenges related to provenance integrity and history of ownership;
  • Oversees and reviews the creation and maintenance of all collection documentation (computerized and manual files, including legal transfer of gifts, donor records, incoming and outgoing loans and exhibition records); reviews systems adequacy and makes recommendations for changes to the collections management database in order to best support the function;
  • Acts as liaison for various constituencies (faculty, staff, students, scholars and the general public) desiring physical and/or intellectual access to the collections, including reviewing access or research proposals and determining necessity and applicability of access;
  • Advises various University departments regarding appropriate measures and standards for the movement, handling and installation of art objects; fosters cross-campus interdisciplinary relationships through the sharing of knowledge and information;
  • Coordinates with University Risk Management to ensure all appropriate measures are taken with regard to object storage, handling, movement (domestically and internationally) and advises on object-specific needs;
  • Manages the loan process for outgoing collection objects including preparation and review of loan documents, arrangement of transit services and insurance, supervision of packing, issuing of receipts and condition reports and maintenance of files; may perform courier services as required. Assigns courier duties within the department, educating staff as to courier responsibilities;
  • Works with the Senior Manager of Technology in administration of the collections management database to establish standards for data entry, develop reports as needed and perform periodic reviews of data entry, make corrections where necessary and train other staff members on use of the system;
  • Creates and maintains collection documentation (database and manual files) related to legal transfer of gifts, donor records;
  • Manages collection storage areas and oversees the numbering of physical objects, the re-filing of objects and the maintenance of location information;
  • Confers with the Collections and Exhibition Technicians and curators to determine and evaluate storage issues;
  • Together with the Collections and Exhibitions Technicians conducts periodic collection inventories;
  • Actively facilitates the use of the collection as a teaching resource within the University system and for outside groups;
  • Supervises Administrative Assistant, Collections and Exhibitions, Collections and Exhibitions Technicians and Collections, Object and Paper Study Art Handlers and Curatorial Research Center librarian, including guiding and mentoring staff to align activities with the Museum’s strategic priorities; conducts performance evaluations; also supervises work study students, temporary employees, interns and volunteers.
  • Manages all aspects of exhibition logistics, including but not limited to: generating and maintaining loan forms and other required documentation, arranging transit, coordinating courier travel, packing/delivery of crates, assisting with installations as required, and maintaining the Exhibitions Module of the Embark database;
  • Reviews lender-generated contracts with the Director, the Exhibitions Coordinator and the Director of Collections and Registration and negotiate terms with lenders as appropriate;
  • Prepare relevant sections of U.S. Government Indemnity Proposals and applications for Immunity from Seizure, and updates value spreadsheets and prepares and issues certificates of insurance;
  • Prepares exhibition budgets as well as monitors and reconciles exhibition invoices and expenses;
  • Assists with the physical movement of objects within the Museum and participates if needed in packing and crating objects for transit;
  • Manages and coordinates in-house temporary collection exhibitions
  • Works with the Collections and Exhibitions Technicians to asses and prepare objects for temporary permanent collections exhibitions;
  • Processes and coordinates requests from the curators for loans to the permanent collections;
  • Supervises and tracks all movement of loaned objects in storage as well as in the Embark database;
  • Maintains loan files as well as renegotiates and updates loan agreements;
  • Performs courier duties if required;

This position reports to the Museum Director

For full consideration, applicants should formally apply at the UM jobs website, umjobs.org for position number 93076.

– See more at: http://aam-us-jobs.jobtarget.com/jobseeker/job/16882707/?ct=t(November_3_201110_28_2011)#sthash.qgURrwww.dpuf