Director of Collections [Oakland Museum of California, CA]

Description

The Oakland Museum of California values are fundamental to our institutional culture and guide our work together.

Excellence: We are committed to excellence and working at the highest standards of integrity and professionalism.

Community: We believe everyone should feel welcome and part of our community, both within the Museum and with our visitors and neighbors.

Innovation: We embrace innovation and calculated risk-taking to achieve our mission.

Commitment: Our work at the Museum demonstrates a sense of purpose and a shared accountability for the institution’s success.

POSITION SUMMARY
The Director of Collections leads OMCA’s collection management program including registration, conservation, collection information and rights management, environment and risk management. This position collaborates closely with Director of Curatorial Affairs to establish and maintain collection research and documentation standards and protocols. Responsibilities also include collaborating on the development and implementation of the exhibition and core gallery program, and of innovative strategies for collection display and interaction that maximize public impact, interpretive potential and access while mitigating risks.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
The following reflects OMCA’s definition of essential functions for this position, but does not restrict the tasks that may be assigned. OMCA may assign or reassign duties and responsibilities to this position at any time due to reasonable accommodation or other reasons.

INSTITUTIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES
? Support the Museum’s mission, values, vision, and core commitment to the visitor experience, community engagement, and institutional relevancy for the future
? Contribute to and support the OMCA strategic plan, annual priorities, and institutional initiatives such as diversity advancement
? Contribute to a positive organizational culture based on mutual respect, a spirit of collegiality, cooperation, and openness to many perspectives
? Participate in a culture of ongoing learning, collaboration, innovation, creativity, and community engagement

POSITION DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Collections Management Responsibilities
• Lead the development and implementation of collection policies and procedures that support organizational priorities and are responsive to standards of practice for the field
• Direct planning and execution of museum conservation and collection environment management program for exhibitions and galleries onsite, and storage facilities both onsite and offsite; includes establishing annual priorities and plans, and monitoring implementation
• Direct museum registration program for exhibitions and collections including participation in annual planning and process for acquisitions and de-accessions in keeping with OMCA’s Collecting Plan; loans and insurance; maintenance of collection and exhibition-related archives; object movement and tracking
• Direct OMCA’s collection information systems and intellectual property management program including establishing and overseeing the execution of strategies, standards and protocols for collection research, cataloguing and documentation in collaboration with curatorial leadership
• Ensure protocols, training and materials related to collection-related disaster preparedness are in place and coordinated with institutional disaster preparedness program

Gallery Program Responsibilities
• Direct Collections’ team participation in the development and implementation of core gallery and temporary exhibition programs in keeping with the Exhibition Development Framework and OMCAs visitor experience priorities which includes consulting on budgets, timelines and issues related to project scope and deliverables; and collaborating with Core Teams to develop innovative display, interpretation and access strategies that maximize public impact while mitigating risk to the collection/objects
• Collaborate on establishing annual priorities and plans for core gallery collection maintenance and rotation, and programming including innovative ways to provide the public with “behind the scenes” collections experiences

Project Management and Administration
? Lead and serve on cross-functional teams and committees
? Participate in Center and cross-institutional priority setting, and strategic and annual business planning
? Direct the performance and priorities of direct reports; participate in OMCA’s annual performance management and staff development program
? Develop, negotiate, and monitor professional services contracts
? Recruit, lead, coach and train project collaborators, staff, volunteers and interns as required
? Contribute to the development, writing, implementation and reporting of major grants; participate in the development of corporate and other partnership proposals
? Keep abreast of trends developments in the fields of museums and collections management; stay current with general museum news nationally and internationally
? Oversee and/or manage departmental and project budgets, insuring fiscal responsibility while maximizing return on investment
? Ensure essential information is communicated consistently and in timely manner within department, between Centers, and to key partners

Requirements

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE
A combination of experience and education that demonstrates possession of the necessary knowledge and abilities for this position is required as noted:
? M.A. degree in relevant field such as museum studies, cultural studies, nonprofit management or equivalent work experience required
? 7-10 years of related experience in collections management and conservation required
? 4+ years leadership experience required

ADDITIONAL QUALIFICATIONS
? Demonstrated leadership in museum field specifically related to collections management
? Demonstrated knowledge of the principles, standards and ethics of conservation, collection management and information systems, collection environment management, registration, risk management and insurance, disaster preparedness, laws and regulations related to cultural property and sites
? Demonstrated ability to direct, coach and motivate teams of both direct reports and other colleagues
? Exceptional communication skills and experience with general public, donor groups, press, external and internal stakeholders
? Experience with digital collections information systems, in particular C-Space
? MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint); Google Apps

WORK ENVIRONMENT AND PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS
While performing the duties of this position, the employee is frequently exposed to the following:
? Noise, such as groups of people working in enclosed areas
? Typical office environment
? Ability to lift up to 35 pounds

EEO STATEMENT
The Oakland Museum of California is a multicultural organization, committed to diversity and practicing equal opportunity employment in recruitment and hiring. Qualified candidates of diverse backgrounds are encouraged to apply for open positions.