Head of Collection Care
Tamaki Paenga Hira: Tui tui hono tangata, whenua me te moana.
Ko Tamaki Paenga Hira, hewaengarahi ake, he ngakau mahaki mo te kaitiakitanga taonga pu korero, pakiwaitara, korero tipua ano hoki mai i nga kai para korero.
Auckland Museum is seeking an experienced, forward-thinking museum professional to lead our Collection Care team in an exciting period of the Museum’s development.
This is a key management role as the Museum embarks on a number of capital projects will significantly affect the use and storage of the extensive wide-ranging collections.
The Head of Collection Care leads the long-term preservation of the Museum’s collections through both advocacy and direct management of people and activities to upgrade and enhance the care and condition of the collections. The position is responsible for maintaining and improving the physical state of collections through preventive care strategies, policy and procedure development and through management of projects which optimize the care of the collections. Contributions to Museum-wide programmes and building development projects are vital parts of the long-term success of the role.
The Museum’s collections span a wide range of formats, subjects and materials across the human history, natural science and documentary heritage fields. A key challenge of the role is managing the skilled professional and technical team and the long-term care of diverse collections while also enabling various modes of access and collection use. A core responsibility will be to advocate strongly for appropriate conditions and sensitive collection care in the context of Museum planning, gallery developments, storage renewal and digitization projects.
We are looking for someone with management experience who is eager to provide outstanding leadership to the Museum’s team of Collection Managers, Conservators and other project staff who work on the preservation, storage and conservation treatment of the collections.
The successful candidate will be a positive player in our diverse organisation and will have strengths in building relationships and provoking new thinking in the care, storage and management of museum collections, and managing change.
The successful candidate will have:
- Excellent staff management experience with proven ability to lead, train and supervise staff and to engender enthusiasm and commitment
- Ability to advocate effectively for preservation issues and concerns and to negotiate solutions in an environment of competing priorities
- Tertiary qualification in the Conservation of Cultural Materials, Collection Management or a Degree in a field relevant to the Museum’s collections
- Extensive familiarity with conservation principles, the needs of a wide range of object materials and the care and management of heritage collections
- Good knowledge of tikanga Maori particularly its application to culturally appropriate collection care along with a general knowledge of New Zealand natural/cultural history
- Desire to work in a dynamic museum and in a cross-functional team environment
We invite motivated applicants with management and team leadership experience and thorough knowledge of current practice in collection management, conservation and public access to museum collections.
Closing Date: 5pm Sunday, 17 May 2015
You must be eligible to work in NZ to apply for this position.
This is a great opportunity for someone looking to be part of a fabulous New Zealand organisation committed to telling our national and Auckland stories and reflecting our unique place in the South Pacific.
To apply for this job, please apply online or go to our job site http://careers.aucklandmuseum.comand enter the job code 4630.
YOU MUST APPLY VIA OUR CAREERS SITE. APPLICATIONS SUBMITTED INCORRECTLY WILL NOT BE PROCESSED.