Curatorial Director Opening

San Diego Museum of Man
Job Title: Curatorial Director
Department: Collections, Physical Anthropology, Scientific Library Date: December, 2010
Position Status: Full-time FLSA Status: Exempt

General Statement: The Curatorial Director is the senior manager responsible for 1) the anthropological collections department including physical, ethnographic, archaeological, and library, and 2) the staff who care for those collections. The Curatorial Director must adhere to rigorous standards of scholarship and collection stewardship, contribute to fundraising efforts to support the collections, and serve as an ambassador for SDMoM in the San Diego community and beyond. The Curatorial Director also serves as a curator with a specific research specialty drawing upon the strength of the SDMoM’s collections (South American collections, Latin American collections, North American collections, Southwest American Indian collections, California collections, Egyptian collections, and/or Archaeological collections).

Reports to: Executive Director and works in close collaboration with leadership team.

Primary duties and responsibilities: Lead the development and implementation of a long-term strategy for the storage and access of all of SDMoM’s collections, including environmental, compact storage, cost, handling, staffing, and accessibility considerations. Ensure that all collections stewardship policies and procedures are in accordance with industry standards and benchmarks. Serve as an ambassador/liaison with to the San Diego community and beyond, including the academic community, to promote support and collaboration. Promote SDMoM to professional organizations nationally via presentations. Develop, prioritize, and coordinate objectives, deliverables, and timeframes for all department activities to stabilize and document SDMoM’s collections. Actively engage in SDMoM’s grant proposal process, including identification of priorities and helping to write successful proposals, to ensure that future needs are met. Manage all grants awarded to department. Develop and manage the annual budget of the department. Manage all departmental staff including hiring and performance evaluations. Perform research to further develop the knowledge base about the collections which fall under his/her research specialty. Take the lead in curating exhibits which fall under his/her research specialty. Oversee rights and reproductions surrounding the publication of information about SDMoM artifacts and collections. Publish annually on SDMoM materials related to cultural anthropology and/or archaeology. In coordination with the Registrar, assess potential donations from individuals to build the collection. Keep current on legislation concerning the repatriation of artifacts and human remains.

Experience, education, or skills required: Ph.D. in Cultural Anthropology or Archaeology. At least 5 years of collections experience and 5 years management experience in an AAM accredited museum. Experience in collections-oriented research. Knowledge of museology and curation techniques; i.e., a comprehensive understanding of and experience in professional museum practices and procedures. Experience in management, documentation, digitization, care, and conservation of anthropological collections. Experience curating exhibits. Project management experience and ability to work in team environment. Computer skills, including familiarity with museum management software Excellent written and oral communication skills for academic, business and educational audiences Public speaking and teaching ability. Proven fundraising successes, including grant-writing, a plus.

Compensation: Competitive salary commensurate with experience. Position is eligible for full benefits.

Interested candidates should contact SDMoM’s CFO, MaryAnn Brooks-Gonyer at mbrooksgonyer@museumofman.org.