Collections Manager

Published: October 25, 2024    Collections Manager, Jobs

Closing: November 15, 2024

South Carolina State Museum https://www.scmuseum.org/

  • Salary: $50,000.00 – $60,000.00 Annually
  • Location: Richland County, SC
  • Job Type: FTE – Full-Time
  • Job Number: 170218
  • Agency: State Museum Commission
  • Division: Collections
  • Opening Date: 10/17/2024
  • Closing Date: 11/15/2024 11:59 PM Eastern
  • Agency Specific Application Procedures: Online Applications Only
  • Class Code: CE20
  • Slot Number: 0001
  • Position Number: 61096911
  • Normal Work Schedule: Monday – Friday (8:30 – 5:00)
  • Pay Band: Band 5
  • Hiring Range – Min.: $50,000.00
  • Hiring Range – Max.: $60,000.00
  • Opening Date: 10/17/2024
  • EEO Statement: Equal Opportunity Employer
  • Veteran Preference Statement: South Carolina is making our Veterans a priority for employment in state agencies and institutions.

Job Responsibilities

Are you looking to be part of an innovative team of professionals dedicated to telling South Carolina’s diverse stories?  As the storytellers of South Carolina, the South Carolina State Museum (SCSM) strives to share the rich natural, technological and cultural diversity of the state through its permanent collections, programs, exhibitions and digital content.  The SCSM is the largest museum in South Carolina, stewarding over 1.1 million objects and specimens and welcoming 5 million+ visitors over its 34-year history. The museum has recently embarked on a renovation of 150,000 square feet of its exhibition, programmatic and collection storage spaces occupying four floors of a historic 1890s textile mill on the National Register of Historic Places. Come be a part of our team reimagining what the South Carolina State Museum can be for our next generation of visitors, students, and scholars, and enjoy living in South Carolina’s capital city, recently ranked the 7th most affordable city in America by the Wallstreet Journal/Realtor.com.  
The South Carolina State Museum seeks a detail-oriented individual to help manage the physical care of the collections which tell the stories of South Carolina. Reporting to the Director of Collections Management, the Collections Manager will take the lead in cataloguing the collections, overseeing cleaning of the museum, coordinating with facilities management for environmental monitoring, and improving the storage conditions of the collection. This position also plays a close role in the ongoing complete inventory of the museum’s collection in conjunction with the Director of Collections Management, and consults on upcoming storage renovations.
 
Responsibilities and Duties:

  • Oversees cataloguing of collections in the database, Emu. Applies numbers to objects, packs objects for storage, and records location in the database.
  • Facilitates access to storage for staff and guests. Coordinates object movement for exhibitions, loans, programs, and contractors.
  • Monitors and ensures compliance with environmental standards for temperature and humidity in the museum
  • Oversees the Integrated Pest Management monitoring and reporting
  • Creates and maintains schedule for cleaning exhibition and storage spaces, with occasional use of lifts, scaffolding and/or 14-foot ladders for higher shelving and displays
  • Ensures compliance with the Collections Management Policy and other policies in areas of storage and collections care
  • Assists with object-handling training and oversight, including exhibit installations in house and offsite
  • Assists with object transportation to offsite venues for loans, programs, objects pickups, conservation
  • Maintains and updates as needed policies and procedures related to collections care and cataloguing standards
  • Leads grant and seasonal part-time employees in inventorying the collections as defined by the Director of Collections Management and grant awards
  • Advises on long-term storage upgrades and designs as part of the Reimagine The Experience project
  • Works cross-disciplinarily in a team atmosphere to achieve the museum’s strategic goals.
  • All other duties as assigned.

Minimum and Additional Requirements

Minimum Qualifications

  • A bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution with a focus on history, museum studies or related field.
  • Minimum five (5) years experience in collections management, registration, or other museum collection methodologies
  • Proven knowledge and experience in managing collections storage facilities, object handling, access control, environmental standards for collections, and storage solutions/design
  • Knowledge of best practices in collections handling, care, and preventative conservation
  • Demonstrated ability to work effectively in a collaborative team environment
  • Good organizational skills and attention to detail, especially in written communication
  • Ability to assess, prioritize, and project manage to meet deadlines with minimal supervision
  • Experience working with a collections management system; Axiell’s Emu a plus

Work Environment and Essential Functions

  • Ability to travel statewide and stay overnight.
  • Have a valid driver’s license and be willing to drive vans and box trucks.
  • Ability to lift 40 lbs and climb on ladders, lifts, and scaffolding with cleaning equipment
  • Ability to handle collections safely and securely, including manual dexterity and ability to operate pallet jacks and other low-impact equipment for moving objects
  • Comfortable working in tight, dusty, and dirty spaces, and with potentially hazardous materials such as taxidermy, weapons, and historic chemicals using provided PPE and training
  • Comfortable communicating with lenders, donors, and the public about the functions of collections management

Preferred Qualifications

  • Experience with object inventories and digitization, including object relocation and image capture
  • Participation in a large-scale object move or storage renovation/design
  • Previous supervisory management experience (part-time, full-time, seasonal, or volunteers) a plus
  • Ability to create custom storage boxes and other softpack supports for objects

Apply here: https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/sc/jobs/4698228/collections-manager

Agency: State of South Carolina

Agency: State Museum Commission

Address: 301 Gervais Street

Columbia, South Carolina, 29202

Phone (803)-898-4939

The language used in this document does not create an employment contract between the employee and the agency. This document does not create any contractual rights or entitlements. The agency reserves the right to revise the content of this document, in whole or in part. No promises or assurances, whether written or oral, which are contrary to or inconsistent with the terms of this paragraph create any contract of employment.