The La Brea Tar Pits and Museum (LBTPM, Los Angeles, California) seeks an Assistant Collections Manager to join an NSF-funded project to reconstruct paleo-food web models. As part of this grant, a classroom-based citizen science initiative to sort, process, and identify plant, insect, and/or other animal microfossil samples from Project 23 (deposits preserving late Quaternary microfossils) will be developed and implemented. The successful candidate will work closely with Collections Staff and a Research Fellow to coordinate, catalog, data base and curate fossils generated by this citizen science initiative.
A member of the Natural History Museum’s family of institutions, the LBTPM oversees the renowned La Brea Tar Pits, one of the world’s richest Ice Age sites that have yielded an estimated 5 million fossil specimens representing more than 600 species of animals and plants of Late Pleistocene age. These collections afford a huge potential for a broad array of research and public programs and are continuously growing through ongoing excavations.
The position requires excellent organizational skills, strong attention to detail, high level of accuracy with data, strong problem solving skills, and familiarity with Microsoft Office and collections management databases. The candidate must be skilled in establishing priorities, coordinating multiple complex projects simultaneously, meeting deadlines, coordinating workflows, and have a flexible/versatile approach to ensuring the project’s success. The candidate must have the ability to pay close attention to detail and accuracy with data, and remain focused performing repetitive tasks and to recognize errors. The candidate must be a self-starter, be able to work well with others in a busy, team-oriented office and work independently with minimal supervision.
The successful candidate will have a BS in Biology, Geoscience, Paleontology, Museum Studies, or related academic discipline. They should have at least 2 years of professional experience or the equivalent combination of education and experience. Other preferred qualifications include having knowledge and experience in standard museum and curatorial practices, familiarity with collections management best practices and collections management systems, experience and proven ability to work in a museum, cultural institution or academic settings
The position is full time for 18 months. Competitive salary, plus an excellent benefits package is available for eligible employees. For more information, please see www.nhm.org
Your application should include a cover letter indicating your interest and qualifications for this position, a CV, and contact information for three professional references. Please contact Tyler Hayden at thayden@nhm.org with any questions about the position or application.
The application deadline is May 12th, 2017. The start date is expected during summer 2017.
The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Please, No Phone Calls, No Fax.