Collections Manager, Herbaria

Published: May 12, 2025    Collections Manager, Jobs

Billie L. Turner Plant Resources Center https://biodiversity.utexas.edu/collections/plants-collection

The Billie L. Turner Plant Resources Center has an opening for a full-time collections manager.  This staff member will join the curator and assistant curator in running the TEX and LL herbaria.  For more details, the link to the official job posting is: https://utaustin.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/UTstaff/details/Collections-Manager–Billie-L-Turner-Plant-Resources-Center_R_00039443?q=collections%20manager

The TEX and LL herbaria comprise more than one million total specimens of vascular plants, as well as small, less active collections of bryophytes, lichens, and macro-fungi. The successful candidate will be hired on an initial twelve-month term, but the position is endowment-supported and intended to be permanent.

Purpose

The Collections Manager assists the Curator and Assistant Curator with everyday activities involved with running two major herbaria with more than one million total specimens of mostly vascular plants. This involves everything from skilled botanical projects, such as identification of undetermined plant materials, to more routine tasks, such as sorting and filing of specimens.

Responsibilities

  • Determination of unidentified specimens.
  • Sorting and filing of specimens.
  • Compiling data for specimen labels and help to process unaccessioned specimens.
  • Public Service Requests relating to plants.
  • Moving of furniture, including specimen cabinets.
  • Assist with implementation of the herbarium’s integrated pest management practices.
  • Other general curatorial duties, such as helping to package outgoing shipments of specimens and unpack incoming shipments.
  • Conduct field work to help with requests for samples and to support the development of a floristic manual for the flora of Central Texas. Maintain the Texas Synoptic Collection.
  • Assist with absorption of orphaned herbaria from other institutions into TEX/LL.
  • Other general curatorial duties, such as helping to package outgoing shipments of specimens and unpack incoming shipments.

Required Qualifications

Bachelor’s Degree in Biology, Plant Sciences, or similar field and at least one year of professional experience in a herbarium. Working knowledge of plant diversity in Texas and the ability to use floristic manuals to determine specimens. Relevant education and experience may be substituted as appropriate.

Preferred Qualifications

Master’s Degree in Biology, Plant Sciences, or similar field. Detail oriented, well-organized, and capable of independent work.

Salary Range

$45,257 annually (based on a 40-hour, work-week), plus benefits

Working Conditions

  • May work around standard office conditions
  • Repetitive use of a keyboard at a workstation
  • Use of manual dexterity
  • Climbing of stairs
  • Climbing of ladders
  • Lifting and moving of items
  • Occasional outdoor activity (which may involve hiking and collecting plants on uneven ground and/or in hot temperatures and inclement weather)

Work Shift

Flexible: 40/hours/week is required, and most of the time should be during normal business hours (i.e., 8:00 am – 5:00 pm), although number of hours/days and days/weeks can be negotiated and may change depending on what projects are being pursued. Occasional work on weekends, evenings, and/or holidays required.

Required Materials

  • Resume/CV
  • 3 work references with their contact information; at least one reference should be from a supervisor
  • Letter of interest

Important for applicants who are NOT current university employees or contingent workers: You will be prompted to submit your resume the first time you apply, then you will be provided an option to upload a new Resume for subsequent applications. Any additional Required Materials (letter of interest, references, etc.) will be uploaded in the Application Questions section; you will be able to multi-select additional files. Before submitting your online job application, ensure that ALL Required Materials have been uploaded.  Once your job application has been submitted, you cannot make changes.

Important for Current university employees and contingent workers: As a current university employee or contingent worker, you MUST apply within Workday by searching for Find UT Jobs. If you are a current University employee, log-in to Workday, navigate to your Worker Profile, click the Career link in the left hand navigation menu and then update the sections in your Professional Profile before you apply. This information will be pulled in to your application. The application is one page and you will be prompted to upload your resume. In addition, you must respond to the application questions presented to upload any additional Required Materials (letter of interest, references, etc.) that were noted above.

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Employment Eligibility:Regular staff who have been employed in their current position for the last six continuous months are eligible for openings being recruited for through University-Wide or Open Recruiting, to include both promotional opportunities and lateral transfers. Staff who are promotion/transfer eligible may apply for positions without supervisor approval.

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Retirement Plan Eligibility:The retirement plan for this position is Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS), subject to the position being at least 20 hours per week and at least 135 days in length.

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Background Checks:

A criminal history background check will be required for finalist(s) under consideration for this position.

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Equal Opportunity Employer:

The University of Texas at Austin, as an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer, complies with all applicable federal and state laws regarding nondiscrimination and affirmative action. The University is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all persons and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, disability, religion, or veteran status in employment, educational programs and activities, and admissions.

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Pay Transparency:

The University of Texas at Austin will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor’s legal duty to furnish information.

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Employment Eligibility Verification:

If hired, you will be required to complete the federal Employment Eligibility Verification I-9 form.  You will be required to present acceptable and original documents to prove your identity and authorization to work in the United States.  Documents need to be presented no later than the third day of employment.  Failure to do so will result in loss of employment at the university.

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E-Verify:

The University of Texas at Austin use E-Verify to check the work authorization of all new hires effective May 2015. The university’s company ID number for purposes of E-Verify is 854197. For more information about E-Verify, please see the following:

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Compliance:

Employees may be required to report violations of law under Title IX and the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Crime Statistics Act (Clery Act). If this position is identified a Campus Security Authority (Clery Act), you will be notified and provided resources for reporting. Responsible employees under Title IX are defined and outlined in HOP-3031.

The Clery Act requires all prospective employees be notified of the availability of the Annual Security and Fire Safety report. You may access the most recent report here or obtain a copy at University Compliance Services, 1616 Guadalupe Street, UTA 2.206, Austin, Texas 78701.

Please feel free to contact George Yatskievych (see below) or Lauren Hoff (the assistant curator, lauren.hoff@austin.utexas.edu) with questions or for more information.