Regular Full-Time
Los Angeles, CA, US
The Natural History Museum of LA County (NHMLA) seeks a Collections Manager of Mammalogy. NHMLA’s mammalogy collection consists of approximately 98,000 specimens, including skins, skulls, skeletons, fluid-preserved specimens, tanned hides, and frozen tissues of terrestrial and marine mammals. The staff of the mammalogy department includes two curators and two full-time collections managers; this position is directly supervised by the Curator of Terrestrial Mammals.
The Collections Manager will oversee the day-to-day operations of the mammalogy collection, including processing incoming and outgoing loans, preparation and integration of new specimens, maintaining and improving specimen records in NHMLA’s EMu database, conserving and organizing specimens, managing physical improvements and digitization projects, facilitating the use of the collection by researchers, and supporting the needs of other NHMLA departments including Exhibitions, Education and Programming, and Marketing and Communications. The Collections Manager will also train and supervise volunteers, students, and other personnel, and collaborate with other departments to manage shared space and facilities.
NHMLA is especially interested in candidates whose background and experience have prepared them to contribute to our commitment to engage and include culturally diverse audiences in museums and in science.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Cares for the Mammalogy collection on a day-to-day basis, including organizing and conserving specimens. Plans and oversees the digitization, rehousing, and movement of the collection as necessary and/or directed by the Curator(s). Assists with the development and implementation of plans for collection growth and improvement. Works cooperatively with other collection management and conservation staff to achieve the highest level of collection care and productivity across organizational units.
- Provides documentation for the collection, including cataloging, entering/updating database records, inventorying, enhancing documentation through digitization, and researching specimen and/or material information.
- Processes all incoming and outgoing specimens and/or materials including new field specimens, donations, exchanges and loans. Maintains extensive knowledge concerning the organisms and specimens in the collection. Serves as the liaison to donors and lenders between Mammalogy and the Registrar’s Office.
- Supports the Curator(s) in the acquisition of new specimens and/or materials for the collection through donation, exchange, field collection, and salvage.
- Facilitates visits by researchers using the collection.
- Supports the planning, installation and maintenance of temporary and permanent exhibits. Expedites the use of collection materials for display.
- Participates in education and other public program activities of the Museum including but not limited to tours for the public and Museum members, training of Museum Docents and Gallery Interpreters, and participation in public museum events. Handles inquiries from the public and researchers.
- Stays current with the research field related to the collection including trends and techniques in collections management, collection-based research, conservation, digitization, biodiversity informatics, and documentation.
- Trains, supervises, and manages collections personnel, including students and volunteers.
- May lead or participate in ongoing or original research related to the collection.
- Initiates and/or assists with identifying potential funding sources and writing proposals seeking grant funding for the collection.
- Advocates for natural history collections and effectively communicates their importance to members of the public and the scientific community.
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:
- Master’s degree with specialization in mammalogy, museum studies, or a related field and at least two years of technical experience in the collection, organization, care and/or conservation of natural history specimens/collections; or a bachelor’s degree in an applicable field and 5 years collection experience; or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
- Working knowledge of mammalian taxonomy, common mammalian specimen preparations, and the organization and management of mammalogy collections.
- Database and Informatics Experience: Experience with database software typically used in natural history collections; working knowledge of common principles of biodiversity informatics and external data repositories such as GBIF and iDigBio.
- Communication: Demonstrated excellence in oral and written communication.
- Writing Skills: Ability to write reports, grants, professional correspondence, and procedure manuals.
- Presentation Skills: Ability to effectively present information to and respond to questions from groups of managers, scientists, and the general public.
- Computer Experience: Experience using a personal computer and with typical word processing, spreadsheet, email, calendar, and other software (PC and/or Macintosh).
DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS:
- Experience supervising a diverse team of staff, volunteers, and students.
- Working knowledge of international, federal, and state regulations governing the collection and use of mammal specimens by museums.
- Experience with typical methods used for field collection and processing of mammals.
OTHER INFORMATION
- Salary will be commensurate with qualifications and experience. This is a full-time, regular, exempt position with excellent benefits.
- The primary location for this job is at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, in Exposition Park in Los Angeles. Some offsite travel will be required, including to the large mammal collection facility in Vernon, CA.
- Applicants and employees are invited to identify reasonable accommodations that can be made to assist them to perform the essential functions of the position they seek or occupy. The incumbent must be able to perform this job safely, with reasonable accommodation if necessary, without endangering the health or safety of him/herself or others.
- The application deadline is September 30, 2019. Submit a current CV, a cover letter describing how your experience, knowledge, and interest qualify you for this position, and the names and contact information of three professional references through the Museum’s employment site at https://nhm.org/careers-our-museums/careers-natural-history-museum or https://workforcenow.adp.com/mascsr/default/mdf/recruitment/recruitment.html?cid=2fc0a355-012e-4bef-9c85-724ae074a06a&jobId=296475
The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Please contact jobs@nhm.org for any application inquiries.