Curator | The Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections

The Buffalo Bill Center of the West, an AAM accredited museum at the eastern gateway to Yellowstone National Park, is looking for a visionary collaborative leader to serve as Curator of the Draper Natural History Museum. This is an exciting opportunity for a creative individual to work with researchers in and out of the museum to bring forward to more than 200,000 visitors a year the story of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.

We are seeking an experienced museum or educational professional who is open and willing to collaborate widely both inside and outside of the organization. The successful candidate will be a proven leader who embraces the importance of museum education in teaching and learning. Finally, the next Curator will continue an institutional commitment to the highest level of scholarship in exhibitions (permanent and rotating) and programs.

The DNHM curator directs and manages the operations, exhibitions, educational programming, research and collections development and care of the DNHM in accordance with the Center and DNHM missions. The position requires an individual who enjoys and excels at working collaboratively with a variety of stakeholders, including staff, board, advisors, volunteers, and researchers. The successful candidate will hold at least a master’s degree in in one or more areas of natural history, education or environmental science and have at least 3 to 5 years’ experience in a museum environment. He/she will be required to have demonstrated organizational and interpersonal skills and possesses good general knowledge of natural history/ecology in the American West and with preferred knowledge of the Greater Yellowstone region.

Summary:
Directs and Manages the operations, exhibitions, educational programming, research and collections development and care of the Draper Natural History Museum (DNHM) in accordance with the Buffalo Bill Center of the West and DNHM missions.

Essential Functions:
Internal Relations:

Supervises staff, interns and volunteers.
Works cooperatively and creatively with all Divisions to support BBCW mission and priorities.
Ensures compliance with Center policies and procedures.

Programs:

Education – Collaborates with the Interpretative Education Department to develop and implement educational programming related to natural history.
Exhibits – Initiates and collaboratively creates content, develops and implements design, implementation and evaluation of all DNHM temporary and permanent exhibitions and ancillary programs.
Collections – Oversees compliance with BBCW collections policies and procedures as they relate to natural history collections. Curates the DMNH natural history collection.
Research – Conducts research in the central area of expertise. Presents that research through exhibitions, publications and programming. Supervises research conducted on DNHM collections and databases.
Integrated Research – Works collaboratively with other outside researchers/institutions to include their research into the Draper program goals.

External Relations:

Represents the Center in all activities related to natural science.
Collaboratively promotes the leadership role of the BBCW in natural history in and around the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.
Develops and expands collaborative outreach opportunities for the Cody and Greater Yellowstone communities.

Organization:

Directs day-to-day operations of the of the DNHM.
Plans and develops DNHM interpretation including exhibitions and educational programming.
Prepares and manages annual budget and reviews on a regular basis departmental expenses and budget reports.
Develops plans for the DMNH in support of the Center’s strategic plan
Leads staff activities within the Draper and evaluates staff performance and direction.
As a supervisor at the BBCW, ensures the safety and quality of guest experience for the museum.
Ensures compliances of the DMNH policies with current standards of professional ethics and conduct.
Ensures that the DNHM exhibition galleries, offices, lab, Equipment and storage facilities are well maintained and provide a clean and safe environment for volunteers, visitors and staff.

Competencies:

Ethical conduct
Communication Proficiency
Leadership/mentorship acumen

Supervisory Responsibilities:
Supervises DNHM Curatorial staff, temporary staff, interns and volunteers.

Required Education and Experience:

Demonstrated Leadership and Management Skills.
Minimum of Masters’ degree in one or more areas of natural history, education or environmental science.
Demonstrated organizational and interpersonal skills.
At least 3 to 5 years’ experience in museum environment.
Familiarity with the public interpretation of scientific and environmental information.
Possesses good general knowledge of natural history/ecology in the American West and with preferred knowledge of the Greater Yellowstone region.
Demonstrated ability to coordinate and lead large, complex, and highly successful projects.

Excellent research, writing skills and verbal communication and organizational skills.
Demonstrated ability to work well in a team environment and interact successfully with colleagues, visitors, volunteers, donors, and vendors.

EEO Statement:
Buffalo Bill Center of the West provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, ancestry, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, religion, age, disability, gender identity, results of genetic testing, or service in the military. Equal employment opportunity applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leave of absence, compensation, and training.

Other Duties:
Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

The Center offers competitive salary, full benefits package to include vacation, retirement plan, health, dental, vision life and disability insurance and other benefits. For a detailed job description, refer to the Job Opportunities portion of the BBHC’s website: https://centerofthewest.org/. Interested applicants should submit a letter of application to include current cover letter and resume to terryh@centerofthewest.org.

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