Description:
The Denver Museum of Nature & Science (DMNS) seeks a motivated individual with a background and passion for natural history and the management of collections to fill a new and exciting position, Director of Integrative Collections. The Museum’s research, education, archives, and library collections have been consolidated under one functional area, and we are in search of a leader to guide this new branch. The successful individual will help craft a vision to raise the profile and accessibility of DMNS’ collections, while leading a highly skilled team that provides professional collections management, and support for research, education, and Museum programming. The ability to do collections outreach and communicate the value of our collections is an important component of this position.
The Museum has committed significant resources towards caring for its growing collections including opening of the 63,000 sq. ft. state-of-the-art Avenir Collections Center in 2014. The museum has also committed to supporting the research collections by establishing new collections support positions within the Research and Collections Division.
This position will report directly to the Vice President of Research & Collections/Chief Curator. It will be key to work closely with the division’s other directors, directly supervise collections managers, archives, and education collections staff, and manage a budget focused on collections care.
The world-class collections at DMNS include 4.1 million objects and specimens in Anthropology, Archives, Earth Sciences, Education, Health Sciences, Library, and Zoology. Collections span seven continents, deep time to the present, with a major focus on the American West. A large portion of the collections are databased and publicly accessible, including access through other portals (e.g., iDigBio, GBIF). The Research and Collections Division is supported by 35 staff members, multiple-grant-funded positions, and approximately 700 volunteers.
Information about the Museum’s collections can be found here: https://www.dmns.org/science/integrative-collections/
Essential duties:
- Provides strategic leadership for collections staff by providing opportunities for career growth and continuing education by building networks with museums for training in collections management.
- Awareness of pan-Museum strategy and initiatives and ability to communicate that vision to the staff and integrate into the department.
- Inspires staff to excellence, by providing timely feedback and rewarding exceptional performance.
- Provides vision for team collaboration within the department and across the museum.
- Works with curators to ensure strategic growth of the collections, deaccessions, and repatriation are within parameters of DMNS collection policies.
- Evaluates, develops, updates and oversees the implementation of collections management policies and the long-term collections plan and submits for approval through the appropriate channels.
- Ensures proper utilization and methodology of collection databases.
- Assists with logistics of collection acquisitions that are relevant to the mission of the museum.
- Oversees grant administration, budgets, and projects in accordance with museum procedures to improve the care, growth, access, and use of collections.
- Oversees implementation of innovative approaches for increasing accessibility and use of the collections.
- Serves as a Museum public spokesperson for the collections, and provides professional expertise as needed to other areas of the museum and the media in a timely and professional manner.
Requirements:
- Master’s degree in earth sciences, life sciences or social sciences is required; PhD preferred.
- 7 years’ experience in managing natural history collections.
- 5 years’ experience utilizing a collection database.
- 5 years’ experience managing professional level staff required.
- 5 years’ experience securing and administering grants and budget management required.
- Some travel will be required.
- Some evening and weekend work required.
- Intermediate proficiency with Microsoft Office suite required.
Ideal candidate will:
- Have a PhD preferred in earth sciences, life sciences, or social sciences.
- Be a leader that can inspire their team.
- Be a visionary that can increase community and research exposure to our collections.
- Have public speaking and experience working with media.
Core values:
- We love science.
- We are curious, creative and playful.
- We cultivate relationships with each other, diverse communities, the environment and for our future.
- We think critically and act with empathy.
This is an exciting opportunity to play an integral part in the continued success of the Museum, with 450+ full-time and part-time employees and more than 1,800 volunteers. We are building on our already solid foundation with a strong vision and solid strategy to recreate and redefine how we engage our community that loves, understands, and protects our natural world.
Application Instructions:
Please submit your cover letter and resume by October 15, 2017. Resumes will not be accepted after this time.
Applications may only be accepted electronically via the Museum’s website: http://www.dmns.org/about-us/jobs-and-internships/jobs/
Due to the high volume of people who apply, we are not able to respond to specific inquiries regarding your application status.
The Denver Museum of Nature & Science is an equal opportunity employer. The Museum is dedicated to the goal of building a culturally diverse staff committed to serving the needs of all our visitors and we encourage applications from individuals of all backgrounds.