Description

The Head of Collections and Registration supports the Museum’s goals of preservation, intellectual control, expanded discoverability and enhanced public access to its collections by stewarding the Collections team. This role provides critical leadership to ensure best practices for collection stewardship, preservation, and documentation are implemented and maintained. The incumbent provides mentorship to the Collections team in the care, preservation and management of diverse collections and loans. This position oversees all aspects of collections operations and registration—including accession, documentation, data management, rights and reproductions, preservation and care, installation, object movement and processing, storage both onsite and offsite, digital preservation, and risk management and serves as the senior administrator for the Museum’s collection management and digital preservation systems (TMS and Preservice). 

Essential Responsibilities:

• Hire, onboard, and manage Collections staff, delegate and assign tasks to best support seamless an efficient collections operation. 
• Develop and implement policies and procedures for collection management, registration, digital preservation, rights and reproductions, and collection risk management. 
• Ensure alignment with policies, standards and best practices, legal and professional ethics. 
• Develop and manage budgets for collection-related activities. 
• Manage intellectual property aspects of collections, including rights and reproduction program and copyright licensing activities in support of the Museum’s collection/licensing fund. 
• Manage the administration and on-going implementation of TMS, eMuseum and Preservica—including back-end management, data entry, media management, and online deployment of cataloged collections items. 
• Collaborate with Curatorial to develop and implement collection cataloging standards and workflows. 
• Coordinate with Curatorial on acquisition and accessioning process of new collections, ensuring proper documentation and title, alignment with policies, procedures, and standards. 
• Oversee handling and movement of collections and loans—including location tracking, installation/deinstallation, packing and shipping, housing and storage, and physical access.
• Manage cleaning, rotation, and maintenance of permanent and temporary exhibits to ensure ongoing preservation and maintenance of collections on display.
• Oversee digital collections stewardship. 
• Manage emergency preparedness and response as it relates to collections.
• Manage access to collections, including facilitating object access for curators, researchers and supervising public access to collections.
• Ensure appropriate dissemination of collections information to staff, researchers, scholars, general public, etc. 
• Manage incoming and outgoing loans, including coordination and agreement negotiation with lenders, and documentation and oversight of all related logistics. 
• Manage collections and loans insurance in coordination with senior staff – including annual renewal, determining appropriate coverage, special riders and claims. 
• Manage deaccession process, including proposals, review, approvals, disposals and documentation. 
• Conduct quarterly audits of collection objects to ensure best practices are followed. Coordination wall-to-wall collection inventory every ten years to ensure proper management and condition of all objects. 
• Monitor storage facilities and other locations where collections are present to ensure an efficient, clean and optimum environment for the safety of the collections. 
• Conduct condition assessments on collections materials and recommend necessary conservation and preservation projects and procedures.
• Train Collection, Curatorial, Education, and other staff on use of TMS, eMuseum and Preservica including proper procedures and data standards.
• Train Collections staff on best practices for collections care, object handling, and maintenance as needed.
• Collaborate with cross-departmental staff on effective and appropriate use of collections in exhibitions, programs, and other projects and maintain checklists for objects being used. 
• Collaborate with Curatorial and Development on donor research and cultivation to support collection growth. 
• Support the department with the planning and implementation of collection initiatives. 
• Other duties and tasks as assigned.

Requirements

• Bachelor's Degree required in history, anthropology, museum studies, American studies or related field or an equivalent combination of related training and experience. Master’s degree preferred.
• Minimum of 10 years of professional collections management experience.
• Minimum of 5 years of managerial experience. 
• Prior experience working with collections management database software required; TMS, eMuseum or Preservica strongly preferred.
• In-depth knowledge of collections management, licensing, registration standards and best practices.
• Leadership ability, discretion and superb judgment.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Must be able to stand or navigate object handling, storage, and installation processes.
• Must be able to sit at a workstation for extended periods, bend and lift up to 20 pounds, and use a step ladder for collection storage.