Collections Manager

Job Description

The Burke Museum has an outstanding opportunity for a Collections Manager to join their team.

The Collections Manager in Heritage: Arts & Cultures (HAC) is a member of a team that cares for collections by centering ethics and through building and maintaining relationships with descendant communities.

About this opportunity:

The day to-day work of the Collections Manager involves managing and supervising the long-term care and preservation of the collections, including facilitating access for community, students, researchers and staff, and overseeing the documentation and care of collections and archives.

Collections care includes a range of activities, such as overseeing access and research, maintaining records, inventory, communicating with donors, repatriation, arranging conservation, coordinating for exhibits and other public events, supporting storage renovation projects, assisting with efforts to digitize collections and migrate the database.

Under the direction of the Curator for Diasporic Oceania and Asias (DOA), the Collections Manager will foster and maintain ethical relationships between the Burke Museum and Pacific Islander, Asian and Near Eastern communities, and facilitate community access and activation of the collection. To support this work, the Collections Manager will build upon and create new relationships with students, artists, communities, and local organizations. Student-centered, collections-based research training is central to our work as a public university museum. As a member of the HAC department, the Collections Manager will work as a team with HAC Curators, Collections Managers, the Bill Holm Center, Artist Studio Coordinator, assistants, students and volunteers, and cultivate connections across all Burke departments, as well as between the cultural collections and Oceanic, Asian and Near Eastern collections in other departments at the Burke Museum.

Key Responsibilities: 

Collections Management: (30%)

• Manage the cultural and archival collections for the Oceanic, Asian and Near Eastern regions, including accessions, cataloging, organization and storage both on and off-site, according to best practices. Along with the curator, set priorities for collection work.

• Track use of the collections.

• Facilitate loans and image requests.

• Coordinate with Registrar and collections staff regarding Native American Graves and

Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) requests and inventories.

• Work with other members of the division collections staff team to design and implement

protocols for curation and equipment use. Manage and maintain equipment and relevant

trainings.

• Respond to public and internal research inquiries on a timely basis.

• Schedule use by researchers, visiting scholars and students; coordinate, host, and oversee visitors to the collection while prioritizing collection safety and well-being.

Data Management & Digitization: (20%)

• Maintain division records and compile statistics for the cultural collections as needed.

• Responsible for collection data integrity and security in conjunction with IT.

• Coordinate digitization of collections data and its dissemination on the website. Initiate and/or oversee new digitization programs.

• Complete data entry as needed.

• Along with the other HAC Collections Managers standardize Argus data, set priorities for data clean up. Oversee new database structure.

• Provide access to data.

Education & Outreach: (10%)

• Respond to public inquiries for cultural material identification and care.

• Conduct tours for communities, school groups, university classes, and others, and facilitate visits

led by student leaders.

• Assist with public outreach programs such as Behind the Scenes Night.

• Collaborate with Visitor Services, Communications, Education, and Development teams for relevant outreach and public facing projects.

 

Supervisory & Budgets: (10%)

• Work with staff, students, and volunteers to facilitate collections work.

• Responsible for recruiting/hiring, training, and managing teams of staff, students, and

volunteers.

• Develop training materials.

• Order supplies and equipment for collections care, on occasion, for the entire division

• Along with the other collections managers, manage budget activity and develop quarterly budget reports.

Collection Development: (5%)

• Under the supervision of the curator, follow collection development priorities and set new

ones where necessary.

• Work with potential donors to build Oceanic, Asian and Near Eastern collections, manage correspondence and work with the Registrar’s office through the acquisitions process.

• Coordinate new acquisition purchases utilizing available acquisition funds.

• Identify and manage deaccessions, transfers, and repatriations with the Registrar and relevant curator.

  

Exhibits & Interpretation: (5%)

• Coordinate with curators and museum exhibits/public programs staff for selection and

management of all outreach and exhibit materials from the collections. Serve as an advisor

to exhibit teams to provide preventive conservation expertise.

• Along with other departmental CMs, coordinate workroom activities for the team to help

activate the visible collections and workspaces.

• Help create rotating workroom window displays.

 

Grants & Funding: (10%)

• Working with the DOA curator or CMs, apply, or help develop ideas for grant funding.

• Steward donors and prospective donors.

• Coordinate projects for grants/contracts when applicable.

 

Research and Innovation: (5%)

• Facilitate research in the collection for descendent community members, curators, faculty,

students, and external researchers.

• Independent research is optional/negotiable.

 

Institutional & Professional Service: (5%)

• Participate in departmental meetings.

• Work collaboratively with collections staff across the museum on Burke-wide policies.

• Engage with the rest of the museum through internal committees.

• Represent the institution on external professional/community committees.

• Maintain a collegial and collaborative environment within and across departments.

• Actively work to support DEAI & Decolonization initiatives.

• Pursue professional training and development.

 

Required Qualifications:
To be considered for this opportunity your application must demonstrate you meet both the minimum qualifications and additional qualifications listed below. Equivalent education and/or experience may substitute for minimum qualifications except when there are legal requirements, such as a license, certification, and/or registration.

Minimum Qualifications: 

• Master’s degree in Museum Studies, Anthropology, Ethnic Studies or related field and 2-3 years experience in collections management, or related experience
• Applicants who do not meet these qualifications WILL NOT be forwarded to the Hiring Manager.

Additional Qualifications

• Knowledge of collection database management systems; 
• Knowledge and experience working with Indigenous communities, particularly 
• diasporic communities from Oceania and Asia; 
• A demonstrated commitment to ethics, capacity building, and training and 
• experience mentoring college students; 
• Strong interpersonal skills, flexibility and ability to work well as a team in HAC and with 
• other departments; 
• Supervisory experience. 

Preferred Qualifications:

• A passion and interest for developing the relationships and care practices that best support communities and collections;
• Interest in maintaining conversations about NAGPRA, collections care, and best practices with other museums;
• Experience with repatriation;
• A commitment to anti-colonial practices and mentoring the next generation of museum professionals and students;
• Knowledge and experience with Integrated Pest Management (IPM) and environmental monitoring;
• Knowledge of scanning equipment and digital cameras, rights & reproductions, copyright law;
• Knowledge of archives management and best practices;
• Preventive conservation training;
• Previous experience inventorying collections;
• Experience with grant writing;
• Ability to publish, present and share research findings with the public in various formats;
• Commitment to professional growth through participation in conferences, community gatherings and professional networking;
• Flexibility to work in a dynamic environment requiring departmental and institutional coordination

Working Conditions:

• Ability to work a flexible schedule that occasionally involves work on weekends and holidays.
• Ability to work in an environment visible to the public with visual and audible distractions
• Wear required credentials at all times and work attire/uniforms and name tags as required by position

About the Team:

The Burke Museum cares for and shares natural and cultural collections so all people can learn, be inspired, generate knowledge, feel joy, and heal. The Burke was founded in 1885 by the Young Naturalists, a group of curious teenagers inspired by seeing Seattle transform before their eyes. For 135 years, the museum has built upon this legacy, collecting objects that help us understand how the Northwest has grown and changed.  

Compensation, Benefits and Position Details

Pay Range Minimum:

$72,000.00 annual

Pay Range Maximum:

$73,200.00 annual

Other Compensation:

-

Benefits:

For information about benefits for this position, visit https://www.washington.edu/jobs/benefits-for-uw-staff/

Shift:

Alternate Work Shift (United States of America)

Temporary or Regular?

This is a regular position

FTE (Full-Time Equivalent):

100.00%

Union/Bargaining Unit:

Not Applicable

About the UW 

Working at the University of Washington provides a unique opportunity to change lives – on our campuses, in our state and around the world.  

UW employees bring their boundless energy, creative problem-solving skills and dedication to building stronger minds and a healthier world. In return, they enjoy outstanding benefits, opportunities for professional growth and the chance to work in an environment known for its diversity, intellectual excitement, artistic pursuits and natural beauty. 

Our Commitment 

The University of Washington is committed to fostering an inclusive, respectful and welcoming community for all. As an equal opportunity employer, the University considers applicants for employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, citizenship, sex, pregnancy, age, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information, disability, or veteran status consistent with UW Executive Order No. 81.

To request disability accommodation in the application process, contact the Disability Services Office at 206-543-6450 or [email protected]. 

Applicants considered for this position will be required to disclose if they are the subject of any substantiated findings or current investigations related to sexual misconduct at their current employment and past employment. Disclosure is required under Washington state law.