Description
Lehigh University’s College of Arts & Sciences seeks a collaborative and experienced Museum Registrar/Collections Manager (MRCM) to oversee its permanent art collection of over 20,000 contemporary and historical works. Located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, Lehigh is a private non-denominational research university with over 7,000 undergraduate and graduate students. As the university’s art museum, LUAG organizes changing exhibitions across seven campus galleries along with robust programming that supports an interdisciplinary teaching and learning environment.
The MRCM position supports the preservation, documentation, and display of the art collection, providing access for both campus and community audiences. Reporting to the Curator of Collections and Exhibitions and collaborating with the Head Preparator/Exhibition Designer, the MRCM maintains accurate records and documentation using TMSCollections, oversees the condition of the collection, and implements professional museum standards for handling, storage, risk mitigation, and transportation of artworks. The MRCM ensures the proper management of deeds of gift, loans, appraisals, legal documentation, copyright, etc. in collaboration with interdepartmental stakeholders and university policies.
The successful candidate will have the ability to learn quickly, have an innate aptitude for flexibility and teamwork within an academic museum setting, the ability to juggle multiple projects with both immediate and future deadlines, and a positive, solutions-oriented approach.
Position Number: S73010
This position is a Grade: 8 - 40 with an approximate salary range of $46,870 - $56,250 and is subject to change based on experience, skills and qualifications.
Key Responsibilities:
- Administer the collections management system (TMSCollections) to ensure pertinent object information, meeting high standards for thoroughness, accuracy, and consistency of data and format.
- Create new object/artist records, maintaining a detailed acquisition log to document the history and legal status of objects entering the collection (acquisition, planned gift, long-term loan, etc.)
- Serve as the museum’s point person in the university-wide gift-acceptance process, including other stakeholders and departments. Ensure key documents, such as Deeds of Gift, adhere to current museum standards and are recorded.
- Monitor and ensure the physical well-being of the collection, ensuring appropriate practices, storage spaces, materials, and environmental conditions. - Monitor and log environmental data and provide recommendations.
- Spearhead and maintain a program of risk management and disaster preparedness, including authoring and updating policies and procedures.
- Manage the daily operation of the storage environment, including storage rooms, workstations, study areas, etc.
- Oversee and manage staff, including wage employees, student workers, volunteers, and interns. Mentor and train workers in the best practices of collections management.
- Oversee outside contractors, including couriers, shippers, conservators, and representatives of other institutions, as well as maintenance and custodial staff.
- Provide supervised access to the physical collections for classes, students, faculty, and staff in collaboration with the Curator of Education. Provide instruction to ensure that guidelines and best practices for handling and working with the collection are closely followed.
- Field external research requests, and provide supervised access for researchers as appropriate in consultation with other museum staff.
- Collaborate with the full LUAG team to discuss planning, best practices, exchange ideas, provide project status updates, share expertise, receive input, and prioritize collections tasks. Assist staff promptly with requests related to collections.
- Meet regularly with your supervisor, the Curator of Exhibitions and Collections, and communicate needs and priorities in order to problem-solve and make decisions in a timely, productive way.
Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s Degree in Museum Studies, Art History, Art, Cultural Heritage, Archives, Public History, or a related field. Master’s Degree preferred. Equivalent professional experience considered.
- Three to five years of related work experience.
- Proficiency in American Alliance of Museums standards and best practices.
- Proficiency with TMSCollections, TMS Database Configuration, and TMS Composer.
- Strong organizational skills and attention to detail.
- Excellent communication (written, verbal) and interpersonal skills.
- Experience supervising staff and working with diverse constituencies.
- Ability to lift and handle artworks safely.
At Lehigh, we believe our people are our greatest asset. You'll join a community that values work-life balance, offering comprehensive benefits, professional development opportunities, and a collaborative environment that encourages innovation. Lehigh University is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate. We are committed to a culturally and intellectually diverse community and we seek qualified candidates to contribute to the university’s mission.
Persons with disabilities who anticipate needing an accommodation for any part of the interview or hiring process may contact Lehigh's Accommodations Specialist.
The duties of this position may allow the employee to work partially remote as deemed appropriate by their supervisor.
This position works with minors.
Successful completion of standard background checks including but not limited to: social security verification, education verification, national criminal background checks, motor vehicle checks, PATCH, FBI fingerprinting, Child Abuse Clearance and credit history based upon the requirements of the position.
Only complete applications will be considered therefore please complete the application in its entirety. Once the posting is removed from the website applications may no longer be allowed to be completed.
