About the Role
We are seeking an experienced Museum Collections Manager with international museum or cultural heritage experience to lead collections management activities for a museum collections care and conservation assignment in Saudi Arabia. The successful candidate will coordinate object prioritization, documentation, tracking and collections care, working closely with museum representatives, project teams, specialist conservators, and art handlers. The role requires practical experience managing physical collections and coordinating multidisciplinary teams.
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Key Responsibilities
- Review and validate existing inventories, object identifiers, documentation, and physical locations.
- Work with museum representatives and conservators to select and prioritize objects for assessment and conservation.
- Maintain a comprehensive object register, tracking locations, condition assessment status, conservation progress, and outstanding actions.
- Coordinate object access and readiness for condition surveys and conservation activities.
- Ensure collections records, photographs, and supporting documentation are accurate, consistent, and complete.
- Coordinate object movement, packing, unpacking, and handovers with art handlers and conservators, maintaining traceable records.
- Monitor storage and handling arrangements, identify collections care risks, and coordinate appropriate action with specialists.
- Coordinate approved specialist services and ensure activities align with the project schedule and collections care requirements.
- Provide regular progress reports, highlighting risks, documentation gaps, and decisions required.
- Prepare final collections records, handover documentation, and recommendations for ongoing care.
- Specialist conservation assessments and treatments will be carried out by appointed conservators, with the Collections Manager responsible for coordination and related collections documentation.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in Museum Studies, Collections Management, Conservation, Archaeology, Cultural Heritage, or a related discipline.
- A minimum of seven years of relevant experience in museum collections management, registration, or collections care.
- Demonstrated experience with internationally recognized museums, cultural institutions, or international heritage projects.
- Experience independently leading collections activities and coordinating multidisciplinary teams.
- Practical experience with mixed-material collections, inventories, cataloguing, location control, and object movement documentation.
- Sound understanding of preventive conservation, safe handling, storage, and packing practices.
- Experience coordinating condition surveys, conservation programs, or comparable collections projects.
- Strong proficiency in Microsoft Excel and Word, with experience using collections management systems.
- Excellent written and spoken English; Arabic is an advantage.
- Willingness and ability to be based in the museum location for the full six-month assignment.
