Overview

The Director of Collections leads OMCA’s collection management program including registration, conservation, collection information and rights management, environment and risk management. This position reports to the Deputy Director of Curatorial Affairs and works with this position as well as the Director of Content Development to establish and maintain collection research and documentation standards and protocols. Responsibilities also include collaborating on the development and implementation of the exhibition and core gallery program, and of innovative strategies for collection display and interaction that maximize public impact, interpretive potential, community engagement and access while mitigating risks.

Responsibilities

The following reflects OMCA’s definition of essential functions for this position, but does not restrict the tasks that may be assigned. OMCA may assign or reassign duties and responsibilities to this position at any time due to reasonable accommodation or other reasons.

INSTITUTIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES

• Support the Museum’s mission, values, vision, and core commitment to the visitor experience, community engagement, and institutional relevancy for the future
• Contribute to and support the OMCA strategic plan, annual priorities, and institutional initiatives such as diversity advancement
• Contribute to a positive organizational culture based on mutual respect, a spirit of collegiality, cooperation, and openness to many perspectives
• Participate in a culture of ongoing learning, collaboration, innovation, creativity, and community engagement

POSITION DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Collections Management Responsibilities

• Lead the development and implementation of collection policies and procedures that support organizational priorities and are responsive to standards of practice for the field
• Direct planning and execution of museum conservation and collection environment management program for exhibitions and galleries onsite, and storage facilities both onsite and offsite; includes establishing annual priorities and plans, and monitoring implementation
• Direct museum registration program for exhibitions and collections including participation in annual planning and process for acquisitions and de-accessions in keeping with OMCA’s Collecting Plan; loans and insurance; maintenance of collection and exhibition-related archives; object movement and tracking
• Direct OMCA’s collection information systems and intellectual property management program including establishing and overseeing the execution of strategies, standards and protocols for collection research, cataloging and documentation in collaboration with curatorial leadership
• Ensure protocols, training and materials related to collection-related disaster preparedness are in place and coordinated with institutional disaster preparedness program
• Oversee OMCA’s NAGPRA and CalNAGPRA compliance and ensure Native communities are engaged with contemporary, welcoming practices, develop institutional priorities for compliance, and navigate decision-making in legal pathways

Gallery Program Responsibilities

• Direct Collections’ team participation in the development and implementation of core gallery and temporary exhibition programs in keeping with the Exhibition Development Framework and OMCA’s visitor experience priorities which includes consulting on budgets, timelines and issues related to project scope and deliverables, and collaborating with Core Teams to develop innovative display, interpretation and access strategies that maximize public impact while mitigating risk to the collection/objects
• Collaborate on establishing annual priorities and plans for core gallery collection maintenance and rotation, and programming including innovative ways to provide the public with “behind the scenes” collections experiences

Project Management and Administration

• Lead and serve on cross-functional teams and committees
• Participate in division, department, and cross-institutional priority setting, and strategic and annual business planning
• Direct the performance and priorities of direct reports; participate in OMCA’s annual performance management and staff development program
• Develop, negotiate, and monitor professional services contracts
• Recruit, lead, coach and train project collaborators, staff, volunteers and interns as required
• Contribute to the development, writing, implementation and reporting of major grants; participate in the development of corporate and other partnership proposals
• Keep abreast of trends developments in the fields of museums and collections management; stay current with general museum news nationally and internationally
• Oversee and/or manage departmental and project budgets, insuring fiscal responsibility while maximizing return on investment
• Ensure essential information is communicated consistently and in timely manner within department, between divisions, and to key partners

Qualifications

EXPERIENCE

• Ability to display the competencies of strategic thinking, development of self and others and ability to deploy and align organizational strategies and objectives
• 7+ years of related experience in collections management and conservation
• 3 years supervisory/lead experience
• B.A. degree in related field
• M.A. degree in relevant field such as museum studies, cultural studies, nonprofit management or equivalent work experience
• Demonstrated knowledge of the principles, standards and ethics of conservation, collection management and information systems, collection environment management, registration, risk management and insurance, disaster preparedness, laws and regulations related to cultural property and sites, particularly NAGPRA
• Demonstrated leadership in museum field specifically related to collections management
• Demonstrated ability to direct, coach and motivate teams of both direct reports and other colleagues
• Exceptional communication skills and experience with general public, donor groups, press, external and internal stakeholders
• Demonstrated experience in developing and leading grant-funded collections preservation and access projects
• Experience with digital collections information systems, in particular CollectionSpace and NetX
• MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint); Google Apps

WORK ENVIRONMENT

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of the job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. The environment may include:

• Museum environment involves both indoor and outdoor working conditions
• Ability to travel between OMCA locations, and other travel as required by position responsibilities

EEO STATEMENT

The Oakland Museum of California is dedicated to diversity, inclusion, accessibility and equity. We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, race, color, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, ability/disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. We highly encourage our diverse community to apply for available employment, internship, fellowship and volunteer positions at the Museum, as we aim to ensure our staff reflects the diversity of our visitors and surrounding community. In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, OMCA will provide reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities.

COMPENSATION $125,800 - $125,800 annually