[BCMA] Job Posting: Collections and Exhibits Manager at the Maritime Museum of BC

[Moderated BCMA subscriber listserv]

Full Time Regular Employment Opportunity

Position:  Collections and Exhibits Manager

About the Maritime Museum of BC 

Our mission is to promote and preserve our diverse maritime experience and
heritage and to engage people with this ongoing story. 

In addition to offering in-person and virtual exhibits, the museum presents
virtual talks, live tours and craft workshops that look at maritime history
in unique and creative ways. 

The Maritime Museum of BC has three locations: one downtown public location
(about 3,000 sq/ft) and two off site storage locations (totalling 13,000
sq/ft). There are three main parts to the Maritime Museum of BC's
collections: artefacts, archives, and library books. The collections
contain:

*	35,000 objects
*	500 pieces of artwork
*	550 flags
*	Ship models of BC vessels
*	8,500 books
*	35,000 ships' plans
*	40,000 historic photographs

The Maritime Museum of BC also has three historic sailing vessels in the
collection called Tillikum, Dorothy, and Trekka.

The Team

Our team at the MMBC is tight-knit, flexible, and excited about the work we
do. We work closely with an amazing and supportive group of committed board
members and volunteers. All of us come from different backgrounds, which we
believe is part of our strength! We have four regular full-time staff,
seasonal staff, eleven enthusiastic and active board members, and dozens of
regular volunteers. We also have community partners in many local
organizations who we work with and deliver programming to on a regular
basis.

What you can expect

You start your day in the collections storage space by doing a quick walk
about the space. Anything that requires tidying and/or cleaning would then
be taken care of. You will start your computer, checking you email and
turning on Slack to keep in communication with the whole MMBC staff. If
there are research requests to be fulfilled you will address those. 

Some volunteers might start to come in, so you greet them and check in on
how their projects are going. If they need anything or have questions, you
address them. From there, you will review the annual collections priorities
to ensure each is being attended to, and you select one to work on for the
day, or you pick up any work remaining from a previous day. In the
afternoon, more volunteers might show up and you check in with them as well,
addressing any needs they might have. 

You will have a weekly quota of catalogue records to be entered, so you are
mindful of that. Some days you will not be able to catalogue. Instead time
might need to be spent on recruiting, training, and supervising volunteers
and/or collections summer and intern staff. You will already have started
your week with these irregular tasks in mind to ensure your weekly quota of
catalogue records is met. 

You will generally spend one day a week at the downtown location where you
will participate in the weekly staff meeting, have access to research and
photo files, and work on exhibits. Exhibits work will involve research,
writing, layout planning, and working with the community that is engaged
with each exhibit topic. 

There will also be days that you will need to be at our second off site
storage location in a warehouse at Ogden Point. This work will involve
processing and inventorying the collection stored there, and re-housing
items into new storage conditions.

You will report directly to the Executive Director for all of your work
tasks.

Position Responsibilities

*	Cataloguing, preserving and managing the Maritime Museum of BC's
valuable collections, which consists of objects, archives, library
materials, photographs, small crafts, and three sailing vessels.  
*	Facilitating acquisition, preserving, and arranging materials.
*	Continuing the process of digitizing and photographing the
collection and adding these to the catalogue records. 
*	Maintaining and updating the objects and archives databases.
*	Attending quarterly Collections Committee meetings and preparing
donation offer forms for the Committee's review.
*	Developing annual collections plan proposals for approval by the
Executive Director and the Collections Committee.
*	Recruiting, training, and supervising all collections and exhibits
volunteers.
*	Assisting with the recruiting, training, and supervising of
collections summer and intern staff.
*	Facilitating public research and access to the collections.
*	Overseeing the development of exhibits with assistance from the
Learning and Visitor Experience Committee. 
*	Managing exhibit rentals and objects loans, both incoming and
outgoing.
*	Maintaining the cleanliness of the storage facility.
*	Any additional duties as assigned by the Executive Director.

Qualifications

*	At least 3 years of experience working in the GLAM sector with a
focus in collections work. You're familiar with cultural institutions and
how they are structured, including the differences between small and large
museums. 
*	High level of attention to detail and organizational skills.
*	Post-secondary degree or diploma in a related field.  
*	Experience with and knowledge of cataloguing standards for objects,
archives, and library materials, including how they differ.
*	Experience with and knowledge of archival cataloguing rules-Rules of
Archival Description (RAD).
*	Understanding of collections management theory.

*	Clear communication skills. 
*	Ability to supervise and give guidance to volunteers and support
staff.
*	Basic knowledge of Canadian and British Columbia history, as well as
an awareness that not all histories are commonly known and told.
*	Availability for weekday, weekend, and evening work as required
*	Current First Aid Certificate is considered an asset.
*	Due to the need to move objects between shelves, some of which are
high, you need to be able to lift 50lbs above your head and to reach high
shelves.
*	This position requires the applicant to travel and transport
collection items between the MMBC's three locations. MMBC uses Modo
carsharing, and the successful applicant must meet Modo's driving standard:

*	Have an N licence or better or the equivalent from another
jurisdiction (must be permitted to drive alone in the car)
*	No at-fault accidents within the past two years at the time of
joining;
*	No more than one at-fault accident within the past two years after
joining;
*	No licence suspensions within the past two years; and
*	No more than two traffic violations in the past two years.

*	If you do not meet Modo's requirement, you must have access to your
own vehicle.
*	The selected candidate will need to agree to and sign that they have
read and understood the following:

*	Employee Manual
*	Code of Conduct
*	Vacation Policy
*	Vaccination Policy

 

The ideal candidate will:

*	Take ownership of the collections storage and working spaces. This
not only includes taking responsibility for the care of the collection, but
also the care of the collection storage facilities. You must be able to
maintain an acceptable level of cleanliness and order at the workstations
and around the storage shelves. You will also need to keep an eye on supply
levels for general office supplies and collections storage supplies, and
place order requests as needed. 
*	Have strong attention to detail and organizational skills. 
*	Have the ability to work independently, be self-directed, and
demonstrate initiative.
*	Enjoy developing the talent and potential of summer students and
interns, and enjoy working with diverse volunteers.
*	Be enthusiastic and motivated to learn about maritime history. 
*	Be familiar with Past Perfect and Access to Memory databases. 
*	Be self driven and can easily handle multiple priorities with
deadlines at once.

What We Offer: 

 

*	Flexible time off including de-colonized statutory holidays.
*	Health spending account after a probationary period of three months.
*	Five paid sick days a year.
*	Professional Development opportunities including paid time for
cultural learning.
*	Enjoyable work that matters with a collaborative and supportive
team.

 

Salary: Starting wage, $25.60/hour, with experience taken into
consideration.

 

Schedule: Monday to Friday, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM (some evening and weekend
work will be required), 7.5 hours/day, 37.5 hours/week

 

Four days a week are spent at off site storage locations and one day a week
is spent at the public downtown location.

 

Application due: 19 November 2021

 

Start Date: Preferably 6 December 2021, but to be discussed. There will be a
three-month probationary period.

 

TO APPLY

 

Please apply with a cover letter, resume, and three references in a single
PDF to the HR Committee by email at  <mailto:info at mmbc.bc.ca>
info at mmbc.bc.ca. One of your references should include someone in a
supervisor capacity from your most recent position.

 

The Maritime Museum of BC actively welcomes and encourages applications from
women, people with disabilities, Indigenous peoples, and visible minorities.


We would like to thank all applications for their interest in this position.
Only candidates selected for an interview will be contacted.

 

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