Manager / Snr Manager, Curatorial Research & Engagement, Founders' Memorial

Public Service Division; Singapore; On-site; SGD 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

The Public Service Division's Founders’ Memorial invites a Curatorial specialist to help ground content in solid research and stakeholder engagement. You will shape stories for galleries, publications, and digital platforms, while collaborating across FM teams and with external partners.

We seek candidates with a strong history background, substantial curatorial/research experience, and proven ability to collaborate and manage projects in a fast-moving environment.

Qualifications

• Degree in History or Humanities or related discipline.
• 5+ years of curatorial or research experience in history or heritage.
• Strong research, writing, editorial and presentation skills.
• Ability to collaborate with diverse stakeholders and teams.

Responsibilities

• Conduct curatorial research on Singapore’s post-independence history, including sources and artefacts.
• Develop knowledge pieces for exhibitions, publications and digital platforms.
• Engage with communities and partners to enrich FM’s content and collections.
• Collaborate with education, interpretation, digital and other teams on projects like exhibitions and publications.

Skills

Research & Scholarship

Stakeholder Engagement

Project Management

Editorial Skills

Education

History or Humanities degree

Job description

[What the role is]

At the Founders’ Memorial, we are creating a brand-new garden-museum experience for Singaporeans, by Singaporeans. A national landmark at the heart of our garden city, uncovering the story of how independent Singapore came to be, and bringing Singaporeans together to reflect on the heritage of our founding leaders and generation – what it means for us today and for the future. A home for Singapore’s founding values to live on and find new life in its people.

Can you identify with the values that guided our founding leaders and generation that have shaped Singapore to what it is today? Are you keen to tell stories about the courage and resilience exhibited by our founding leaders and generation in our nation-building years (1950s to 1970s)? Do you often think about the challenges and trade-offs that our country must negotiate in the past, present and future? If your answer is “yes”, join us at the Founders’ Memorial!

The FM is seeking a suitable candidate to join the Curatorial team, where you will be part of a passionate team that will help ground the FM’s content and storytelling in solid research and stakeholder engagement. You will be responsible for researching, shaping the content and telling the stories, that will feature in FM’s permanent and temporary galleries as well as for other curatorial projects such as publications, catalogues and digital platforms. You will also work collaboratively with other teams in the FM such as its Education, Interpretation and Digital teams on shaping content for diverse audiences.

[What you will be working on]

• Curatorial research : Conduct research on primary and secondary material pertaining to Singapore’s post-independence history, including but not limited to oral history interviews and archival records. This includes research for acquiring artefacts for the National Collection.
• Knowledge production and new research : Produce knowledge and new research pieces on Singapore’s immediate pre- and post-independence history, including but not limited to for use in FM’s exhibition galleries and publications. In doing so, you will contribute to FM’s thought leadership on Singapore’s immediate pre- and post-independence history.
• Community engagement : Develop and implement strategies to bring FM’s curatorial research content to diverse audiences, as well as gathering community perspectives and stories that can enrich FM’s content and collections. This includes building relationships with key partners to achieve these aims.
• Collaborative curatorial projects : Work collaboratively and coordinate with internal teams within FM in the areas of education, interpretation, digital, programmes as well as other stakeholders such as collection managers, designers, creatives, and translators on the planning and execution of curatorial projects such as exhibitions, programmes, publications, audio guides, content management, and public engagement initiatives.

[What we are looking for]

• Background in History or the Humanities or other disciplines relevant to Singapore’s post-independence history and nation building policies.
• Preferably at least 5 years of experience in related curatorial- or research work with keen knowledge and passion for Singapore’s post-independence history and heritage, and its relevance to the present and future.
• Research, Publication & Scholarship Proven excellence in research and knowledge production, with strong analytical, writing, editorial and presentation skills.
• Stakeholder Engagement A collaborative team player with excellent project and stakeholder management skills, and able to work independently.
• Resourcefulness, and strength in knowledge production, research, project and stakeholder management.
• As the FM is an institution being built from the ground-up, the candidate should be able to navigate changes, multiple stakeholders and a fast-moving environment, and have adept problem-solving skills where processes are still being established.