Assistant Manager Collections

The Jewish Museum; New York (NY); On-site; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

The Jewish Museum is seeking an Assistant Director, Collections in New York City to lead the stewardship of a 25,000+ object permanent collection. You will develop and enforce collection protocols, supervise the collections team, and ensure professional standards across acquisition, deaccessioning, documentation and access.

You will work with curators, registrars, and conservation staff on provenance research, storage strategies, and access to collections for exhibitions, publications, and

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in Art History, Museum Studies, or equivalent
• Minimum 10 years of relevant Collections Management experience
• Extensive knowledge of museum collection management policies, including records management, and ethical and legal issues
• Excellent research and organizational skills; attention to detail
• Ability to multi-task and manage competing priorities

Responsibilities

• Facilitate acquisition (or deaccession) of artworks with proper documentation
• Supervise accessioning and cataloguing of each new acquisition with detailed condition reports
• Manage maintenance of all collection records and ensure accuracy
• Supervise and mentor the collections team, including interns and volunteers
• Conduct provenance research and create ownership dossiers for artworks, focusing on World War II-era items
• Propose objects for travel exhibitions in collaboration with curators and registration staff
• Maintain primary TMS administrator duties and oversee database upgrades with IT
• Develop expertise in collections management systems (e.g., Crystal Reports, ExLibris Primo) and evaluate new technologies
• Prepare artwork labels for exhibitions and publications
• Chair Collections Management Committee meetings and coordinate access to storage for researchers
• Oversee object photography and analytics reports for curators and leadership
• Collaborate with registration, conservation, and vendor teams on collections initiatives
• Ensure compliance with Collection Management Policy and related procedures

Skills

Leadership

Project management

Research skills

Attention to detail

Communication

Education

Master's degree in Art History / Museum Studies

10+ years of collections experience

Tools

TMS (The Museum System)

Crystal Reports

ExLibris Primo

NetX digital asset management

Job description

The Jewish Museum is an art museum committed to illuminating the complexity and vibrancy of Jewish culture for a global audience. Through distinctive exhibitions and programs that present the work of diverse artists and thinkers, the Museum shares ideas, provokes dialogue, and promotes understanding. The Jewish Museum maintains a unique collection of nearly 30,000 works of art, ceremonial objects, and media reflecting the global Jewish experience. Located on New York City's Museum Mile, in the landmarked Warburg mansion, the Museum plays an important role among cultural institutions, challenging all forms of bigotry and discrimination and promoting understanding among diverse audiences. The Jewish Museum invites applicants of all backgrounds to consider joining the Museum in its work.

For more information, please visit www.TheJewishMuseum.org.

The Position:

The Assistant Director, Collections is responsible for the overall management and stewardship of the Museum's permanent collection of over 25,000 objects that range in scope from prehistoric artifacts to contemporary art. The position develops and maintains collection protocols including evolving best practices for acquisition and deaccession, outgoing loans, disaster preparedness, access and handling of the collection, and ethical and practical considerations. The position combines overall responsibility for the collections function with close involvement in day-to-day collections work, including documentation, research, digitization, storage, and access. The Assistant Director supervises the collections team, establishes priorities, and ensures that collections activities meet professional standards and support the Museum's institutional needs.

Responsibilities Include:

• Facilitate acquisition (or deaccession) of artworks in coordination with curators, artists, donors, galleries, legal counsel, appraisers, registrars, and conservators, to ensure artworks are legally accessioned (or deaccessioned) into (or out of) the museum’s collection with proper and full documentation.
• Supervise accessioning and cataloguing of each new acquisition (performed by Cataloguer), including: preparation of detailed condition report; marking/tagging object; verifying object and artist information; creating and updating the TMS record; placing object into permanent storage; creating archival object file; corresponding with artist, estate, dealer, donor, and other necessary sources to confirm documentation.
• Manage the maintenance of all records pertaining to the Museum’s collection, ensuring accurate documentation and adherence to professional and legal guidelines.
• Supervise and mentor the collections team, currently including the Digital Asset Manager and Cataloguer, as well as interns and volunteers.
• Work with curators to conduct detailed provenance research and create extensive dossiers of ownership for artworks in the collection, with particular attention to those that may have been in Europe during World War II. Train and supervise project interns and cataloguers on research methodologies.
• Work with curators and registration staff to propose objects from the collection that would be appropriate for inclusion in travelling and non-travelling exhibitions.
• Act as primary TMS administrator by maintaining rigorous data-entry standards, overseeing revisions to object records, and granting user privileges as well as providing support and training for staff. Coordinate with IT to make changes and upgrades to the database as needed.
• Develop and maintain expertise in evolving collections management systems and platforms, including Crystal Reports and ExLibris Primo; assess their potential application to the Museum's needs and contribute to the evaluation, implementation, and integration of new systems and technologies as appropriate.
• Prepare artwork labels by researching artworks for presentation in exhibitions, published materials, website, etc.
• Chair monthly Collections Management Committee meetings to discuss collection care issues and approve outgoing loan requests with curatorial and registration staff.
• Arrange object viewings and provide access to collection objects in storage for museum and visiting curators, researchers, and graduate-level students as required.
• Coordinate and oversee professional object photography
• Produce collections analytics and financial reports for curators, museum director, and finance.
• Work closely with registration staff as well as conservators, art handlers, framers, photographers, and mount makers as needed.
• Collaborate with registration staff to manage both on-site and off-site storage facilities. In conjunction with Head Registrar and Collections Director, make decisions regarding various policies and practices for art storage.
• Oversee the Visual Resources Archive and supervise the workflows for the museum’s digital assets in NetX (performed by the Digital Asset Manager).
• Schedule, organize and lead periodic and routine collection inventories.
• Update and maintain the museum’s Collection Management Policy as well as other collection-related procedural documents. Work with curators, Head Registrar and Collections Director, and the museum’s Chief Counsel to ensure compliance and best practices while minimizing risk.
• Collaborate closely with registration and collections staff to and manage various collection initiatives, including large-scale collection installations, off-site storage moves, and conservation assessments.
• Work closely with inter-departmental team to redesign the museum’s collection website, facilitating and advising on updates relating to TMS to NetX links to the website.
• Assist with management of and scholarly engagement with the museum’s library and archives.
• Perform other duties as assigned

Requirements:

• Master’s degree in Art History, Museum Studies, or equivalent
• Minimum 10 years of relevant Collections Management experience
• Extensive knowledge of museum collection management policies, including records management, and ethical and legal issues
• Excellent research and organizational skills; attention to detail
• Ability to multi-task and manage competing priorities