Director of Conservation

Artbma; Northern (KY); On-site; USD 105,000 - 128,000; Full time

Job summary

The Baltimore Museum of Art seeks an experienced Director of Conservation to lead a multi-disciplinary team of conservators and technicians and shape the department’s research, treatment, and preventive practices.

The role partners with Curatorial, Registration, Exhibitions, Installation, Facilities, and Education to advance ethical collection stewardship, sustainability, and audience engagement while guiding a comprehensive Conservation Plan and strategic priorities.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in art conservation and at least 10 years of professional conservator experience.
• Strong leadership, staff development, and collaborative skills.
• Excellent written and oral communication in English; proficiency in additional languages is a plus.
• Experience developing and managing project and operational budgets.
• Proficiency with collection management systems; TMS experience preferred.

Responsibilities

• Provide visionary and day-to-day leadership for the Conservation Department, ensuring excellence and standards.
• Recruit, supervise, mentor, and evaluate conservators, technicians, interns, fellows, and contract professionals.
• Develop and implement conservation policies and workflows balancing risk, value, access, equity, sustainability, and impact.
• Oversee annual and multi-year conservation plans aligned with priorities and budgets.
• Lead emergency preparedness, disaster response, and incident triage.
• Represent the BMA as a leader in conservation within professional and community settings.

Skills

Leadership

Strategic planning

Staff development

Interpersonal skills

English communication

Education

Master’s degree in art conservation

Tools

TMS

Job description

The Baltimore Museum of Art (BMA) seeks an experienced leader and diligent manager to serve as Director of Conservation. This senior role oversees all aspects of the Museum’s conservation program—including treatment, research, outreach, and long-term care for a collection of nearly 100,000 artworks—and positions the BMA as a leader in values-based, people-centered, and sustainability informed conservation practice. Working collaboratively with Curatorial, Registration, Exhibitions, Installation, Facilities, and Education staff, the Director of Conservation establishes policies and standards that meet the highest professional expectations while thoughtfully recalibrating established norms in response to current scientific research, evolving museum practices, and audience engagement. The role is responsible for helping the institution balance risk, value, access, equity, sustainability, and long-term impact in conservation decision-making.

As the BMA develops a new strategic plan, the Director of Conservation will have a unique opportunity to shape the future of the department while serving as a key partner in advancing the Museum’s long term institutional goals, which include a museum-wide collection reinstallation. In the near term, the Director will guide the Museum’s alignment with Bizot Green standards, develop a comprehensive Conservation Plan to inform departmental research and treatment priorities, expand the BMA’s Artist Interview Project, and further establish the BMA as a progressive leader in contemporary conservation practice.

The Director of Conservation leads a team of conservators (objects, paintings, and paper) and conservation technicians (objects and textiles, paintings and frames, matting and framing) as well as fellows, interns, and contract professionals, and reports to the Eddie C. and C. Sylvia Brown Chief Curator.

Key collaborators include the Director of Registration, the Senior Director of Exhibitions and Program Alignment, the Director of Installation, the Director of Security, the Director of Facilities, and five Curatorial Department Heads. The successful candidate will be a visionary leader and collaborative colleague who thrives in a fast-paced, deeply engaged work environment; a researcher and educator energized by the creation and sharing of knowledge; and a nimble manager committed to staff development and well-being.

About the Baltimore Museum of Art

Recognized as one of the nation’s Top 20 Art Museums by The Washington Post, the Baltimore Museum of Art (BMA) is a vital cultural and educational resource for the region. The Museum’s renowned collection includes the world’s largest public holding of works by Henri Matisse, alongside exceptional works by global masters and visionary local artists.

As Maryland’s largest art museum, the BMA welcomes nearly 250,000 visitors annually through approximately ten exhibitions each year and dozens of educational and public programs. The Museum’s work is guided by four strategic priorities:

• Interweaving global and local histories
• Building a more artist-centered institution
• Deepening commitment to education in all its forms
• Developing stronger community partnership

Key Responsibilities

• Strategic Leadership & Department Management
  • Provide visionary and day-to-day leadership for the Conservation Department, ensuring operational excellence and the highest professional standards.
  • Foster a collaborative, transparent, and values-driven culture that supports experimentation,
    critical reflection, staff well-being, and professional growth.
  • Recruit, supervise, mentor, and evaluate conservators, technicians, interns, fellows, and contract
    professionals.
  • Develop and implement conservation policies and workflows that balance risk, value, access, equity, sustainability, and long-term impact.
  • Ensure compliance with the AIC Code of Ethics, the Museum’s Collections Management Policy, and all safety, health, and sustainability standards.
  • Collaborate with senior leadership and curatorial colleagues to advance ethical and community engaged and responsible collection stewardship.
  • Represent the BMA as a progressive leader in conservation within professional and community
    settings.
• Collection Care & Preservation
  • Develop and oversee annual and multi-year assessment, treatment, and preventive conservation plans aligned with institutional priorities and budgets.
  • Lead a values-based approach to conservation decision-making that integrates ethical, cultural, institutional, and social considerations.
  • Advance preventive conservation practices related to environmental conditions, handling, storage, display, and installation.
  • Collaborate across departments to support safe, inclusive access to the collection.
  • Engage artists and source communities, as appropriate, to inform conservation strategies and treatment decisions.
  • Serve as conservation lead for emergency preparedness, disaster response planning, and incident triage.
  • Act as Senior Conservator in the candidate’s area of expertise and provide oversight of all conservation treatments.
• Research, Scholarship & Engagement
  • Support interdisciplinary research, technical analysis, and conservation science related to the collection and potential acquisitions.
  • Encourage projects that connect conservation practice with cultural history, ethics of care, and community knowledge.
  • Share conservation work through public programs, publications, and professional forums.
  • Position the BMA as a leader in progressive, people-centered conservation practice.
• Budget & Resource Stewardship
  • Develop and manage departmental and exhibition budgets with transparency and fiscal
    responsibility.
  • Partner with Advancement to secure funding for conservation initiatives and steward grantsupported projects.

Position Requirements

• Master’s degree from a recognized art conservation training program.
• Minimum of 10 years of experience as a practicing conservator, with specialization in a conservation discipline; administrative and supervisory experience preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to lead and manage experienced professionals and mentor emerging conservators.
• Strong organizational, planning, and interpersonal skills with a collaborative approach.
• Experience developing and managing project and operational budgets.
• Comprehensive understanding of current conservation and museum practices and methodologies.
• Strong knowledge of internationally accepted ethical standards in art conservation.
• Advanced knowledge of the chemical and physical properties of conservation materials and deterioration processes.
• Ability to analyze scientific and technical literature, construction documents, financial reports, and legal materials.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills in English; additional language proficiency is a plus.
• Proficiency with collection management systems; experience with TMS preferred.

The BMA is an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. We are committed to building a culturally diverse staff and strongly encourage all qualified professionals to apply.

We offer a competitive salary and a generous benefits package. For this exempt position we offer medical, dental, vision, prescription, 403b retirement plan with match, long term disability, flexible spending account, flexible and condensed scheduling, museum and restaurant discounts, and reduced gym membership fee. We also offer accrued vacation, holidays, personal days, floating holidays, and sick days.

$116,700 annually

Position will be posted until filled.

No phone calls please.

All employees must be legally authorized to work in the United States. The museum does not sponsor work visas