Director of Conservation

Colonial Williamsburg Foundation; Williamsburg (VA); On-site; USD 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Colonial Williamsburg Foundation in Virginia is seeking a Director of Conservation to lead the conservation department, shape preservation strategies, and ensure high standards of care for historic assets across the Foundation's collections and preservation programs.

You will oversee budgets, collaborate with curators and registrars, support donor development, and guide education and interpretive efforts while advancing emergency preparedness and staff development.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in conservation, history, art history, American studies, or related field.
• Graduate-level conservation studies or equivalent professional experience.
• Ten or more years of professional conservation experience.
• Six or more years of management experience in a museum or related institution.

Responsibilities

• Provides leadership and oversight for the conservation department.
• Collaborates with other Foundation departments on mission-driven projects.
• Helps maintain industry status as a leading conservation institution.
• Establishes procedures and long-range plans for the department.
• Collaborates with curators and registrars on conservation guidance for collections.
• Oversees documentation and standards of treatment, written/digital and photographic.
• Leads research and analytical capabilities and conservation facilities.
• Manages department budgets and prepares budget quotes for materials.
• Works with VP on fundraising, grants, and donor development.
• Partners with Public Safety on emergency plans and readiness.
• Supports staff development and oversees publications and research.

Skills

Conservation science

Museum ethics

Historic artifacts

Leadership

Communication skills

Education

Bachelor’s degree in conservation, history, art history, American studies, or related field

Graduate-level conservation studies or equivalent

Job description

Who We Are

Founded in 1926, the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation is a private, not-for-profit educational, historic, and cultural institution that owns and operates one of the largest and best-known museum complexes in the world. Our mission is “that the future may learn from the past” through preserving and restoring 18th-century Williamsburg, Virginia’s colonial capital. We engage, inform, and inspire people to learn about this historic capital, the events that occurred here, and the diverse peoples who helped shape a new nation. Today, Colonial Williamsburg is the largest living history museum in the U.S. The Historic Area is the 301-acre restored colonial capital with 89 original buildings and 525 buildings reconstructed to how they appeared in the 18th century through extensive archaeological, architectural, and documentary research. The Historic Area is staffed by highly trained, historically dressed interpreters and expert tradespeople who bring the 18th century to life. The Foundation also owns and operates two world‑class museums, the DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum, and the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum, The Bob and Marion Wilson Teacher Institute, and a renowned research library, the John D Rockefeller Jr Library. Additionally, Colonial Williamsburg is home to five world‑class accommodations at the Williamsburg Inn, Williamsburg Lodge Autograph Collection, the Griffin Hotel, the Williamsburg Woodlands Hotels and Suites and the unique Colonial Houses in the Historical Area. Visitors may also indulge in food and drink at our many on‑site restaurants and taverns that blend a historically inspired dining experience with today’s evolved tastes. Each year over 5 million people visit Williamsburg and another 20 million engage with us digitally.

About The Position

The Director of Conservation is responsible for enhancing the protection and preservation of Colonial Williamsburg’s cultural and historic assets by providing leadership and oversight of the Foundation’s conservation department. To accomplish this, the Director oversees departmental priorities and production, manages the operating budget, and ensures the quality of analysis, care, surveys, treatment, and documentation. Additionally, the Director represents the department and articulates conservation issues throughout the institution; supports educational and interpretive efforts in the Historic Area and museums; participates in activities associated with donor development, grant writing, and other fundraising events; and acts as a liaison with outside individuals and organizations on conservation matters as needed.

Main Duties:

Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Provides leadership and oversight for the effective operation of the conservation department, including preventive conservation. Functions include hiring, training, guidance on professional and technical concerns, and performance management.
• Works collaboratively with Foundation departments on mission-driven activities and projects that support and enhance the guest experience.
• Helps to maintain industry status as a leading institution for education, research, and conservation care.
• Establishes departmental procedures and goals in accordance with Foundation and divisional policies and mission statements; develops, reviews, and refines the long range plan for the department.
• Collaborates with curators and registrars on conservation guidance pertaining to collections management, including exhibition, storage, preventive conservation, accessions, condition assessments, and loans.
• Works with direct reports to establish, monitor, and maintain professional standards of treatment documentation, written/digital and photographic.
• Spearheads the department’s research and analytical capabilities, extending to overseeing conservation equipment and facilities used by the department.
• Prepares and manages the department operating budgets, approves expenditures and purchases, and assists with preparing budget quotes for materials and conservation exhibition needs.
• Collaborates with vice president on departmental fundraising, grant applications, stewardship reporting, and donor development.
• Partners with Public Safety and divisional stakeholders to ensure effective emergency plans are in place, emergency preparedness and response procedures are followed, and emergency supply depots are supplied and maintained.
• Supports and encourages conservation staff professional development. Reviews manuscripts prepared for publication and promotes study and research related to the conservation needs of Foundation collections.
• Performs related work as directed.

Budgetary Responsibilities:

Annual operating budget of approx. $2.8M

Supervisory Responsibilities

Directly supervises a team of professional conservation staff, including conservation fellows, specialist conservators, and preventive conservation associates.

Required Education and Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree (B.A./B.S.) in conservation, history, art history, American studies, or a related field.
• Graduate-level conservation studies or equivalent technical education and/or professional experience.
• Ten (10) or more years of professional conservation experience, including working knowledge and demonstrated practice of standard safety procedures and handling/storage of hazardous materials.
• Six (6) or more years of management experience, including leading teams with varied skill sets and levels of expertise within a museum or related institutions.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Professional conservation experience with an emphasis on 16th- to 20th-century British, European, and/or American objects.
• Evidence of scholarly or professional contributions, such as articles or other published works related to conservation practice or research.
• Demonstrated experience in bench work and the treatment of objects.
• Membership in a professional conservation organization.
• Teaching, training, or instructional experience.
• Experience working in a multi-disciplinary conservation facility.

Key Skills / Competencies:

Knowledge of:

• Conservation science and professional conservation principles.
• Current museum ethics, standards, and best practices related to the conservation of collections.
• Historic art and material culture technologies, techniques, and materials.

Skills and Abilities

• Strong oral and written communication skills, including the ability to effectively present professional and technical information to diverse audiences.
• Familiarity with museum exhibition and object storage practices, including appropriate materials, environmental considerations, and methods of preventive conservation best practices.
• Demonstrated ability to independently lead and execute complex, multi-stakeholder projects requiring professional judgment and coordination.

Physical and Environmental Demands:

Work is performed in a combination of office, museum, storage, exhibition, and conservation laboratory environments, including historic structures. The position may require walking, standing, climbing stairs, and occasional bending or light lifting. The role may involve exposure to materials, tools, and environmental conditions typical of conservation laboratories and collection spaces.

Typical Work Schedule:

This position is expected to work a regular full-time schedule, with additional hours as needed to meet departmental, institutional, and project demands.

Compensation Disclaimer:

The compensation listed below for this position represents the anticipated hiring range and is provided in accordance with Virginia pay transparency requirements. Actual compensation will be determined based on factors such as the selected candidate’s skills, qualifications, experience, education, certifications, internal equity, and the specific requirements of the role.

Range: $110,000 to $150,000