Exhibit Curator

Association Of Zoos & Aquariums; Pine Knoll Shores (NC); On-site; USD 39,000 - 59,000; Full time

Job summary

The North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores is seeking an Exhibit Curator to design, plan, and manage aquarium exhibits. Ideal candidates will have a Master’s degree in relevant fields and extensive experience in project management and exhibit design, alongside strong leadership skills to oversee a dynamic team. This role offers an opportunity to influence the visitor experience through innovative and engaging exhibits.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree required with specific experience in exhibit design.
• Six years of relevant experience including at least two in a supervisory role.
• Demonstrated project management skills from concept to execution.

Responsibilities

• Design and manage aquarium exhibits to meet visitor expectations.
• Lead the exhibits team, ensuring high quality standards and safety.
• Collaborate on creating educational content for exhibits.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Project Management

Critical Thinking

Interpersonal Skills

Education

Master’s degree in biology, education, history, museum studies, or zoology

Tools

Graphic design software

Project management software

Job description

AZA-accredited zoos and aquariums, Related Facilities, Commercial Members, Conservation Partners and Society Partners may post free unlimited online job listings as a member benefit. Non-members can purchase job listings.How to post a job

Interested in a career in AZA-accredited zoos and aquariums? Learn more about types of zoo and aquarium jobs and relevant education programs in our career center .

Exhibit Curator

Primary Purpose of this Position:
The North Carolina Aquariums at Pine Knoll Shores isseeking a dynamic, efficient, and enthusiastic individual to join our team as anExhibit Curator. This position will be responsible for exhibit design, planning, management, coordination, and execution of established projects agreed upon by the Aquarium Director and the Leadership Team. The Exhibits Curator seeks new exhibit ideas to keep the Aquarium offerings fresh, to meet changing visitor dynamics and to draw new and repeat visitation.

Key Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• The Curator provides input and direction for daily project priorities and contributes to the Aquarium’s 5-year strategic plan.
• Strong leadership skills for working with the Exhibits Team, the Leadership Team, the Aquarium and Division are necessary for maintaining excellence. Visual attention, mental concentration and manipulative skills are required for the Exhibits Curator to successfully design, coordinate, supervise and assist in the fabrication of exhibit projects. Critical thinking skills are necessary to successfully conduct research, plan presentation methods, and select illustrations and graphics for effective communication. Interpersonal skills are essential. The Exhibits Curator must be able to understand the mission of the Aquarium, have good organizational skills, and the ability to multi-task while balancing numerous assignments.
• The Exhibits Curator is responsible for the coordination of the overall look and feel of the entire Aquarium facility and must maintain a consistent high standard of quality. Facility appearance includes all aspects of the public areas: wall and floor colors and textures, exhibits, tank décor (inserts), interpretive graphic panels, audiovisual materials and equipment, signage, lighting, and exterior features (banners and walkways). The Curator manages timelines, budgets, scopes of work, and tracking mechanisms for labor and budget resources. The Curator oversees Aquarium staff, vendors, and contractors to ensure high quality workmanship, and to meet time and budget constraints.
• The Exhibits Curator works with a team to set design standards for all Aquarium graphic materials and many publications. Determining design standard manuals, font choices, colors, quantity of text and text size, image dimensions and quality, and logo usage guidelines in collaboration with other staff fall within the responsibilities of this position. The Exhibits Curator works with the content and text from the team led by the Education Curator for exhibit signage. The Exhibits Curator ensures that messages in all graphic components and audio-visual presentations are relevant to and reinforce the mission of the Aquarium.
• The Exhibit Curator ensures that exhibits are relevant to ever-changing visitor expectations. The Exhibits Curator leads the effort in concept design and production of new exhibits. This includes writing key goals and objectives, creating conceptual sketches, developing graphic mock-ups, researching, and implementing digital media concepts, and building models. The Curator keeps abreast of state-of-the-art technologies, new scientific and environmental changes, and materials or methods used in museum and exhibit design. The Exhibit Curator explores environmentally friendly options for exhibit work and implements them where possible.
• The Exhibits Curator is responsible for providing guidance, leadership, daily supervision, and management to the exhibits team which includes full time and part time staff, and interns. These staff members are responsible for assistance with planning, developing, and producing aquarium exhibits, graphics, and renovation construction – and ongoing maintenance of exhibits. The Curator recruits, hires, and trains new staff and is responsible for interim and year-end performance appraisals of staff members. The Curator is responsible for safety awareness in all the workplaces of the Exhibits Department as well as overseeing staff safety as they perform their duties. Must have demonstrated strong team leadership skills, including communication, compassion, creativity, positivity, organization, flexibility, attention to detail, time management, and ability to work seamlessly across departments.

Position/Physical Requirements:

• Weekend, evening, and holiday work will be required.
• Must meet DNCR Fleet Safety Guidelines and have ability to obtain and maintain a valid driver's license issued from within the United States or be able to obtain one within 90 days of employment.
• This position requires a range of physical requirements to include climbing, walking, standing, pulling/pushing, reaching, fingering/grasping, stooping/kneeling, etc.
• This position requires visual acuity to perform an activity such as: operating machines such as lathes, drill presses, power saws and mills where the job is at or within arm’s reach; performs mechanical or skilled trades tasks of a non-repetitive nature such as carpenters, technicians, service people, plumbers, painters, mechanics, etc.
• Must have the ability to lift 50 lbs. of force, occasionally, and/or up to 20 lbs. of force frequently and/or up to 10 lbs. of force, constantly.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities / Competencies

To receive credit for your work history and credentials, you must provide the information on the application form. Any information omitted from the application form, listed as general statements, listed under the text resume section, or on an attachment will not be considered for qualifying credit.

Qualified candidates must have or be able to:

• Must have demonstrated experience in creating a deliberate look and feel of an aquarium, zoo or museum with lighting, color, form, graphics, materials, and design elements.
• Must have demonstrated project management skills to develop exhibits, from conceptual stages through to construction, documentation, and beyond, with achievable deadlines, realistic budgets, and deliberate plans.
• Must have demonstrated strong communication skills including the use of oral presentations, and the ability to provide effective feedback, written descriptions, models, sketches, and concept drawings.
• Must have demonstrated experience coordinating with outside vendors for procurement, manufacturing, and installation of exhibit components, including designing bid packages, and maintaining clear notes and vendor records.
• Must have demonstrated knowledge of safety regulations, proper storage of harmful chemicals, use of low VOC materials, methods for researching and filing MSDS sheets, and guidelines for safe environments.
• Must have demonstrated knowledge with the use of a variety of standard and specialized equipment, hardware and software which support the development and production of exhibits, displays and animal habitats which may include graphic design, project management, computer-aided design and small and large format printers, etc.

Management Preferences:

• Applicants with certified forklift and tractor use preferred
• First aid and CPR certification preferred
• Applicants with functional background knowledge of relevant life support and husbandry issues preferred

Minimum Education and Experience Requirements

Some state job postings say you can qualify by an “equivalent combination of education and experience.” If that language appears below, then you may qualify through EITHER years of education OR years of directly related experience, OR a combination of both. See oshr.nc.gov/experience-guide for detail.

Master’s degree in biology, education, history, museum studies, zoology, or a curriculum related to area of expertise from an appropriately accredited institution,

AND

six years of experience in assigned specialty area, two of which must have been in a supervisory capacity;

OR

an equivalent combination of education and experience.

Supplemental and Contact Information

Section/Unit Description:
The North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shoresis located 6 miles from Morehead City, NC, on Bogue Banks, sits adjacent to Bogue Sound. A living collection of over 4,500 animals in 90,000 square feet of exhibit space attracts and engages over 400,000 visitors each year. The Aquarium is located in the middle of Roosevelt Natural Area, a state park of maritime forest and wetland ecosystems.

Agency Description:

TheNorth Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (DNCR) takes care of the things that people love about North Carolina. DNCR manages over 100 locations across the state, including 27 historic sites, seven history museums, two art museums, five science museums, four aquariums, 35 state parks, four recreation areas, dozens of state trails and natural areas, the North Carolina Zoo, the State Library, the State Archives, the N.C. Arts Council, the African American Heritage Commission, the American Indian Heritage Commission, the State Historic Preservation Office, the Office of State Archaeology, the Highway Historical Markers program, the N.C. Land and Water Fund, and the Natural Heritage Program. The Department’s vision is to be the leader in using the state's natural and cultural resources to build the social, cultural, educational, and economic future of North Carolina. Everyone is welcome. For more information, please visitwww.dncr.nc.gov . We encourage you to apply to become a part of our team.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

The Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (DNCR) selects applicants for employment based on required education and experience and job-related knowledge, skills, and abilities without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, sex, pregnancy, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age (40 or older), disability, National Guard or veteran status, genetic information, political affiliation, or political influence.

We are anEmployment First state, ensuring that people with disabilities have equal opportunities to succeed in the state government workplace. DNCR supports pay equity for women, establish paid parental leave for birth, adoption, and foster care, and implement fair chance policies. Join a team that welcomes, values, respects and supports all members of our work community.

Application Process
Please watch our videohere that walks you through each step of the application process.

Be sure to complete the application in full. Resumes may be uploaded with your application but will not be accepted in lieu of a fully completed application and will not be considered for qualifying credit. "See Resume" or "See Attachment" willNOTbe accepted.

Information should be provided in the appropriate areas, to include the following: Education, including high school and all degrees obtained, Work Experience, and Certificates & Licenses. It is critical to our screening and salary determination process that applications contain comprehensive candidate information.

Answers to Supplemental Questions are not a substitute for providing all relevant information within the body of your application. To receive credit for the supplemental questions, you must provide supporting information within the "Work Experience" section of the application, to support your answers.

If multiple applications are submitted to an individual posting, only the most recent application received prior to the closing date will be accepted.Applications must be submitted by 5:00 PM on the closing date.

Due to the volume of applications received, we are unable to provide information regarding the status of your application over the phone. To check the status of your application, please log in to your account. Upon the closing date, applications are "Under Review" and will be screened by Human Resources for the qualified applicants. The hiring process may take several weeks.

Degrees must be received from appropriately accredited institutions. Transcripts, and degree evaluations may be uploaded with your application. If you have student loans, becoming a state employee includes eligibility for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program. Visitwww.studentaid.gov to learn more.

Veteran’s and National Guard Preference

Applicants seeking Veteran’s Preference must attach aDD Form 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, along with the state application.

Applicants seeking National Guard Preference must attach an NGB 23A (RPAS), along with the state application if they are a current member of the NC National Guard in good standing.

Applicants who are former member of either the NC Army National Guard or the NC Air National Guard, with honorable discharge and six years of creditable service must attach a copy of the DD 256 or NGB 22, along with the state application.

ADA Accommodations

Consistent with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA), DNCR is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals. As part of this commitment, DNCR will ensure that persons with disabilities, or known limitations covered by the PWFA, are provided reasonable accommodations. If reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, please contact the person indicated below.

Employment EligibilityIt is the policy of the State of North Carolina and DNCR that all employees provide proof of employment eligibility (immigration and naturalization) on the first day of employment. We participate in E-Verify (Employment Eligibility Verification System).

Sign On Bonus Eligibility

To be eligible for a sign-on bonus, the candidate must not have worked as a probationary, permanent, or time-limited employee in the last 12 months as an employee in North Carolina state government, including without limitation the judicial system, state executive branch agencies, and the university system, subject to the State Human Resources Act.

NEOGOV Technical Assistance

If you are having technical issues logging into your account or applying for a position, please review the Get Help/FAQ's information on the website. If you are still experiencing technical issues with your application, please call the NEOGOV Help Line at855-524-5627.

CONTACT INFORMATION:

N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources

Division of Human Resources

Jaimee Dean-Murphy

Minimum Education and Experience RequirementsSome state job postings say you can qualify by an “equivalent combination of education and experience.” If that language appears below, then you may qualify through EITHER years of education OR years of directly related experience, OR a combination of both. See oshr.nc.gov/experience-guide for detail.Master’s degree in biology, education, history, museum studies, zoology, or a curriculum related to area of expertise from an appropriately accredited institution,ANDsix years of experience in assigned specialty area, two of which must have been in a supervisory capacity;ORan equivalent combination of education and experience.

$39,671.00 - $58,516.00 Annually

How to Apply

N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources

Division of Human Resources

Jaimee Dean-Murphy

[e-mail]

DNCR - NC Aquarium @ PKS
1 Roosevelt Blvd
Pine Knoll Shores, NC 28512
Phone: [phone]