Senior Curator

State of South Carolina; Mount Pleasant (SC); On-site; USD 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health, dental, vision, life insurance

Paid vacation and sick leave

Paid holidays

Parental leave

Retirement program options

Job summary

Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum in Mount Pleasant, SC seeks a Senior Curator to lead the museum’s curatorial strategy, care for the collection, and public interpretation to engage visitors. This role requires strong leadership and collaboration across teams.

You will supervise staff, guide exhibitions from concept to display, and coordinate with historians to ensure accuracy and engaging storytelling for in-person and online audiences.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in museum studies, history or related field.
• Minimum of five years of progressively responsible museum experience with leadership in curatorial practice, exhibition development and collaboration.

Responsibilities

• Supervises staff, coaches and evaluates performance; establishes work processes and policies.
• Oversees collection care from acquisitions to conservation and storage, ensuring accessibility.
• Leads planning for exhibitions and curates content to support the museum's goals and mission; collaborates with historians.
• Identifies and develops exhibit concepts, coordinates project management with designers, contractors and services; develops tours and programs.

Skills

Curatorial leadership

Exhibition development

Project management

Team supervision

Museum standards

Education

Bachelor’s degree in museum studies, history or related field

Job description

Job Responsibilities

Are you an experienced professional looking for new opportunities to further your career? Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum is seeking a hardworking and dependable candidate just like you to apply! This position will offer great benefits with the state, including 15 days of annual and sick leave per year or more depending on applicable state service.

Job Duties
The Senior Curator will lead the development and execution of the museum’s curatorial strategy, collections stewardship and public interpretation to create a rich and engaging visitor experience. The job duties of this position include but are not limited to the following:

• Supervises staff to include preparing performance planning and evaluation documents and related personnel paperwork. Coaches, counsels and trains employees. Establishes and monitors work processes. Implements management policies and initiatives and promotes teamwork.
• Ensures the highest standards of collection care in compliance with agency policies and procedures, overseeing all aspects from acquisitions and accessions to conservation, storage, pest management, and emergency planning. Leads short- and long-term strategic planning to safeguard, preserve, and enhance public accessibility to Patriots Point’s collection and archives.
• Responsible for museum-wide strategic planning for exhibitions initiatives and curation of content to support Patriots Point’s goals and mission. Provides content and identifies relevant artifacts from the collection that can be displayed in existing exhibits, display cases, and the digital collection. Works with the agency historian to ensure accuracy, relevance, and engagement for both in-person and online audiences.
• Responsible for identifying exhibit concepts that align with the Museum Master Plan. Responsible for project management for implementation of exhibitions with designers, contractors and other professional services. Develops, implements, and manages high-quality tours of Patriots Point's collections, along with special programs related to the collection, designed for visitors and special groups.

Minimum And Additional Requirements

• At least a bachelor’s degree in museum studies, history or related field.
• Minimum of five (5) years of progressively responsible museum experience, including demonstrated leadership in curatorial practice, exhibition development, and institutional collaboration.

Additional Requirements

• Curatorial Expertise: A deep understanding of museum standards, collections management, exhibition development, and artifact preservation.
• Historical Knowledge: Strong knowledge of naval and maritime history, especially related to the museum’s focus and collection.
• Project Management: Ability to plan and manage multiple projects, deadlines, and work effectively across multiple teams.

Applicants indicating college credit or degree(s) on the application will be required to bring a copy of college transcript to the interview. A copy of the transcript may also be uploaded as an attachment to the application, if required by the hiring department or if desired by the applicant. Please note that some areas of the Agency may require an official, certified copy of the transcript prior to hiring or within a specific timeframe required by that area, after hiring. Failure to produce an official, certified transcript may result in not being hired or termination.

Preferred Qualifications
Master’s degree in similar field preferred.

Additional Comments

Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum is committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all applicants and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy childbirth or related medical conditions, including, but not limited, to lactation), national origin, age (40 or older), disability or genetic information.

Supplemental questions are considered part of your official application. Any misrepresentation will result in your disqualification from employment. Please complete the state application to include all current and previous work history and education. A resume will not be accepted nor reviewed to determine if an applicant has met the qualifications for the position.

Patriots Point Naval and Maritime Museum offers an exceptional benefits package for full time (FTE) employees:

• Health, dental, vision, long-term disability, and life insurance for employees, spouse, and children. Click here for additional information.
• 15 days annual (vacation) leave per year
• 15 days sick leave per year
• 13 paid holidays
• Paid Parental Leave
• S.C. Deferred Compensation Program available(S.C. Deferred Compensation)
• Retirement benefit choices *
• State Retirement Plan(SCRS)
• State Optional Retirement Program (State ORP)
• Enrollment in one of the listed plans is required for all FTE employees; please refer to the contribution section of hyperlinked retirement sites for the current contribution rate of gross pay.
Benefits For State Employees
The state of South Carolina offers eligible employees generous benefits, including health and dental insurance; retirement and savings plan options; and paid vacation and sick leave. Plus, work-life balance programs such as telecommuting and flexible work schedules are available to employees of some state agencies.

Insurance Benefits
Eligible employees may enroll in health insurance, which includes prescription coverage and wellness benefits. Other available insurance benefits include dental, vision, term life insurance, long term disability and flexible spending accounts for health and child care expenses.

Retirement Benefits
State employees are also offered retirement plan options, including defined benefit and defined contribution plans. Additionally, eligible employees may elect to participate in the South Carolina Deferred Compensation Program, which is a voluntary, supplemental retirement savings plan offering 401(k) and 457 plan options.

Workplace Benefits
State employees may also be eligible for other benefits, including tuition assistance; holiday, annual and sick leave; and discounts on purchases, travel and more.

Note: The benefits above are available to most state employees, with the exception of those in temporary positions. Employees in temporary grant and time-limited positions may be eligible for all, some or none of these benefits as benefits are associated with each position type. For these positions, contact the hiring agency to determine what benefits may be available.

01

Additional Questions are part of your official application. Any misrepresentation will result in your disqualification from employment. Please complete the state application to include all current and previous work history and education. A resume will not be accepted or reviewed to determine if an applicant has met the qualifications for the position. I have read and acknowledge the above statement.