At The Huntington, we believe that having a team of diverse backgrounds and voices working together will enable us to support and promote the appreciation of the humanities, the arts, and botanical science. The Huntington is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and is committed to providing employment opportunities regardless of race, religious creed, color, national origin, disability, sex, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation or any other characteristic protected by local, state or federal law.
Founded in 1919, The Huntington is a collections-based research and educational institution open to the public, housing world-class library, art, and botanical collections. Its mission is to support research and promote education in the arts, humanities, and botanical science and to display and interpret its extraordinary resources for diverse audiences.
Here we are committed to the highest of standards in all that we do – from preserving and protecting the collections, to exhibitions, educational and scholarly programming, visitor and reader services, and beyond. Achieving excellence across these pursuits requires a diversity of perspectives, expertise, experience, and methodologies.
At The Huntington, our organizational Culture is shaped by the following core values: Intellectual curiosity, Collaboration, Stewardship, Belonging, and Integrity.
Intellectual Curiosity: Knowledge, lifelong learning, and a spirit of inquiry are at the core of our mission and organizational culture.
Collaboration: Teamwork and a collaborative attitude are important at all levels of The Huntington. We foster relationships internally among our departments and externally with organizations throughout the community.
Stewardship: We are committed to the care and development of our collections, our financial and physical resources, our staff, and our community.
Belonging: We strive to attract and maintain a workforce of individuals with diverse talents, backgrounds, and perspectives. Our organizational culture promotes a sense of welcome, inclusion, and connection.
Integrity: We value respect and honesty, working to fulfill our mission with honor and ethical principles.
About the Role
The Collections Specialist is a member of the Huntington Art Division’s Collections Management team and reports to the Collections Manager. Their primary role will be to assist the Collections Management team and other Huntington colleagues with cleaning remediation efforts. The Collections Specialist may take the lead on management and quality control of the tasks and projects assigned. This is a limited-term, one-year position.
The post-holder will be a self-motivated individual who has strong attention to detail, excellent communication skills, and is a resourceful problem solver. S/he/they will demonstrate a background of working directly with people from diverse racial, ethnic, geographic and socioeconomic backgrounds, using a welcoming, including and accessible approach.
Essential Duties
Under the supervision of the Collections Manager, works on preventive conservation and remediation cleaning of collections in galleries, storage and outdoor settings according to museum standards of care and preservation.
In consult with Collections Manager, plans sequencing of remediation work and communicates gallery closure requests to Head of Exhibitions and Head of Registration and Collections Management.
Takes the lead on assigned projects and demonstrates leadership and project management skills.
In consult with Collections Manager, recommends supplies to be purchased to carry out remediation and updates budget spreadsheets accordingly.
Frames and unframes of artwork and removes and reinstalls objects from mounts if necessary for access.
In collaboration with other collections staff, handles, transports, and houses artwork.
Consults with Preservation department or contract conservators if there are concerns with fragile objects.
Maintains log of object location movements for the Collections Manager and the Permanent Collections Registrar.
Documents and tracks their work, as well as organizes and maintains project related files.
Organizes collections management tools, equipment, and supplies.
Attend relevant departmental and museum-wide meetings and training sessions.
Maintain professional development in collections care.
May perform other related duties as assigned.
Maintain regular and reliable attendance.
Candidate Requirements and Experience
Knowledge, skills, and abilities:
Bachelor’s degree in art, photography, art history, history or a related field.
Five years of experience, including project management experience, with one or more of the following areas: museum collection management, conservation, art preparation and installation, studio art, libraries and archives, or equivalent.
Knowledge of art packing techniques and packing materials.
Ability to follow instructions, plan, multi-task, problem-solve and meet deadlines.
Ability to self-direct
Ability to perform tasks that require handling and organizing artwork with attention to detail.
Demonstrated knowledge of safe art handling procedures for two- and three- dimensional objects in a variety of materials, sizes, weights, and condition.
Experience handling delicate or fragile objects.
Ability to manage physical tasks such as lifting and moving objects safely and efficiently.
Ability to use a variety of hand tools
Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with museum staff, representatives from other arts institutions, consultants, artists, and vendors. Outstanding interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills.
Computer proficiency and advanced technical aptitude with Excel, Outlook/Gmail and museum databases.
Valid California driver’s license required.
Preferred:
Experience maintaining outdoor sculpture
Ability to operate pallet jacks, hand trucks, dollies and other lift equipment
Ability to operate scissor lifts
Ability to operate machinery like forklifts and stock pilers
Ability to use carpentry tools.
Ability and knowledge of use of power tools.
Working Conditions
Must be able to twist/bend, grasp lightly/fine manipulation, grasp forcefully, sort/file paperwork in parts, lift/carry/push/pull objects frequently in a safe manner
Must be able to climb or balance, stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl
Must be able to lift and/or move up to 40 pounds at times.
Compensation & Benefits
We provide competitive compensation, generous benefits and perks for all eligible employees including:
Pay Rate/ Range: $29.00-$32.00/hr. Commensurate on experience.
Medical, Dental, Vision
403(b) retirement plan and matching retirement plan with an outstanding employer match
Considerable paid time off, including annual leave, sick leave, and holidays
Discounts for staff in The Huntington Store and restaurants
Free admission to various museums and cultural institutions
Free passes each month to welcome family and friends to visit the grounds
The Application Process
Please submit a cover letter and CV/resume as a single PDF attachment.
You will have the opportunity to submit additional documents on the “My Experience” section of the application.