Job Opening Title:
Exhibitions Program Manager
Name of Employer:
New Jersey State Archives
Job Site Location (City AND State):
Trenton, NJ
Application Deadline:
Minimum Degree Requirement:
Graduation from an accredited college or university with a Master’s degree in Museum Professions such as Museum Studies, Collections Management or Collections Care, American Studies, History, Library and Information Science, or Material Culture, plus two (3) years of fulltime paid experience, or the cumulative equivalent, in a historical repository (e.g., museum, archive, library), historic site, public history agency, or cultural-history-related organization in a position that involved exhibition development and planning; or a Bachelor’s degree in one of the fields listed above, or a related field of study, plus five (5) years of full-time paid experience, or the cumulative equivalent, in a historical repository (e.g., museum, archive, library), historic site, public history agency, or cultural-history-related organization in a position that involved exhibition development and planning.
Years of experience required:
Salary Range:
$45 – $58/hour, commensurate with experience. This equates to $81,900 – $100,100 annually (full-time)
Job Opening URL:
Job Description (if URL to posting not available). Include instructions for how to apply:
Position function:
Under the direction of the Executive Director and/or Bureau Chief and/or a Supervising Archivist, oversees New Jersey State Archives’ exhibitions program and related functions; assists with budgeting, identifying funding sources (e.g. grants), and administrative duties relating to exhibitions; plans, supervises and evaluates the work of subordinate employees; collaborates with the other units of the State Archives, external organizations, and contractors to develop exhibitions and related programming; recommends exhibition content, operations, strategies, and exhibitions-related policy to management; other duties as required.
Examples of work:
• Supervises the day-to-day operations of the State Archives’ Exhibitions Program.
• Plans exhibition schedule (long-term, changing and/or virtual) for the State Archives.
• Organizes, develops and/or supervises the development of exhibitions featuring (primarily) materials from the collections of New Jersey State Archives. This includes, but is not limited to, research, outline and script, project timelines, object checklists, loan negotiation, insurance, design decisions, and oversight of fabrication and installation.
• Conducts exhibit-related research and selects artifacts for exhibition in consultation with exhibition planning team and appropriate Archives staff.
• Collaborates with, and supervises staff, consultants/contractors/vendors, interns and volunteers as needed, as relates to all aspects of long-term and changing exhibits; ensures that consultants/contractors/vendors meet requirements of work orders/contracts.
• In consultation with appropriate Archives staff and any contracted conservators, recommends installation methods to ensure maximum protection and preservation of artifacts on view.
• Analyzes the scope of projects to be completed; determines the type, quality, and quantity of materials and supplies to complete steps in agreed-to time frames.
• Works with Archives staff, staff of other state agencies, and non-governmental organizations, as needed, to: address loan requirements and determine methods of artifact exhibition; and oversee the preparation of loan agreements and insurance documents for borrowed objects.
• In collaboration with exhibition project team, develops and/or edits didactic, informational, interpretive texts and materials; plans and implements high- and low-tech educational interactives when appropriate, for visitors of all ages; develops, schedules, and executes public programming relating to exhibits.
• Drafts and/or assists in the development of exhibit guides, educational hand-outs, catalogs and/or promotional materials, and/or works with curators, Archives staff, designers, and others, in the development of same.
• Establishes and maintains cooperative working relationships within the other State Archives’ functional units, with other state agencies (primarily cultural agencies), and non-governmental New-Jersey-history and material-culture-related organizations.
• Prepares budgets, supply/equipment orders, correspondence, timelines and reports related to the duties described herein; maintains paper and electronic files and file directories accordingly, in a logical, organized, and accurate manner on an ongoing basis.
• Is or becomes proficient in the use of guides, indexes, databases, and other resources for research in the State Archives’ and other historical and material culture collections.
• Interacts with historians, collectors, genealogists, reenactors, curators, archivists, interns, volunteers, and others as appropriate in relation to the duties described herein.
• Recommends potential acquisitions to support the exhibition program in accordance with the State Archives’ collecting policy.
• Advises Archives leadership on procedures, especially as relate to the operations of the Exhibits Program and its ability to collaborate with the Archives’ other functional units and external organizations.
Education and experience:
Either:
1) Graduation from an accredited college or university with a Master’s degree in Museum Professions such as Museum Studies, Collections Management or Collections Care, American Studies, History, Library and Information Science, or Material Culture, plus two (3) years of fulltime paid experience, or the cumulative equivalent, in a historical repository (e.g., museum, archive, library), historic site, public history agency, or cultural-history-related organization in a position that involved exhibition development and planning;
or
2) a Bachelor’s degree in one of the fields listed above, or a related field of study, plus five (5) years of full-time paid experience, or the cumulative equivalent, in a historical repository (e.g., museum, archive, library), historic site, public history agency, or cultural-history related organization in a position that involved exhibition development and planning.
Writing samples will be requested.
Knowledge and abilities:
Candidates with the following skills and qualifications may be given preference:
• Exhibition education planning
• Experience or training in education or public history
• Demonstrated scholarship, authorship, and/or publication history
• Marketing experience
• Research skills and knowledge of New Jersey history and material culture
• Research skills and knowledge of New Jersey historical collections
• Knowledge of American cultural history
• Supervisory experience
• Understanding of document preservation principles
• Computer/technical skills; familiarity with collection management system software
• Proficiency reading historical English scripts
• Driver’s license
Compensation and terms of employment:
Employment Period, Benefits, and Withholding: This is a ten-month position through an employment service. It does not include health or dental benefits, pension, paid leave, union representation, or civil service protection. Federal and state-required withholdings (Social Security, Disability, Family Leave) will be handled by the employment service, which will issue the employee a W-4.
Wage: $45 – $58/hour, commensurate with experience. This equates to $81,900 – $100,100 annually (full-time).
Worksite: Employee will be expected to work onsite at 225 West State Street, Trenton, most of the time and will be provided with a workstation, laptop, and State email address. Employee may be required to take training in the use of State-issued equipment and software applications. Employee may be eligible to work from home on a mutually agreed-to schedule, but no more than one (1) day per week. Commuter travel costs will not be reimbursed.
Work Week: The anticipated work week for the position is 35 hours (i.e., full-time), within the parameters below.
a) Employee may not report more than 35 hours/week.
b) Employee cannot report hours worked on weekends or on any of the twelve State holidays (New Year’s Day, MLK Day, Presidents Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Election Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas).
c) State Archives staff must approve time sheets.
d) Employee will be asked to account for time worked at home.
e) Employee must adhere to an established schedule of work days to the fullest, reasonable extent possible.
f) Less than full-time employment may be considered depending on the candidate.
Termination: Employment contract may be terminated without cause at any time, with two weeks’ notice
Applicants should contact with a resume and cover letter:
Joseph R. Klett, Executive Director
New Jersey State Archives
Email: joseph.klett@sos.nj.gov