Museum Curator jobs in South Africa

Position Details

Job Purpose

The Senior Curator / Curator is responsible for the strategy, narrative, collections proposals, and implementation for the department. The role holder will manage strategic goals, develop research activities, and create content that enhances the museum's reputation. They will develop collaborative partnerships with national and international museum committees. The role involves conceptualizing new exhibitions related to the wing and working across the team to enhance the museum's offerings.

Roles and Responsibilities

1. Develop medium and long-term proposals for strategies defined by the SCCM Director on exhibitions and displays, proposing potential acquisitions and research opportunities related to 10,000 BCE to 500 CE collections.
2. Manage and develop the unit's budget, along with the administrative, legal, and financial actions for the wing.
3. Review, advise, and refine the wing's project proposals and feasibility reports, supporting the provision of timeframes, funding parameters, and resource allocation.
4. Review the wing's progress, analyze reports on visitor activity trends, and provide advice and recommendations for further actions to the department director.
5. Support the wing's activities in complex, blocked, and unforeseen circumstances impacting daily activities, projects, or implementation.
6. Regularly evaluate and ensure the wing's current research, implementation, and maintenance procedures align with internationally recognized standards.
7. Support initiatives across other departments within the museum, including collections development, acquisition strategy, and content planning in mediation and education policies.
8. Be a subject matter expert on one of the fields related to 10,000 BCE to 500 CE through continuous self-learning to enhance the wing's knowledge offerings, understanding, and techniques on current collections and research of artifacts of future interest.
9. Enhance the museum's international reputation through active personal research, publications, conference contributions, and exploring opportunities for loans and development related to the wing's collection.
10. Ensure transfer of knowledge to team members and provide appropriate on-the-job training opportunities.
11. Manage the collection for the wing, developing preventive and curative conservation policies, supervising restoration projects in liaison with the Preventive Conservation Unit, and creating displays in collaboration with the Museography Unit.
12. Create and develop content as planned in the mediation and education policy related to the wing.
13. Ensure operational excellence in achieving KPIs, working towards establishing a sustainable financial model by meeting set financial targets and driving process improvements and efficiency.
14. As a brand ambassador, consider the customer perspective in all projects, understanding and managing stakeholders.
15. As a leader, create learning opportunities through collaboration, knowledge transfer, and employee development to drive engagement and growth across the museum.

Working Environment Requirements

Normal administrative hours are required, with occasional work across weekends and/or evenings as directed by the business.

Team Size

1-5

Minimum Experience Requirements

• 7-10 years of postgraduate experience
• Experience as a Curator and Head of Section in a museum or related institution
• Fluency in Arabic and English

Minimum Education

• PhD in History of Art, Archaeology, Museology, or Museum Studies
• 5-12 published articles in international reviews

Preferred Experience Requirements

• Experience teaching at the university level
• Experience in public engagement, lectures, and presentations at an international level