South Carolina State Museum, Columbia - SC 

Are you looking to be part of an innovative team of professionals dedicated to telling South Carolina's diverse stories? As the storytellers of South Carolina, the South Carolina State Museum (SCSM) strives to share the rich natural, technological and cultural diversity of the state through its permanent collections, programs, exhibitions and digital content. The SCSM is the largest museum in South Carolina, stewarding over 1.1 million objects and specimens and welcoming 5 million+ visitors over its 36-year history. The museum has recently embarked on a renovation of 150,000 square feet of its exhibition, programmatic and collection storage spaces occupying four floors of a historic 1890s textile mill on the National Register of Historic Places. Come be a part of our team reimagining what the South Carolina State Museum can be for our next generation of visitors, students, and scholars, and enjoy living in South Carolina’s capital city, recently ranked the 7th most affordable city in America by the Wallstreet Journal/Realtor.com.  
The South Carolina State Museum seeks a detail-oriented individual to help manage the physical care of the collections which tell the stories of South Carolina. Reporting to the Director of Collections Management, the Collections Manager will take the lead in cataloguing the collections, overseeing cleaning of the museum, coordinating with facilities management for environmental monitoring, and improving the storage conditions of the collection. This position also plays a close role in the ongoing complete inventory of the museum’s collection in conjunction with the Director of Collections Management, and consults on upcoming storage renovations.
 
Responsibilities and Duties:

• Oversees cataloguing of collections in the database, Emu. Applies numbers to objects, packs objects for storage, and records location in the database.
• Facilitates access to storage for staff and guests. Coordinates object movement for exhibitions, loans, programs, and contractors.
• Monitors and ensures compliance with environmental standards for temperature and humidity in the museum
• Oversees the Integrated Pest Management monitoring and reporting
• Creates and maintains schedule for cleaning exhibition and storage spaces, with occasional use of lifts, scaffolding and/or 14-foot ladders for higher shelving and displays
• Ensures compliance with the Collections Management Policy and other policies in areas of storage and collections care
• Assists with object-handling training and oversight, including exhibit installations in house and offsite
• Assists with object transportation to offsite venues for loans, programs, objects pickups, conservation
• Maintains and updates as needed policies and procedures related to collections care and cataloguing standards
• Leads grant and seasonal part-time employees in inventorying the collections as defined by the Director of Collections Management and grant awards
• Advises on long-term storage upgrades and designs as part of the Reimagine The Experience project
• Works cross-disciplinarily in a team atmosphere to achieve the museum’s strategic goals.
• All other duties as assigned.

Minimum and Additional Requirements

Minimum Qualifications

• A bachelor's degree from an accredited institution with a focus on history, museum studies or related field.
• Minimum five (5) years of experience in collections management, registration, or other museum collection methodologies
• Proven knowledge and experience in managing collections storage facilities, object handling, access control, environmental standards for collections, and storage solutions/design
• Knowledge of best practices in collections handling, care, and preventative conservation
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively in a collaborative team environment
• Good organizational skills and attention to detail, especially in written communication
• Ability to assess, prioritize, and project manage to meet deadlines with minimal supervision
• Experience working with a collections management system; Axiell’s Emu a plus

• Ability to travel statewide and stay overnight.
• Have a valid driver's license and be willing to drive vans and box trucks.
• Ability to lift 40 lbs and climb on ladders, lifts, and scaffolding with cleaning equipment
• Ability to handle collections safely and securely, including manual dexterity and ability to operate pallet jacks and other low-impact equipment for moving objects
• Comfortable working in tight, dusty, and dirty spaces, and with potentially hazardous materials such as taxidermy, weapons, and historic chemicals using provided PPE and training
• Comfortable communicating with lenders, donors, and the public about the functions of collections management

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with object inventories and digitization, including object relocation and image capture
• Participation in a large-scale object move or storage renovation/design
• Previous supervisory management experience (part-time, full-time, seasonal, or volunteers) a plus
• Ability to create custom storage boxes and other softpack supports for objects 

Must apply online. Monday - Friday 8:30am-5pm

https://scmuseum.org/who-we-are/human-resources/job-openings#full-time-positions