Curator of Collections Management, Media Majlis
Location: Doha, Qatar
Department: NUQ Exhibition Space
Salary/Grade: EXS/7
As part of Northwestern University in Qatar ( NU-Q) and its Media Majlis museum, the Curator of Collections Management will have Registrar and Preservation responsibilities – In coordination with the Museum’s Curatorial and Digital Content teams, helps develop and realise exhibitions through registration, documentation, care and storage. Plans, organizes, implements and supervises all processes and procedures related to the organization of acquisitions, commissions, loans and licenses for exhibitions (on-site, off-site, and online) as well as packing, crating and shipping, storage, installation and deinstallation, insurance coverage, and risk management, for all digital and physical exhibition content, including on- and off-site digitization, and all communication with lenders. Works closely with the Museum’s Digital Content, Technology & Operations teams to ensure that all exhibitions, physical, digital, and hybrid, are systematically documented, preserved, and archived for future access, research, touring, and institutional memory. Works in tandem with the Museum’s Administrative Coordinator to ensure that all paperwork, not limited to loans, licensing, and commissions, is aligned with the policies and best practices of the Museum and University (NU-Q).
Collections responsibilities – In coordination with the Museum’s Curatorial and Digital Content teams, helps develop, evaluate, and enrich the Museum’s digital collection’s strategy and delivery. Responsible for developing and implementing collection policies and procedures through stewardship and management of the legal paperwork and individual item records, including CMS-DAMS (Qi), licensing and IP/Copyright management, and in line with Accreditation requirements, i.e. American Alliance of Museums (AAM) and the International Council of Museums (ICOM). Supports the Museum’s mission through the commissioning and expansion of collections, and works to ensure content is accessible to the public through the development of a soon-to-be-launched online repository. This role supports the museum’s AAM accreditation requirements by embedding preservation planning, documentation, and access into exhibition workflows from conception through deinstallation and beyond, and gives the Museum flexibility to utilise, reuse and preserve its exhibitions.
Exhibition Touring responsibilities – In coordination with the Museum’s Curatorial, Digital Content, and Technology & Operations teams, helps develop, evaluate and deliver the incoming and outgoing touring strategy and works to manage touring opportunities for exhibition content and licensing. Responsibilities include the preservation of exhibition layouts, installation documentation, multimedia, software environments, interactive systems, interpretive content, and technical specifications, with particular attention to the sustainability and longevity of created content and digital works. Must have proven experience in touring management principles, procedures, policies, accrediting and logistics, and best practices for touring and licensing digital and physical artefacts, record keeping, technology and conservation within an art, media and technology museum or cultural setting. Demonstrated a strong international network of institutional partners and organizational skills and attention to detail. Must have the ability to multitask and meet deadline-driven projects.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities:
Organize and coordinate all acquisitions, commissions, and exhibition loans, including outreach to potential artists, studios, estates or lenders (individuals, companies, organizations, museums, archives, etc.); loans and licenses negotiations and contracts; appropriate due diligence, provenance research and investigation in compliance with the local and international laws and conventions related to cultural property; overseeing and advising on acquisitions process, appropriate copyright compliance and licensing; shipping, transport, courier needs, customs; insurance and compliance with internal and external policies. Collection care, onsite storage, exhibition display install and de-install; return of objects; and all associated paperwork and CMS-DAMS records in the Museum’s master record retention system. Drafting, reviewing and regularly updating acquisitions procedure, forms, contracts, agreements, policies and collection management procedures.
Coordinate and oversee digitization of objects and of exhibitions in appropriate formats (on-site and off-site, local and international) with associated metadata, storage facilities, copyright clearances, and communication with lenders in order to develop and delivery exhibition touring projects that supports the Museum’s mission to provide access to information and collections to the public. Works with Curatorial and Digital Content teams to ensure proper setup of museum staging environment, from exhibition requirements through museum internal storage and CMS-DAMS (Qi). Responsible for the development and care of a dedicated online platform for digital artifacts and media productions, in collaboration with Digital Content and Technology Management Teams, and for licensing and IP/Copyright management.
Conduct and coordinate all object and content care, digital and physical, including acquisitions, commissions, incoming and outgoing loan Condition Reports, Copyright and licensing, environmental controls in exhibitions and storage facilities, monitoring and reporting during exhibitions, and organization of conservation if required, while ensuring the systematic documentation and preservation of exhibition assets for long-term institutional record, access, and reuse in accordance with museum best practices.
Manager of the Museum CMS-DAMS (Qi); staff training in system use; monitoring of other staff members’ work in system and their responsibilities within the system. Accessioning of acquisitions and commissions into the CMS-DAMS; registration, promotion, and management of licensed content to third parties with regularly updating records in the CMS-DAMS
Coordinates licensing of images and other content for exhibition publication, content streaming and exhibition touring; advises on use of digital or physical objects in exhibition materials including website, social media, press releases, touring packs, and other University materials, coordinating licensing/license expansion as needed.
Coordinator of on-site and off-site exhibition install and de-install (non-technology hardware), in collaboration with Curatorial, Digital Content, and Technology & Operations teams, including external vendors, as needed. Works with the University’s Facilities, HSSE, and Production departments to ensure that all installation and de-installation are planned, coordinated and managed accordingly. Oversight of physical object install/de-install, packing, crating and shipping, storage, insurance coverage, and risk management. Serves as 24-hour on-call contact for emergency situations involving works of art. Is responsible for coordinating all additional support with Fine Art Shippers and ensuring all insurance related tasks are coordinated in line with University and Museum policy.
Other duties as needed and required, including but not limited to: receives and responds to all object, digital, collection, and loan inquiries from the public; renews Museum professional memberships (yearly); tracks and updates Museum policies on a regular basis and disseminates them to stakeholders; conducts guided tours and content presentation as required; writes reports and admin forms as needed; and develops Standard Operating Procedures for exhibition install and de-install in collaboration with the Museum’s team
Minimum Qualifications (education, experience, certifications, skills)
Bachelor degree in museum studies, curatorial studies, conservation, art history, collection management, content licensing, digital media in museums, or related fields.
Minimum of three years experience in a Registrar, Collection management, of Content licensing role in a museum or cultural institution's Collection, Conservation or Curatorial Department , or equivalent
Strong interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to exercise sound professional judgment informed by museum industry standards and best practices
Positive and “can-do”attitude inspiring excellence across departments
Exceptional teamwork and time management skills, familiarity and comfort with new technologies
Experienced and high comfort level with the use of technology-based Museum CMS-DAMS
Proficiency with Project Management and the ability to use tools (such as MS Office, Apple OS, and others) to help plan, coordinate, and deliver exhibitions and projects on time and to budget.
Experience with digital and physical exhibition content
Experience in managing exhibition touring, third-party content licensing, logistics and risk management for traveling exhibitions
Fluent in English, including museum terminology and practice experience
Experience in object handling and storage, transportation and shipping, copyright and licensing
Proactive in independent work, with a high level of discretion and confidentiality
Ability to travel as needed
Preferred Qualifications (Education, Experience, Certifications, Skills)
Master degree in museum studies, curatorial studies, conservation, art history, collection management, content licensing, digital media in museums, or related fields.
Five plus years museum collections and exhibitions management or touring experience.
Professional Certificates in Intellectual Property , Collections Management, Content Licensing, Collection Care, or related fields.
Experience with museum-specific Collections Management Systems (CMS) and Digital Asset Management Systems (DAMS)
Experience with Due Diligence and Provenance Research applied to cultural property.
Experience or training in Contract review, drafting and negotiation.
Experience or training with exhibition and object digitization practices and protocols
Fluently bilingual (Arabic and English), or abilities in Urdu, Tagalog, Hindi.
Lived and worked in the region.
Background, experience or training in one or more areas of journalism, communication or media
Experience or training in remedial conservation and/or matting and mounting
Experience or training in digital conservation and online viewing platforms
Experience or training in museum visitors experience and audience outreach