Description
Locations: Air & Space Museum - 7711 E Academy Blvd, Denver CO, 80230 (primary)
Exploration of Flight - 13005 Wings Way, Englewood CO, 80112 (secondary)
Status & Classification: Regular | Full-Time | Exempt
Payrate: $75,000 ~ $95,000/year (depending on experience)
Work Schedule: Monday ~ Friday* | 9am ~ 5pm*
*This position must accommodate a flexible work schedule including occasional evenings, weekends, holidays, special events, and overnight/out-of-town travel.
Application window: deadline to submit applications is February 10th, 2024
Summary
The Museum Curator is responsible for providing curatorial guidance across all departments by serving as our resident academic and subject matter expert. This position will champion and promote our organizational mission, vision, and values to internal and external audiences, and serve as a primary spokesperson for the Museum. The Curator is an informed leader with extensive knowledge of aviation, aerospace history, and current advancements in aerospace technology. They are vital to Museum operations by developing visitor-centric exhibits that meet the needs of diverse constituencies and appeal to aviation, space, and history enthusiasts alike. The Curator manages and safeguards the Museum’s physical assets including the Archives, Research Library, and Collections. They are a member of the Wings Leadership Team and serve on the Museum Committee working with the Board of Trustees. The Museum Curator is a departmental head and Director-level role reporting to the Chief Operating Officer (COO).
Organization
Founded in 1994 on the former Lowry Air Force Base, Wings Over the Rockies is a non-profit community organization dedicated to unlocking dreams of flight through exhibits, local events, and educational programming. We are Colorado’s premier Air & Space Museum having been recognized by CNN Travel as one of their 20 Best aviation museums in the world. Each year we welcome roughly 160,000 visitors representing all 50 states and dozens of countries internationally. Wings is committed to diversity, inclusion, and accessibility. The Museum boasts more than 100,000 sq. ft. of open hangar space full of iconic aircraft, space vehicles, historical artifacts, and more. Visitors can experience thrilling flight simulators, discover educational programs, and participate in one of our many exciting museum-sponsored events.
Exploration of Flight (EoF) is our flight-focused educational extension. This 15-acre campus is located at the Centennial Airport where we offer showcase events with a variety of aircraft, aviation immersion programs, pilot ground training, and flight experiences. EoF is home to our Blue Sky Gallery exhibit and interactive aviation center featuring an airworthy fleet of civilian and military aircraft.
Benefits
- Medical, Dental, Vision, Life/AD&D coverage - 100% employer paid for eligible employees
- $500 annual Health Savings Account (HSA) employer contribution for eligible medical plans
- Generous Vacation, Sick, and paid Personal leave
- 403(b) group retirement plan with company match
- Potential for annual bonuses, merit pay increases, and career advancement
- Voluntary Short-Term Disability, dependent Life/AD&D, Accident, and Critical Illness coverage
- Optional Flexible Spending Account (FSA) and Dependent Care (DCA) plan participation
- Museum membership, store discount, and other employee perks
Duties & Responsibilities
Please Note - This list is not all inclusive but intended to be a general guide to the primary duties of this position.
- Directs the Curatorial department; supervises the Collections Manager and Exhibits Manager
- Supervise the Restorations volunteer staff to ensure use of conservation and restoration best practices that preserve and restore the authenticity of Museum aircraft and other exhibits
- Serve as academic leader and subject matter expert for the Museum at-large
- Ensure the factual and intellectual integrity of the Museum’s exhibits and outward-facing products by reviewing videos, fact-checking, proofreading labels, scripts, graphics, etc.
- Work with the Exhibits Manager to ensure exhibits are safe, accurate, engaging, and relevant
- Develop exhibits that engage and educate the Museum audience: conduct research, provide content, write and review exhibit text, make recommendations on objects and artifacts to utilize from the Museum’s collection, etc.
- Serve as the public face and key spokesperson for the Museum’s exhibits and collections including giving interviews to news media, social media, etc.
- Contribute and participate in public programs (e.g. Behind the Wings) and speaking engagements, including lectures for internal, community, and professional groups
- Adhere to the Museum’s collecting strategies and policies to ensure that it is developing its collection thoughtfully with a view towards preserving and documenting key elements of aviation and aerospace history
- Supervise the evaluation process for incoming donations and provide guidance to the Collections Manager on what items the Museum should accept based on historical significance, intrinsic value, usefulness for researchers, and exhibit potential
- Work with the Collections Manager to recommend new acquisitions and improve the scope of the Museum’s collections
- Help research the history and provenance of items in the collection to establish their identity and historical significance
- Make recommendations for processing, cataloging, and digitizing collection materials
- Balance the need to preserve items in the collection with the Museum’s exhibit needs and the needs of researchers
- Manage in-house exhibit development, exhibit maintenance, incoming traveling exhibits, the outgoing traveling exhibits program, and exhibit items on-loan outside the Museum
- Develop and market high-quality, affordable outgoing traveling exhibits for rent to small- and medium-sized institutions
- Support and resolve research requests, answer reference questions, and make resource recommendations for patrons and researchers
- Increase the Museum’s presence in the community through outreach exhibits and activities
- Develop and maintain professional relationships with fellow Curators from other Museums and relevant professional organizations
- Meet the needs of diverse audiences by adhering to AAM best practices and industry standards
Working Conditions
Wings Over the Rockies Air & Space Museum operates in an 80-year-old aircraft hangar. Exploration of Flight is located at a busy regional airport. Environmental conditions may vary.
If you are an individual with a disability, you may request reasonable accommodations if you are unable or limited in your ability to access job openings or apply for a job on this site. You can request reasonable accommodations by contacting our HR Department at 303-360-5360 for assistance.
Requirements
- Bachelor's degree required - preferably in the areas of Aerospace History, Museum Studies, or related subject(s)
- Masters degree or PhD preferred
- At least ten (10 ) years of professional experience working in the Museum industry
- Minimum of five (5) years of curatorial oversight, preferably in an aerospace Museum
- Three (3) years of management experience including supervision, delegation, performance evaluation, employee development, conflict resolution, mentoring, etc.
- Demonstrated personal interest and experience in the fields of aviation, aerospace, flight sciences, etc.
- Extensive knowledge on the history of human flight including military, commercial, and general aviation, as well as the history of international space exploration and commercialization
- Knowledge and experience with Museum industry best practices regarding the handling and care of museum artifacts, including objects, archival, and library materials
- Exceptional leadership, staff development, supervisory, and coaching/mentoring abilities
- Demonstrated project management experience and success working in collaboration with key stakeholders
- Clear, concise, and persuasive communicator, both written and verbal
- Highly skilled in public speaking, excellent writing skills, and the ability to communicate effectively with diverse populations
- Exceptional record-keeping, administrative, and organizational skills with a keen attention to detail and accuracy
- Published writer or academic researcher highly desirable
- Must be a compelling storyteller with a commitment to and focus on the facts
- Familiarity with the organizational mission of Wings Museum including our exhibits and programs
- Comfortable interfacing and collaborating with various groups including vendors, volunteers, patrons, partners, researchers, employees, board members, media reps, the general public, etc.
- Customer service skills with a client-driven, positive, collaborative, solution-based attitude that upholds the Museum’s policies and procedures
- Able to multi-task and communicate in noisy, crowded, or stressful environments
- Able to lift, push, pull, and squat at least 25 lbs.
- Comfortable in dirty/dusty conditions, tolerating strong or unpleasant fumes/odors, and working in loud environments
- Able to navigate 100,000 sq. ft. of floor space in all (cold/hot/wet/humid/dry) conditions
- Must have a valid Driver’s License and clean motor vehicle record (MVR)
- Multi-lingual and/or Spanish fluency (preferred)