USS Constellation Museum

Development Coordinator / Curator

Job Announcement

The USS Constellation Museum is the steward of USS Constellation, the only surviving Civil War era naval vessel and the last sailing warship ever built by the United States Navy.  As flagship of the African Squadron, Constellation and her crew were responsible for the liberation and subsequent repatriation of just under 4000 Africans.   The Museum is a tax-exempt, non-profit company organized under the umbrella of the Living Classrooms Foundation.  The mission of the USS Constellation Museum is to honor and perpetuate the legacy of dedicated service given by all vessels carrying the name Constellation, and their respective crews, through the historical interpretation of these revered symbols of our collective maritime heritage and the restoration and preservation of the US Sloop-of-War Constellation while acting as a cultural and educational resource to the benefit of the community at large.

The Development Coordinator / Curator reports directly to the Executive Director of the USS Constellation Museum and is responsible for carrying out the mission and objectives of the museum as they apply to the position.  The Development Coordinator / Curator for the USS Constellation Museum is a challenging position combining duties usually performed by several individuals in a larger institution.  These include, but are not limited to, the responsibilities of a Curator, Registrar, and Museum Historian, as well as exhibit planning and design, exhibit maintenance, grant research, grant writing, general fundraising, and project management. The position of Development Coordinator / Curator for USS Constellation requires good organizational skills, research and collections expertise, dedication to intellectual mastery of collection material, as well as an understanding of fundraising, corporate/foundation/grant research, and proposal writing.  Creativity and artistic aptitude for exhibit development and interpretation are very important to this position, as is the ability to research and relate to potential donors.  The Development Coordinator / Curator must make a strong commitment to preserving the artifacts in our care, enriching the public experience of the Museum, as well as assisting the Museum’s Executive Director with the planning and implementation of the institution’s fundraising strategy.  The ability to speak publicly on the history of the ship, the Museum’s restoration efforts, and the need for support is also important.

The successful candidate will possess a MA in history, museum studies, or related fields and ideally will have 3-5 years of work experience.

Direct responsibilities include, but may not be limited to:

·         Care, maintenance and preservation of artifacts either owned or on loan to the USS Constellation Museum.

·         Proper cataloging of artifact and archive inventory.

·         Scholarly research of the history of USS Constellation and life on board ship.

·         Exhibit planning, design development and implementation.

·         Exhibit maintenance, both on board and in the Museum’s gallery(s).

·         Researching and writing grant/corporate/foundation/individual proposals that will support museum operations, exhibit development, ship preservation, and artifact acquisition.

·         Identifying and cultivating potential donors to the Museum.

·         Grant progress / implementation reporting to funders.

·         Speaking engagements as arranged by the museum either in house or off site.

Coordinated Responsibilities include, but may not be limited to:

·         Working with the Executive Director and others to plan the Museum’s development activities and to develop and implement effective fundraising strategies.

·         Working with the Membership Coordinator to maintain Museum grant files.

·         Working with the Executive Director, Director of Interpretation & Education and the Ships’ Manager to acquire and display artifacts and archival materials.

·         Working with the Executive Director and Director of Interpretation & Education in the development of interpretation and exhibit material.

·         Coordinating with the Ship’s Manager regarding exhibit placement and exhibit maintenance on board the ship and in the Museum gallery(s).

·         Working with all staff to integrate the goals of historic preservation, public experience, and education programming so that none of these goals are compromised.

·         Working with the Ship’s Manager to develop the ship’s maintenance and restoration plan regarding the historic fabric of the ship and researching time period re-creations.

·         Working with the Executive Director and the Director of Interpretation & Education in preparation for opening of new exhibits and in maintaining continuity of information.

·         Working with the Director of Interpretation & Education in the development and implementation of educational programming.

·         Working with the Executive Director and staff in promoting the standing and reputation of the USS Constellation Museum in the community of maritime museums and historic ships.

·         Working with the Executive Director in implementation of the MAP program for museum accreditation. 

General Responsibilities include, but may not be limited to:

·         Practicing safe and efficient work habits realizing that you are a role model for ship’s staff, apprentices, interns, and volunteers.

·         Being an effective leader who promotes a positive work ethic and good morale among ship’s staff, apprentices, interns, and volunteers.

·         Being an effective spokesperson for the USS Constellation Museum, the National Historic Seaport of Baltimore, and the Living Classrooms Foundation

·         Such other duties as assigned by the Executive Director

Interested applicants are asked to please send a cover letter and resume to:

USS Constellation Museum

Attn: Ken Hickman

Pier 1, 301 E. Pratt Street

Baltimore, MD 21202-3134

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