Job Description

The National Museum of Toys and Miniatures was founded in 1982 by two local Kansas City women who both had a passion for collecting. Since the beginning, the museum’s mission has been to educate, inspire, and delight adults and children through the collection and preservation of toys and miniatures.Over its 34 year history, the museum has provided a portal to the past, a chronicle of the ways in which our imaginations have both reflected and inspired our rich history, the evolution of our material culture, and the creativity of our artistic expression. 

The museum re-opened in August, 2015 following an 18 month renovation.The successful completion of a $10.2 million capital campaign supported the building and exhibit improvements.New exhibits and interactives feature the world’s largest collection of fine-scale miniatures and one of the nation’s largest collections of antique toys.

Position Overview

Responsible for planning, organizing, designing, installing and maintaining the museum’s exhibitions, both permanent and rotating/temporary.  Responsible for developing and implementing the museum’s traveling exhibition program.  Responsible for oversight of the museum’s collection and its care.  Researches and writes scholarly information about the museum’s collection.  Works cohesively with museum staff to facilitate a visitor experience which drives visitation, membership and recognition.  Ensures established museum standards are being met.  Has primary responsibility for cultivating and managing relationships with donors, board members, committee members, UMKC, and other museum/community professionals. 

To meet these responsibilities, the Curator – Exhibits and Collections performs the following: 

• Exhibits
  • In collaboration with the museum’s Curator – Interpretation, plan and implement exhibit calendar
  • Design and install museum’s permanent exhibits; plan and manage a program for ongoing exhibit maintenance 
  • Develop and implement plan for converting museum’s exhibition portfolio into a traveling exhibit program, with the objective of broadening the museum’s visibility and audience, while protecting the collection
  • Negotiate with donors and lenders to acquire artifacts in the permanent museum collection as well as those items on loan for special, temporary and traveling exhibits
  • Negotiate contracts and agreements in a manner that protects the interests of the museum and its collection
  • Facilitate the fabrication of all museum exhibits, including casework, interactives, glass, plexi, special mounts, and interactives. 
• Collections
  • Maintain current knowledge of issues, standards and best practices within the Museum field
    • Create and maintain the museum’s Collecting Plan
    • Create and maintain the museum’s Conservation Plan; collaborate with Collection Manager to implement the plan
    • Negotiate and manage the museum’s Off-Site Storage Plan
  • Serve as chair of the museum’s collection committee; responsible for the oversight of the collection, including formal acquisition, deaccession, or loan of objects from the Museum. 
  • Advise Executive Director and Board regarding value of collection and insurance requirements. 
  • Conduct annual assessment of collection records to ensure accreditation standards are being met; Work with Collection Manager to address all issues and modify any identified policies/procedures associated with collection management
  • Conduct annual assessment of environmental conditions relative to museum standards; research and recommend ways in which outlier conditions can be addressed. 
  • Cultivate and manage relationships with object donors and collectors with the objective of facilitating gifts to the museum’s collection
• Other Duties
  • Participate in the selection, training and management of museum staff
  • Budget responsibility for Collections management, Exhibits and Insurance
  • Collaborate with other staff members in long-range planning
  • Assist Development Director efforts to research and write grants for exhibition and collection funding
  • Make presentations to the public about the Museum’s exhibits and collection

Participate in professional development meetings and conferences (local and national) in order to remain current on new and emerging methods and practices for collection management/conservation and exhibition planning/design.

A Bachelor's degree in related/relevant area and at least 4 years of experience from which comparable knowledge and skills can be acquired is necessary.

• Master’s degree in museum studies, history, art history or related field.
• Curatorial experience, with preferred experience in toys and/or fine-scale miniatures
• 5-10 years of demonstrated experience managing museum collections (30,000 objects or higher)   
• Minimum of 5 years of demonstrated experience designing, creating and installing exhibits. 
• Exceptional organizational skills, attention to detail, and ability to manage multiple projects to successful completion on time and on budget
• Ability to manage museum’s collection and exhibitions according to AAM specific accreditation standards

• Enthusiasm for the museum and its subject matter
• Professional demeanor and appearance
• High level of demonstrated personal accountability
• Ability to adjust leadership and communication style to meet needs of variable constituencies, both internal and external
• Flexibility and adaptability
• Demonstrates high level of emotional intelligence

Full Time

Salary range is $47,476 - $63,000 to be commensurate with experience and educaiton

Open until filled. Inital review of candidates to begin on November 27, 2016

Application materials must be submitted online at www.umkc.edu/jobs.  Applicants must combine all application materials (personal letter of interest with accompanying resume and a list of references) into one PDF or Microsoft Word document and upload as a resume attachment.  Limit document name to 50 characters.  Maximum size limit is 11MB.  Do not use special characters (e.g., /, &, %, etc.)

For questions related to this posting please contact Jamie Berry, (816) 235-8001

For questions about how to apply, please call (816) 235-1621, or if you are experiencing technical problems, please call (855) 524-0002.