As a UW employee, you have a unique opportunity to change lives on our campuses, in our state and around the world. UW employees offer their boundless energy, creative problem solving skills and dedication to build stronger minds and a healthier world.

UW faculty and staff also enjoy outstanding benefits, professional growth opportunities and unique resources in an environment noted for diversity, intellectual excitement, artistic pursuits and natural beauty.

Context: The Burke Museum cares for and shares natural and cultural collections so all people can learn, be inspired, generate knowledge, feel joy, and heal. The Burke was founded in 1885 by the Young Naturalists, a group of curious teenagers inspired by seeing Seattle transform before their eyes. For 135 years, the museum has built upon this legacy, collecting objects that help us understand how the Northwest has grown and changed.

Totaling over 18 million objects, the Burke’s collections help sustain cultural traditions, enable groundbreaking scientific research, and advance timely conversations that matter to us all. The collections are records of our past and investments in our future. The Museum’s curators—faculty members at the University of Washington—grow collections in the anticipation of change: continued disruption to ecosystems, shifting cultural landscapes and advances in technology we have yet to imagine. Our work is collaborative; we partner with institutions, students, communities and people around the world to understand our past and create positive change in the future.

As both a University and State museum, the Burke Museum is a public resource committed to building an inclusive environment that welcomes and values all people. We recognize that our history, from the founding to the present day, is built upon a colonial model of museums that consistently privileged collections, preservation, and research over cultural autonomy and community survival.

The Burke is committed to decolonization as a key institutional priority, and across the museum, we now work as facilitators and stewards, not as gatekeepers and sole authorities, in order to honor our mandate to truly be a museum for all.

In October 2019, the Burke opened a new building turning the work of a museum “inside-out” with visible labs, workrooms, collections storage, and an artist studio. Removing these barriers enables us to make the collections and work that happens here daily accessible to everyone. Every visit to the New Burke is different because every day brings new work. And because we’re doing this work right out in the open, everyone can experience it and join in.

Open position: The University of Washington Burke Museum invites applications for the full-time position of collections manager of Heritage – Arts & Cultures (permanent 1.0 FTE) to manage the cultural and archival collections from the Arctic, Sub-Arctic and Plateau areas.

The Burke Museum, located on the UW campus in Seattle, is a repository for research collections and has substantial exhibits and K-16 outreach programs.
This position will be responsible for caring for the Arctic, Sub-Arctic and Plateau collections consisting of over 10,600 cultural pieces and an unknown number of archival materials. Our Heritage Arts and Cultures Department (HAC) has been changing the way we collaborate with communities by putting the communities voices first when sharing the knowledge that is embodied within the collections.

The HAC is engaged with indigenous communities, artisans and cultural bearers and this position will be responsible for supporting them and the appropriate access to the collections and activities.

The Curator of this region is engaged with repatriation of cultural knowledge through collaborating with community members and collections. This position will be responsible for continuing these ongoing relationships and knowledge repatriation.

The successful candidate will assist the curator of Native America Anthropology in setting curatorial and collections goals and in day-to-day collections operations. Specific responsibilities include:

Management and Maintenance of Collections:
Oversee Daily Operations of the Collections

Assist in management of cultural and archival collections - accessions, cataloging, organization and storage, in the Burke Museum Heritage – Arts & Cultures Department, and on and off-site, according to best practices
Schedule use by researchers, visiting scholars and students; monitor visitors to the collection

Coordinate with Registrar and collections staff regarding Native American Graves and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) requests and inventories.

Work with other members of the division collections staff team to design and implement protocols for curation and equipment use

Work collaboratively with collections staff across the museum on Burke-wide policies

Track use of the collections

Prepare collections-related grants and other funding proposals

Data Management

Maintain division records and compile statistics for the cultural collections as needed

Coordinate digitization of collections data and its dissemination on the website

Complete data entry as needed

Within the next 5 years, assist with the selection, funding, and implementation of a new database management system

Oversee expenditure of division and grant budget funds

Order supplies and equipment for cultural collections, on occasion, for the entire division

Manage budget activity and develop quarterly budget reports with the other collections manager.

Other

Engage with the rest of the museum through committees

Promoting Growth and Use of the Collections:

Growth of the Collections

Work with potential donors to build Arctic, Sub-Arctic and Plateau collections. Process accessions, loans, and de-accessions

Schedule use by researchers, visiting scholars and students; monitor visitors to the collection

Public Outreach:

Respond to public inquiries for cultural material identification and care

Attend meetings as necessary and allow access to collections as appropriate

Facilitate use of the collections by UW Faculty, as well as in undergraduate and graduate courses

Coordinate with curators and museum exhibits/public programs staff for selection and management of all outreach and exhibit materials from the collections

Conduct tours for communities, school groups, university classes, and others
Assist with public outreach programs such as Behind the Scenes Night.

Along with other division collections staff, share responsibility for activating the visible work spaces while the museum is open to the public

Research: optional/negotiable

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS:

Bachelors in Museology or related field, including preventive conservation training

Two to three years related work experience

Knowledge of and experience with museum archives

Experience working with artists, community members, and researchers to access cultural collections

Proficient experience with Argus computer database system and other systems
Supervisory experience

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

MS in Museology or related field, including preventive conservation training
Experience with cultural collections
Experience writing funded grant proposals

Experience with public outreach
:

In part: work in collections spaces and workrooms that are visible to the public; work weekends as scheduled; wear required credentials at all times and name tags as required


Application Process:
The application process for UW positions may include completion of a variety of online assessments to obtain additional information that will be used in the evaluation process. These assessments may include Work Authorization, Cover Letter and/or others. Any assessments that you need to complete will appear on your screen as soon as you select “Apply to this position”. Once you begin an assessment, it must be completed at that time; if you do not complete the assessment you will be prompted to do so the next time you access your “My Jobs” page. If you select to take it later, it will appear on your "My Jobs" page to take when you are ready. Please note that your application will not be reviewed, and you will not be considered for this position until all required assessments have been completed.