Museum Management Program Fellowship, Midwest Regional Office

Summary

American Conservation Experience, a nonprofit Conservation Corps, in partnership with the National Park Service (NPS), is seeking a Museum Management Program Fellow to contribute to the Climate Change and Museum Collection Emergency Operations project alongside NPS Midwest Regional staff. For more information about ACE, please visit: www.usaconservation.org.

Start Date: Fall 2023 (flexible)

Duration: 52 weeks

Location Details/Description: Omaha, Nebraska

The Midwest Region Museum Management Program (MWR MMP) is part of the Cultural Resources Program for Interior Regions 3, 4, 5 (legacy Midwest Region) and provides support functions for park museum collections. The MWR MMP supports development and coordination of service-wide policies, standards and procedures for managing museum collections, including natural, cultural, archival, and manuscript materials. The regional museum program provides onsite support to many of the 62 park units within the region as well virtual trainings and quarterly meetings open to all park curatorial staff.

Host site is the National Park Service Midwest Regional Office located in Omaha, Nebraska. Position requires at least 25% of time spent traveling to park units across the region.

Position Overview: The ACE Fellow will work with the Regional Museum Curator to provide support to the 62 National Park units comprising the Midwest Region. The primary purpose of the position is to assist parks by assessing individual park museum program's adherence to standards of care as prescribed by the new Department of Interior Museum Checklist, focusing particularly on assessing parks' vulnerabilities and resilience to climate change. The position will also assist with the management of the Midwest Regional Office Cultural Resources museum collection. Duties will include:

• Assess park museum facilities using standards outlined in the newly revised DOI Museum Checklist
• Evaluate park museum facilities' risk to threats from climate change, including flood, wildfire, drought, and other environmental hazards
• Coordinate development of Museum Emergency Operations Plans for collections facilities at risk
• Assist regional museum staff with planning and preparation for relocating collections from facilities at risk to multi-park repositories, using guidelines established in the Regional Museum Storage Facility Plan (2022)
• Learn the Interior Collections Management System (ICMS) and its successor, the Museum Collection Management System (MCMS) to assist parks with the transition and to ensure data fields contain appropriate entries
• Evaluate catalog records against NPS cataloging standards for the disciplines of art, archeology, archives, ethnology, history, biology, paleontology, and geology
• Perform routine museum maintenance activities such as environmental monitoring and pest management in the MWR Cultural Resources archives

Schedule: Full-time Monday to Friday; 8:00am - 4:30pm. Hours may vary depending on park staff schedules and will include travel throughout the region, which includes three time zones.

Position Benefits

Living Allowance: The ACE Member is expected to contribute ~40 hours/week and will receive a living allowance of $1,040/week to offset the costs of food and incidental expenses, dispersed bi-weekly.

Public Land Corps Hiring Authority: Members serving under this agreement may be eligible for a federal hiring authority upon completion of their term of service. PLC projects also include specific eligibility requirements such as age and citizenship. Please contact ACE staff with questions about eligibility, or view general information online https://www.usaconservation.org/epic/#eligibility-requirements.

Housing: Housing is the responsibility of the member and not provided by ACE or NPS.

Provided Training/Orientation: ACE members will receive position specific training and an orientation outlining ACE policies and procedures, clear guidance on prohibited activities, and networks for support. Specific training may include the Department of the Interior Interior Collections Management System and its successor the Museum Collection Management System, and READ training (Resource Advisor).

Qualifications

Required:

• Basic knowledge of professional museum standards and registrarial methods, including, but not limited to: museum accession, catalog, deaccession, inventory of museum property, and environmental standards for museum facilities.
• Working knowledge of museum database systems for museum collections management.
• Members must be a U.S. citizen or Permanent Resident, as required byU.S. government contracts
• Willing and able to represent ACE and the partner organization in a professional, positive, and enthusiastic manner.
• Ability to be both self-directed/work alone, and be a positive, contributing member of a group.
• A valid driver's license and an insurable driving record (documentation to be provided upon request).
• Willing to undergo and must pass the required two-part criminal history check.
• Ability to perform the essential duties of the position with or without reasonable accommodation.
• ACE Members will need to complete bi-weekly timesheets, beginning of term feedback forms, end of term evaluations and for longer terms, a mid-term evaluation.
• To learn more about eligibility requirements, please visit our website https://www.usaconservation.org/epic/#eligibility-requirements.

Preferred:

• Competitive applicants for this position can hold or be pursuing a master's degree, but must have completed a bachelor's degree and/or have relevant experience in subject areas such as museum studies, anthropology, history, collection management, archives, biological, geological, or paleontological sciences, or other relevant courses to the management of museum collections.
• Knowledge of Microsoft Office and Adobe programs.
• Ability and willingness to travel, do repetitive tasks, and write reports.
• Interest in museum management responsibilities related to facility management, climate change impacts, environmental monitoring, data collection and analysis, and museum databases.

Physical Demands, Work Environment and Working Conditions:

• Physical Demands: Requires frequent sitting, standing, walking, carrying, using hands to handle or feel, reaching with hands and arms, talking and hearing. Manual dexterity required for computer keyboard/mouse and other office equipment. Required to stoop, kneel, climb stairs, and/or crouch.
• Vision Requirements: Requires close, distance, peripheral and depth perception vision as well as the ability to focus.
• Weight Lifted or Force Exerted: Ability to move up to 40 pounds.
• Environmental: Mainly indoor, office environment conditions; indoor air quality is good and temperature is controlled.
• Noise Environment: Moderate noise such as in a business office with equipment and light traffic.
• Travel: This position will require domestic travel.

Vehicle and Equipment Use/Safety: If a vehicle is required for the accomplishment of the duties, one will be provided by the National Park Service or ACE. Any tools required for the accomplishment of the duties will be provided by the National Park Service. Use of personal protective equipment (PPE), typically provided by the National Park Service, will be mandatory for any activity that requires it. Strict adherence to National Park Service and ACE equipment training, certification and safety protocols is required.

To Apply: Please submit your resume, a cover letter demonstrating your interest and experience, and contact information for three professional/academic references to the online application page for this position here: https://usaconservation.applicantpool.com/jobs/. Early consideration will be given as resumes are received. This position may close at any time. If you have any questions regarding this position please feel free to contact ACE EPIC NPS Recruitment and Outreach Manager, Victoria Yee, at vyee@usaconservation.org.EEO: American Conservation Experience provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability or genetics. In addition to federal law requirements, American Conservation Experience complies with applicable state and local laws governing non-discrimination in employment in every location in which the company has facilities.

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