CURATOR 3

***THIS RECRUITMENT MAY CLOSE WITHOUT FURTHER NOTICE DEPENDING ON THE NUMBER OF APPLICATIONS RECEIVED. APPLICANTS ARE ENCOURAGED TO APPLY AS SOON AS POSSIBLE***

Job Summary

This recruitment is for a Museum Curator 3 position in the Division of Museums and History within the Department of Tourism and Cultural Affairs at the Nevada State Museum (NSM), Carson City. The Nevada State Museum is a public institution dedicated to preserving and sharing the natural and human history of Nevada. Serving as both a research institution and a visitor-centered museum, NSM offers exhibitions, public programs, and educational opportunities ranging from K-16 learning to graduate-level research. The museum is deeply committed to community engagement through mission-driven programming, tours, and public scholarship. The Curator III of History provides leadership and strategic direction for the museum’s History Department. This role oversees the stewardship, preservation, and accessibility of the museum’s historical collections, which span from the pioneer era to contemporary Nevada history. The Curator supervises professional staff, including the Curator of Textiles and, in time, a Collections Manager, and is responsible for history collections housed across three facilities. The position works closely with the Museum Registrar and reports directly to the NSM Director. This role blends strategic leadership with hands-on museum work. The Curator is responsible for planning, policy development, budget oversight, and fundraising, while also ensuring proper cataloging, preservation, and management of collections and databases. The position supports research access, responds to public and scholarly inquiries, contributes to exhibitions and educational programming, and collaborates with education and exhibits staff to advance the museum’s public mission. The Curator also participates in outreach efforts and helps produce public-facing historical content that reflects and promotes Nevada’s rich heritage.
Curators perform a broad range of professional and technical museum work involving, but not limited to, assessment, evaluation, survey, inventory, preservation, research, education and planning for a specific collection and/or program area within a museum. Incumbents apply a variety of professional and advanced technical knowledge, skills, methods and practices in performing duties of a specialized nature.

Essential Qualifications

Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university with major coursework in history, prehistory, natural history, museum studies, education, or closely related field plus three years of professional experience in a museum. This experience must have included direct responsibility for museum collections involving the preparation of exhibit text regarding complex technical information, and/or developing, promoting, executing and evaluating educational programming; OR one year of experience as a Curator II in Nevada State service; OR an equivalent combination of education and experience as described above.

Job Duties

Implement collection management policy and procedures; assess and recommend acquisition of objects, archival materials, manuscripts, photographs for museum collections; conduct accessioning, cataloging, and inventory; maintain and secure collection records and databases; conduct research on collections for documentation and use in education programs, exhibits, and publications; conduct registration, documentation, access, use, and security.

Coordinate use of the following: collections in exhibits, educational programs, and publications; incoming and outgoing collection loans; reproduction of collections and use of intellectual property; storage and conservation of collections; personal, nonprofit, and commercial use of collections by outside entities; and statewide authorization program.

Coordinate and curate collections controlled by federal agencies and other entities as stipulated in agreements; respond to research inquiries related to collections and program areas; assist management of collection security.

Conduct research and develop content and media for programs; manage tours for adults, children, and school groups; partner with schools and coordinate programs to school curricula; develop teacher guides, training manuals, and schedules; manage and present lectures, workshops, demonstrations, performances, and special events for multiple audiences; conduct outreach education at schools, community events, and offsite locations; assist development and management of the education collection.

Participate in the preparation of long-term and temporary exhibits; serve on exhibit teams with other curators, staff, and experts; develop exhibit plans, concepts, and content and assist design; provide and prepare collections from the museum and other sources; manage conservation and security of collections on exhibit; research and write labels and interpretive media.

Provide technical information on museum collection practices and program areas for outside entities. May produce publications on program areas and collections for general and specialized audiences.

Interpret results of completed surveys; perform field evaluations and site excavations including locating, identifying and recording specific sites, and cataloging and plotting recovered artifacts; utilize information for report preparation, scientific research, educational purposes and/or to determine impact to cultural resource as required.

May conduct field surveys of archaeological, historical and pre-historical sites, and documents.

Perform related duties as assigned.

Under general direction, incumbents are responsible for a collection or education program within a museum. In support of an assigned program, they perform professional and technical duties; oversee decision-making and serve as spokesperson for the program; apply principles and practices utilizing considerable judgment and ingenuity in carrying out assignments; assist resource development through grants, partnerships, fundraising, and in-kind support; assist public relations through articles, website information, and marketing materials; collaborate with staff, interns, and contract workers; recruit, train, and supervise volunteers. Curator III’s are accountable for the quality and quantity of work of assigned program area, establishment of performance standards, evaluation of personnel, assignment and review of work, and recommendations in the hiring, firing and disciplinary actions of assigned employees. Incumbents may develop long-range plans, prepare reports and manage budgets. A Curator III either directly supervises lower-level Curators and support staff and regularly directs the work of volunteers, or is responsible for managing a more complex and diverse program such as mixed collections (including natural history, pre-history and/or archaeological).

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

This job specification lists the major knowledge, skills and abilities of the job and is not all inclusive. Incumbent(s) will be expected to have knowledge, skills and abilities from a previous level.

Detailed knowledge of: museum principles and practices; collection management or education program management as appropriate; registration theory and accession procedures related to judging the relevance of potential donations and selecting items for exhibit and restoration, and knowledge of the principles and practices of exhibit development.

Working knowledge of: the various State and federal agencies responsible for cultural resources management; State and federal agencies and specific requirements pertaining to site importance, making survey recommendations, and conducting archaeological surveys on federal property.

General knowledge of: the division’s purpose, goals, methods, rules and regulations; current Native American interests and concerns in the Great Basin as appropriate.

Ability to: design, implement and manage appropriate curation methods and procedures; manage and supervise assigned program; write concise, analytical reports suitable for publication; plan logistics for field projects; research, classify, catalog and restore various objects of antiquity; prepare exhibit text regarding complex technical information and material understandable to lay persons; deal effectively with appraisers hired by the museum and with those retained by potential donors of artifacts to the museum; speak extemporaneously on short notice regarding historic preservation and archeology at agency and public meetings; analyze information, problems, situations, practices, policies and procedures to organize work flow and accomplish established objectives.

Recruiter Contact Information: Susan Fowler - sfowler@admin.nv.gov

The State of Nevada is an equal opportunity employer dedicated to building diverse, inclusive, and innovative work environments with employees who reflect our communities and enthusiastically serve them. All applicants are considered without regard to race, color, national origin, religion or belief, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, domestic partnership, genetic information (GINA), or compensation and/or wages.

Please send direct Inquiries or correspondence to the recruiter listed on this announcement.

Benefits include:

• Health Insurance: Medical, dental, life, and disability insurance programs for employees and their dependents/family are offered through the Public Employees’ Benefits Program (PEBP) .
  
• Vacation: Accrual of three weeks of annual leave each year.
  
• Sick Leave: Accrual of three weeks of sick leave each year.
  
• Holidays: 12 paid holidays per year.
  
• Retirement: Participation in the Nevada Public Employees Retirement System (PERS) . Employees do not contribute to Social Security but will contribute to PERS if their position is at 50% or more full-time equivalency. For more information on how PERS service may impact Social Security benefits, visit the SSA publication .
  
• Deferred Compensation: The State offers a voluntary Deferred Compensation Program .
  
• No Nevada state income tax.
  
• Public Service Loan Forgiveness: Eligible due to public sector employment.
  
• Longevity Payments Eligibility: Employees who have received a performance rating of “standard” or better and have completed eight (8) or more years of continuous service are eligible for longevity pay.
  

Additional benefits may apply to employees covered under a Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), depending on their designated bargaining unit. For more information, visit the Labor Relations Unit (LRU) .

For more details about your rights and responsibilities as a State of Nevada employee, please review the State of Nevada Employee Handbook (PDF) .

*** State Holidays The holiday schedule for State employees is established by the Legislature.

The following are legal holidays:

January 1.............................................. New Year's Day

Third Monday in January.................. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Birthday

Third Monday in February................ Washington’s Birthday

Last Monday in May........................... Memorial Day

June 19................................................ Juneteenth Day

July 4.................................................... Independence Day

First Monday in September.............. Labor Day

Last Friday in October....................... Nevada Day

November 11........................................ Veterans' Day

Fourth Thursday in November........ Thanksgiving Day

Friday following the Fourth Thursday in November...................... Family Day

December 25........................................ Christmas Day

When January 1, June 19, July 4, November 11, or December 25 falls on a Saturday, the preceding Friday is the observed legal holiday. If these days fall on Sunday, the following Monday is the observed holiday. Eligibility for holiday pay is covered by the provisions of NAC 284.255

Closing Date/Time: Continuous

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• STATE OF NEVADA

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