Education Specialist - Museum jobs in the United States

The American Museum of Natural History is one of the world’s preeminent scientific and cultural institutions, and has as its mission to discover, interpret and disseminate information about human cultures, the natural world and the universe through a wide-ranging program of scientific research, education and exhibition.

The Earth and Planetary Sciences (EPS) department is seeking a full-time Museum Specialist. The Museum Specialist will assist in the care, maintenance and usage of Museum collections in EPS. They will help ensure the collections are accessible to AMNH staff, visiting researchers, students and other interested parties.

Job duties include:

• Care and maintenance of EPS collections, including:
• Specimen/objects preparation, identification, housing, labeling, organizing and shelving, including major collections moves.
• Collections cataloging, including accessions/deaccessions, digitization and database management.
• Environmental monitoring of storage facilities and laboratories and pest management.
• Monitoring preservation/condition of objects and the integrity of storage systems.
• Chemical safety, inventory control, lab maintenance, equipment and supplies.
• Processing incoming and outgoing loans, including:
• Specimen/objects retrieval and housing.
• Packing/unpacking and shipping and condition reporting.
• Invoicing, movement tracking, correspondence and records management.
• Wildlife import/export declarations and permitting (if applicable).
• Assisting staff, students, interns, volunteers and external visitors to the collections, including:
• Processing information requests and managing the curatorial approval process.
• Coordinating visits with relevant parties and security registration.
• Supervising and assisting visitors at both onsite and offsite collection storage locations.
• Other tasks as assigned, which may include but are not limited to:
• Participating in data collection for annual collection reports and other documents as needed.
• Working collaboratively with Science Conservation, Registrars, Dean of Collections, Exhibitions and other areas of the Museum on collections-related initiatives and special projects.
• Participating in collections-related fieldwork, workshops, conferences and trainings.

The expected salary for the Museum Specialist is $54,947/annual. This position is overtime-eligible and the AMNH offers an extensive benefits package designed to meet the needs of our dedicated and diverse community.

Pay will be determined based on several factors. The hiring range for the position at commencement is based on the type of work and the scope of responsibilities. The salary and placement offered is based on a number of individualized factors, including, but not limited to, skills, knowledge, training, education, credentials, areas of specialization and depth and scope of experience.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in a related field.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office.
• Ability to perform tasks requiring high manual dexterity.
• Good organizational skills and attention to detail.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience working in museum collections.
• Experience working with databases.

Physical Demands:

• Must be able to remain in a stationary position (sitting or standing) for prolonged periods.
• Must be able to occasionally lift up to 20 pounds.
• Must be able to move about the Museum campus.
• Positioning/change of positioning: Must be able to frequently position oneself/body to accomplish job duties.
• Balancing: Maintaining body equilibrium to prevent falling.
• Climbing: Ascending or descending physical structures.
• Exerting up to 50 pounds of force occasionally and up to 20 pounds of force frequently. May include any of the following:
• Pushing: Using upper extremities to press against something with steady force to thrust forward, downward or outward.
• Pulling: Using upper extremities to exert force in order to drag, haul or tug objects in a sustained motion.
• Lifting: Raising objects from a lower to a higher position or moving objects horizontally from position-to-position.