Description

Position Summary
The position maintains and advocates for the integrity, safety, and order of CHM’s physical object collection, whether in storage or on exhibit. They assist the Director of Collections with the custodial responsibilities for the approximate 41,000 physical objects in storage, and provide documentation, stewardship, and access to this collection. The incumbent is also responsible for supporting additional activities including physical object-based grant projects, cataloging physical objects at the warehouse, condition reporting incoming and outgoing loan objects, and assisting with installing and deinstalling exhibition artifacts. This position is primarily based at the Museum’s collection storage warehouse in Milpitas, and the museum in Mountain View.

Responsibilities
Master and maintain CHM-enhanced Nomenclature hierarchy
Coordinate with Facilities to schedule warehouse forklifting to access and store artifacts
Operate warehouse scissor lift to access objects & to replace earthquake straps after forklifting
Manage warehouse portion of annual collections move, and accurately update locations
Manage physical object research requests, both internal & external, in-person & remote researchers
Provide access & supervision to CHM’s 1401 Restoration Team when pulling spare parts at the warehouse
Catalog large artifacts received at warehouse
Provide access to Special Collections stored at warehouse
Physically un-pack/crate & re-pack/crate incoming loan objects
Assist with installing & deinstalling loaned objects from exhibits
Assist with transportation of loaned objects between warehouse & museum
Physically meet/work with art handlers/shippers at warehouse & museum
Confirm availability/condition of outgoing CHM loan objects at warehouse
Assist with pulling outgoing CHM loan objects from display at the museum, as needed
Condition report and photograph outgoing CHM loan objects
Prepare and pack CHM loan objects for transport
Physically meet/work with art handlers/shippers at warehouse & museum
Replace & record monthly pest traps and dataloggers at the warehouse
Perform opening & closing security walkthroughs at warehouse - address issues/submit tickets
Assist with quarterly exhibit cleanings
Pull CHM artifacts being considered for exhibition from storage at warehouse for review
Assess/create exhibit object mounts
Assist with installing & deinstalling exhibit objects
Transport CHM exhibit objects between museum, archive, & warehouse
Return CHM exhibit objects to home locations at warehouse, update locations in CMS

Work Arrangement
Hours: This is a full-time position - 40 hours per week
Work Location: This is a hybrid position requiring the candidate to be onsite 4 days a week (80%).
Schedule: Standard 8 hours per day.
Flexibility: Duties may include occasional weekend work.
Other Requirements: Staff in this position must travel occasionally between the Museum’s three locations in Mountain View, Fremont, and Milpitas. A valid CA driver’s license and reliable transportation are required

Requirements

Required Qualifications and Skills 

Master’s degree in museum studies from an accredited university with 2+ years progressive hands-on experience working with physical museum objects
Demonstrated knowledge and experience with artifact collections management, record-keeping, artifact storage systems, handling, and packing
Demonstrated knowledge and experience with IPM, security, and mitigating risks to collections in general
Highly organized, creative, & curious, with excellent attention to detail & time management skills
Photography and photo editing skills
Strong interpersonal communications skills, working both independently and collaboratively with a diverse group of people, and possessing a sense of humor
Experience working with large artifacts, ability to efficiently and safely use a pallet jack, cataloging, artifact handling, collections moves, and working in storage facilities
Experience as a frequent user of a CMS, with a passion for maintaining accurate locations

Preferred Qualifications and Skills 

Experience strapping large artifacts to pallets
Experience using PEM2 dataloggers and eClimate Notebook for environmental analysis
Familiarity with computer, technology or electronics artifact collections and preservation requirements
Mount making – brass and acrylic
Safe and efficient operation of a scissor lift & hand tools – power & manual