Senior Manager, Conservation

Job Summary

Organisation
National Gallery of Canada
Location
Ottawa
Contract Type
Salary
93711 Canadian Dollars - 126786 Canadian Dollars
Closing date

Job Details

As Senior Manager, Conservation at the National Gallery of Canada you will work with a talented and dedicated group of conservation professionals in the Restoration and Conservation Laboratory (RCL). You will also work with colleagues throughout the organization to manage the day-to-day and long-term conservation activities of the National Collection.

The NGC's conservation department presently consists of a staff of 17 people with specific expertise in display, repair, maintenance, and preservation of works of art and heritage materials, their protection from future damage and deterioration. The National Gallery of Canada's permanent collection includes over 93,000 works of art, with active exhibition, lending and borrowing programs. The conservation team's activities are embedded in many aspects of the organization.

The Senior Manager is a dynamic position whose role requires an understanding of the multidisciplinary field of conservation, administrative diligence, creativity and lateral thinking. Please note that this role does not include conservation treatments of artworks.

Activities include:
- Supervision and support of conservation staff and framing staff;
- Management of operations of the conservation department, including staffing and budgets;
- Ensuring that staff have relevant tools, training, and certifications to perform their technical and administrative duties and devise and obtain solutions when needed;
- Providing guidance on, and leading, projects relating to broad conservation concerns, such as security, disaster planning, environmental conditions in galleries and storage spaces, integrated pest management, technical analysis of artworks and other aspects of collections care;
- Participating and chairing inter and intra-departmental meetings in which input relating to conservation is needed, and creating and organizing committees and working groups when necessary;
- Articulating and implementing a vision for the conservation department which supports the mission, values, and strategic priorities of the organization, its evolving collection, sustainable practices, and dedication to service of a National, public collection.

Requirements

A post-graduate degree, or equivalent training and experience in art conservation or related heritage conservation field.

The incumbent has expertise in:
- vocabulary, methods, and tools used for research, examination, treatment, documentation, and preventive care of works of art;
- safe art handling and storage practices, principles and methods of integrated pest management, environmental guidelines for museums and other overarching best practices for collections care.

The incumbent has knowledge of:
- General history of art and art-technologies in a variety of media;
- Canadian health and safety rules and regulations, Canada Labour Code, and other applicable legislation applicable in a Canadian context;
- The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) and consideration of its relation to collections care, relations with Indigenous artists and communities and conservation activities;
- The Code of Ethics and Guidance for Practice for conservation professionals in Canada, which is jointly published by Canadian Association for Professional Conservators (CAPC) and the Canadian Association for Conservation of Cultural Property (CAC).

The incumbent has the following skills and abilities:
• Ability to promote a healthy work environment through effective management, negotiation, and interpersonal skills;
• Excellent organizational skills with ability to effectively multitask and prioritize competing demands;
• The ability to assist others in setting priorities;
• Excellent analytical, reasoning, and problem-solving skills and the ability to apply sound judgement in a variety of technical and non-technical situations;
• Ability to plan and manage budgets and use applicable financial tracking software;
• Computer skills: Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook, Teams) and other applicable software including collections management systems (CMS);
• Ability to comply with structures and principles of record keeping within the context of the NGC and to provide guidance on records management of conservation-related documents.

The incumbent has the following experience:
• 5+ years working in the arts or heritage related sector;
• 5+ years experience managing a team of people.

Notice to Applicants: The People, Culture and Belonging team of the National Gallery of Canada, invites selected applicants for interviews by way of written communication via email as per the NGC Staffing Process. Should applicants opt to unsubscribe from receiving emails regarding employment in this organization, please note that we will not be able to communicate with you to participate in the interview process. We encourage applicants to update their career profiles, ensure Email Communication Consent preferences are set to allow emails and check email junk/spam folders regularly.

We encourage applicants to update their career profiles, ensure Email Communication Consent preferences are set to allow emails and check email junk/spam folders regularly.

Condition of Employment

• Must meet the bilingual requirement to be invited to the interview process.
• Reliability Status - this factor is not used at the pre-selection stage.

Additional Information

• A variety of assessment tools may be used to assess candidates.
• The Gallery is committed to developing inclusive, barrier-free selection processes and work environment. Alternative selection tool methods and/or reasonable accommodation are available upon request.
• Candidates are encouraged to self-identify as a member of one or more employment-equity designated groups through the questions in the online application process.

• The National Gallery of Canada values and celebrates everyone's life experiences, their voices and their histories, and are committed to the principles of Justice, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Accessibility (JEDI&A) in accordance with the tenets of the Canadian Human Rights Act and the Ontario Human Rights Code. We are committed to having a skilled, diversified workforce that reflects Canadian society and invite applications from Indigenous, Black and racialized communities, women, persons with disabilities, and members of 2SLGBTQIA+ communities.

• Candidates are entitled to participate in the selection process in the official language of their choice.
• Note: Applicants selected for interviews will receive email correspondence from the People, Culture and Belonging team at the National Gallery of Canada. If you have applied for a position at the NGC, please ensure that your career profile is up to date and that you have set Email Communication Consent preferences on this site to allow emails.

More information: https://www.jobs.ca/offer/senior-manager-conservation/f8759d55-fd4f-4841-92d2-4ae339cbaa4e_en/