Collections and Stewardship Assistant

About the role:

The Canadian Museum for Human Rights (CMHR) is centred around the idea that respect and understanding of human rights can serve as a positive force for change in the world. The Collections and Stewardship Assistant will support our collective efforts to build a workplace culture that is inclusive, equitable, innovative and focused on inspiring action.

Reporting to the Manager, Collections and Stewardship, the Collections and Stewardship Assistant supports the Collections and Stewardship team by assisting with documenting, organizing, coordinating and caring for the physical and digital cultural heritage and intellectual property materials entrusted to the Museum’s collection or stewardship, or loaned, licensed or created by the Museum for use in exhibitions and programs. They will be responsible for creating and updating information, records, reports, forms and correspondence, and assisting with artifact handling, care and preventive conservation.

The incumbent will be a strong and thoughtful communicator, critical thinker and innovator, and will bring a collaborative approach to their role.

What you will do:

• Contributes to a culture that promotes respect, equity, inclusion and innovation, and models anti-racist and accountable behaviours.
• Assists with processing, updating and/or organizing Collections and Stewardship records according to established practices, relevant laws, regulations and cultural protocols.
• Catalogues acquisitions, loans, stewardships, digital assets and intellectual property licenses following data entry standards and using controlled vocabularies in database systems.
• Responds to internal and external information and access requests, preparing correspondence with sensitivity for participants who have experienced trauma.
• Acknowledges and registers new offers to the Permanent Collection.
• Supports inter-departmental communications and coordination.
• Assists with the physical and cultural care of artifacts in the CMHR’s custody for loan, acquisition, or stewardship.
• Supports the development and refinement of Collections and Stewardship policies, procedures, documentation standards, templates and workflows.
• Participates in museum networks and communities to stay current on museological standards of practice relating to collections stewardship and intellectual property rights.

What we’re looking for:

• Post-secondary education in a humanities, social sciences, or information management field with academic training in applied museum studies or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Demonstrated experience in museum collections stewardship.
• Experience managing museum collections documentation and cataloguing artifacts in a collections management database system.
• Commitment to human rights principles, including respect, equity, inclusion and dignity for all.
• Working knowledge of current industry standards for museum collections documentation and cataloguing.
• Ability to examine, analyze and describe physical characteristics.
• Demonstrated experience supporting team members from various levels in the organization.
• Proficiency with Microsoft 365 suite of products and basic understanding of image editing software.
• Strong attention to accuracy and detail.
• Strong organizational and time management skills, with the ability to work under pressure and prioritize in accordance with strict deadlines.
• Strong written and oral communication skills.
• Ability to adapt and work effectively with diverse individuals and groups.
• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively in a team-oriented environment.

Desired Qualifications:

• Experience with artifact handling practices and principles of preventive conservation in accordance with accepted museological standards.
• Experience with museum collection acquisition, deaccessioning, loans and digital asset management practices.
• Ability to communicate proficiently in both official languages.

Conditions of Employment:

• Security Screening Level – Reliability Status
• Child Abuse Registry Check

 Other:

• Work is generally in an office environment in front of a computer, but at times may include work in artifact processing rooms and in galleries, including long periods of walking or standing.
• Exposure to smoke from ceremonial smudging
• Occasional lifting, use of ladders and reaching while retrieving and storing artifact materials, and movement of carts through workspaces and galleries.
• Manual dexterity, concentration and attention to detail are required in handling and cataloguing artifacts to minimize the risk of damage to objects.
• May work directly with people affected by trauma and artifacts that convey difficult subject matter, which may have an impact on mental health and wellbeing.

The Canadian Museum for Human Rights (CMHR) believes that a diversity of experiences and thought drives innovation and transformation. We are working towards building a workforce that is representative of the community in which we live and that we serve. We are committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all and encourage you to identify your employment equity status in your cover letter. The information you voluntarily disclose will be kept confidential and used solely for the purpose of increasing workforce diversity.