Conservator – The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Listing Start Date: February 5, 2025
Expires: March 5, 2025
The Conservator exists in order to assist the Church History Department in its purpose to help God’s children make and keep sacred covenants. The incumbent succeeds by appropriately applying conservation principles and methods to a wide variety of collection items, artifacts, and electronic media. This work includes but is not limited to conservation treatments, establishing environmental, storage, and housing standards, defining, and executing preventative preservation measures including global implementation of those standards. Ensuring safe access of collection items by staff, exhibit and display teams, and patrons. In some cases, this may include restoration or repair. Conservators act as advocates for the collection and collection care and serve the department by ensuring that records and artifacts will be available for future use.
Conservators work closely with members of the collections care team, global support teams, archivists, curators, and/or librarians to ensure proper care and use of the collection. As approved, conservators also provide professional assistance to General Authorities of the Church. This is an individual contributor position.
Responsibilities
Work may include, but is not limited to:
- Working independently to perform conservation treatments
- Defining, and executing preventative preservation measures including global implementation of those standards.
- Ensuring safe access to collection items by staff, exhibit and display teams, and patrons.
- Performing research and scientific analysis
- Training, developing, and mentoring associate conservators, interns, and Collection Care staff.
- Occasional travel possible
Qualifications
Required:
- Master’s degree in Conservation an affiliated field (including physical science, anthropology, archaeology, history, art history or studio arts)
- 5 years of hands-on conservation experience or equivalent combination of education and experience.
- Capability to effectively communicate conservation needs with business partners, other conservators, and institutions.
- Strong working knowledge of museum, library, and archives best practices, policies, and procedures.
- Demonstrated ability to communicate appropriately and effectively at a professional level with leadership, multiple internal/external partners, and staff in written and oral forms.
- Must have a mature commitment to established professional practices as indicated in documents such as the “Code of
- Ethics and Guidelines for Practice of AIC”.
- Good knowledge of preservation philosophy, materials, equipment, best practices and methods.
- Strong affiliation with professionals in the preservation field.
- Computer literate and have computer skills sufficient for writing reports and keeping records, as well as competency in the use of catalog systems and databases with a demonstrated ability to learn new programs and tools related to the work.
- Knowledge of and interest in material culture, history, and/or art history.
- Capable and willing to training other employees and volunteers in conservation and collection care related actions.
- Must be able to pass a thorough background check
- Able to be stationary for long periods of time and work with computer equipment
- Capable of lifting 50 pounds.
Please submit the following with your application:
- Current resume
- Cover letter
Apply through the direct listing.
Requirements
Work may include, but is not limited to:
- Working independently to perform conservation treatments
- Defining, and executing preventative preservation measures including global implementation of those standards.
- Ensuring safe access to collection items by staff, exhibit and display teams, and patrons.
- Performing research and scientific analysis
- Training, developing, and mentoring associate conservators, interns, and Collection Care staff.
- Occasional travel possible