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Position Details

Position Information

Announcement Number STAFF - VA - 26105

For questions regarding this position, please contact:

Chris Dobbs

(406) 994-6543

[email protected]

Classification Title Curator

Working Title Curator of Cultural History

Brief Position Overview

Museum of the Rockies ( MOR ) seeks a creative and experienced curatorial professional to be its next Curator of Cultural History. This position will work closely with the Executive Director, the Senior Director of Exhibits, and colleagues across the institution to oversee the interpretation, care, and strategic development of the cultural collection at MOR .

Position Number 4C2217

Department Museum of the Rockies

Division Museum of the Rockies

Appointment Type Professional

Contract Term Fiscal Year

Semester

If other, specify From date

If other, specify End date

FLSA Exempt

Union Affiliation Exempt from Collective Bargaining

FTE 1.0

Benefits Eligible Eligible

Salary Starting at $84,00 annually, commensurate with experience, education, and qualifications.

Contract Type LOA

If other, please specify

Recruitment Type Open

Position Details

General Statement

Museum of the Rockies ( MOR ) seeks a creative and experienced curatorial professional to be its next Curator of Cultural History. This position will work closely with the Executive Director, the Senior Director of Exhibits, and colleagues across the institution to oversee the interpretation, care, and strategic development of the cultural collection at MOR . This is an exceptional opportunity to shape the interpretation, exhibitions, and acquisitions strategy of a remarkable collection that documents over 12,000 years of human history in the Northern Rockies. Both strategic and hands-on, the position requires a blend of scholarly excellence, collaborative leadership, strong communication, and a deep passion for making history accessible and meaningful to broad audiences.

In the next few years, MOR anticipates having a new building to feature its history exhibits. The next Curator will play a pivotal role in shaping the content and how history is shared by the museum.

Brief Museum Background:

Museum of the Rockies ( MOR ) is Montana’s most visited museum. In 2024, MOR served approximately 250,000 visitors and program participants. Our mission “invites all people to discover natural science and culture history. MOR’s exhibits, collections, programs, and research create a community resource that brings the world to Montana and shares the Northern Rockies with the world.” This mission is brought to life through research, collections, exhibits, programs, and publications. While MOR’s work in paleontology is renowned, its expansive history collection of over 300,000 artifacts preserves and shares the rich diversity of the region’s human history.

The museum is a college-level division of Montana State University, an independent nonprofit organization, a Smithsonian Affiliate, an accredited AAM museum, and a repository for state and federal fossils and archeology. Located on a 34-acre museum site, it includes a 120,000-square-foot-facility, the state-of-the-art Taylor Planetarium, the 220-seat Hager Auditorium, Martin Children’s Discovery Center, and Living History Farm, along with an off-site 553-acre paleontology preserve.

Duties and Responsibilities

Exhibitions and Research

+ Be accountable for the timely execution of exhibitions, with clear deliverables and milestones.

+ Collaborate with the Executive Director, Senior Director of Exhibits, and other staff in developing a vision and schedule for Cultural History long-term, changing, and traveling exhibits.

+ Lead the coordination of accurate and dynamic research and script writing for exhibits; ensuring that the department meets deadlines and provides the necessary content (labels, images, artifacts, multi-media assets, etc.) for other departments, and outside collaborators/vendors.

+ Partner with the Exhibits Department, providing clear communication and establishing timelines and deliverables.

+ Perform, publish, and support scholarly research on the collection and its topic areas, promoting the Cultural History Department’s reputation.

Programs and Interpretation

+ Inspire the public, students, and scholars with history through teaching, programs, and publishing.

+ Lead the department’s virtual and in person programs, ensuring that they are of high quality and measurably meet the museum’s priorities.

+ Collaborate with the museum’s Education, Development, and other departments as needed to ensure that Cultural History is presented in a creative, thoughtful, and engaging way for the museum’s various audiences.

+ Conduct tours of MOR’s history collection, lectures, gallery talks, and presentations for broad audiences, including scholars, VIPs, students, and the public.

+ Be responsible for developing and effectively implementing MOR’s history lecture series and other history-based, curatorial led programs.

+ Collaborate with tribes to develop Indigenous exhibits and programs to share their narratives and histories.

Leadership and Management

+ Serve as a collegial and participatory member of the organization’s executive team; engaging in strategic decision-making and implementation.

+ In collaboration with departmental staff, set annual priorities and strategies with definable outcomes.

+ Foster an environment of cohesiveness and collaboration with colleagues across all museum departments.

+ Appropriately develop, track, and manage the department and special project budgets; providing accurate and timely reports as needed.

+ Adeptly supervise and mentor curatorial staff, students, interns, and volunteers; establish and manage workflows and delegate projects and tasks.

+ Ensure that the curatorial team meets project goals and timelines through regular communication and performance tracking.

+ Oversee tribal relations for the department, working cooperatively with curatorial staff.

Collections

+ Oversee the museum’s cultural history collection in accordance with generally accepted museum standards and best practices.

+ Encourage and promote research on the collection.

+ Collaborate with registration and collections management staff to ensure that accurate information is maintained on the collection, including cataloging and documentation.

+ Work with key staff and the Collections Committee to establish areas of collections focus and growth. Identify and propose acquisitions that align with the museum’s collecting goals, focusing on bringing to light and preserving the cultural history of the Northern Rocky Mountain region.

+ Develop departmental guidance and policies in collaboration with departmental staff.

+ Act as a resource for other organizations and individuals, balancing MOR’s priorities with being a public resource.

Other Duties

+ Coordinate with Education, Exhibits, Marketing, and Development to align content and deliverables with museum-wide goals and timelines.

+ Assist in grant writing and fundraising initiatives to secure resources for exhibitions, acquisitions, and research projects.

+ Respond to public inquiries concerning the collections, disseminate accurate information, and establish positive rapport and respect with donors.

+ Stay current with developments in the field and participate in professional organizations and meetings to understand and, as appropriate, incorporate trends and new approaches to history and curation.

Required Qualifications – Experience, Education, Knowledge & Skills

+ MA in American History, Native American Studies, Museum Studies, or equivalent.

+ Five years of leadership experience as a curator in a history museum or comparable setting.

+ Experience developing and successfully implementing dynamic and innovative history/cultural-based exhibits that engage a broad range of audiences.

+ Experience managing museum collections (registration, databases, IPM , etc.), aligning with best practices as set by the American Alliance of Museums, and working with NAGPRA .

+ Proven record of successfully guiding a professional team (work with volunteers and students a plus).

Preferred Qualifications – Experience, Education, Knowledge & Skills

+ PhD in American History, Native American Studies, Museum Studies, or equivalent.

+ A background and deep understanding in Western US History.

+ Proven record of working with collections, donors, research, publications, and exhibition development.

+ Demonstrated commitment to inclusive storytelling.

+ Experience working in an AAM accredited.

The Successful Candidate Will

+ Dedicated to preserving and sharing the stories of all people who have made the Northern Rockies home.

+ Collaborative, flexible, self-directed, and organized results-orientated leader who holds themselves and their team accountable to meeting deadlines.

+ Highly creative, accurate, and organized researcher who has the ability to produce innovative exhibits and programs in a timely manner.

+ Adept at communicating with their team, staff across the museum, and with the public through in-person and virtual programs.

+ Skilled with working with Tribes and other entities.

+ Proven analytical and strategic skills, with experience working with a diverse collection and bringing stories to life through exhibits, programs, and other activities.

+ Demonstrated proficiency with technology, database systems and strong fiscal knowledge and data-analysis capability.

+ Able to occasionally work a flexible schedule, including evenings and weekends.

Position Special Requirements/Additional Information

This job description should not be construed as an exhaustive statement of duties, responsibilities or requirements, but a general description of the job. Nothing contained herein restricts Montana State University’s rights to assign or reassign duties and responsibilities to this job at any time.

Physical Demands

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily with or without reasonable accommodations. The requirements listed above are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required.

This position has supervisory duties? Yes

Posting Detail Information

Number of Vacancies 1

Desired Start Date Upon completion of a successful search.

Position End Date (if temporary)

Open Date

Close Date

Applications will be:

Screening of applications will begin on September 30, 2025; however, applications will continue to be accepted until an adequate applicant pool has been established.

Special Instructions

EEO Statement

Montana State University is an equal opportunity employer. MSU does not discriminate against any applicant on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, political ideas, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, marital status, national origin, physical or mental disability, or any other protected class status in violation of any applicable law.

In compliance with the Montana Veteran’s Employment Preference Act, MSU provides preference in employment to veterans, disabled veterans, and certain eligible relatives of veterans. To claim veteran’s preference, please complete the veteran’s preference information located in the Demographics section of your profile.