Careers

Title: Director of Curatorial Affairs and Collections

Reports to: The CEO
Location: Portland, OR
Type: – Full-time/Exempt
Salary: $80,000 per year

Benefits: Pittock Mansion Society offers an excellent benefit package including 100% employer-paid employee medical, vision, and dental insurance, a very generous PTO package, sick leave, retirement plan with company match up to 3%, and an Employee Assistance Program. Full-time staff are also offered a free annual Pittock membership and the benefits of the Reciprocal Museum Membership program, which provides free access to area museums and gardens.

To Apply: Please submit your resume and cover letter to jobs@pittockmansion.org. Please include “Director of Curatorial Affairs and Collections” in the subject line. No phone calls, please. Only completed applications with all the requested materials will be considered.

Application Deadline: Immediate but open till filled.

Qualified candidates must complete a background check before hiring.

ABOUT PITTOCK MANSION:

Pittock Mansion is a 1914 historic house museum, owned by the City of Portland, Parks and Recreation, and operated by the Pittock Mansion Society. The premises include the Mansion, the Gate Lodge, and the Garage with beautiful gardens adjacent to Pittock Vista Point. The mission of the organization is to inspire understanding and stewardship of Portland history through Pittock Mansion, its collections, and programs. Pittock Mansion is one of the top tourist destinations in Portland.

The organization is at an exciting juncture of growth, reimagination, and evolution with the new vision, Pittock 2.0.

POSITION SUMMARY:

The Director of Curatorial Affairs and Collections is a full-time, exempt senior leadership role responsible for the strategic direction, development, stewardship, and interpretation of the museum’s collections and exhibitions. This position oversees all curatorial, registration, conservation, and exhibition design functions, ensuring the highest professional standards in the care, presentation, and expansion of the museum’s permanent collection and temporary exhibits. This is a realigned position that will report to the CEO and will help support Pittock Mansion’s new vision, Pittock 2.0, which is focusing on the expanded storytelling of the mansion and the premises. The ideal candidate will be someone who can develop strategic exhibitions and related offerings through an interdisciplinary lens that leverages various themes relevant to Pittock Mansion, such as history, architecture, art, horticulture, nature, and more. Experience developing exhibit-related programs that cater to audiences of diverse backgrounds, ages, and demographics is desirable. The Director will be the primary content expert on behalf of the institution.

The Director will work collaboratively with various departmental staff of the organization while supporting institutional goals as part of strategic planning and positioning. The position will supervise a full-time Manager of Collections and a Full-time Associate Curator of History, and seasonal interns.

Areas of responsibility include:

Exhibitions and Curatorial:

Oversee research, planning, development, and implementation of permanent and temporary exhibitions. The Director is expected to develop a three-year plan of exhibitions in support of the Pittock Connections annual exhibition series.
Ensure that exhibitions are designed to appeal to a wide range of audiences and can bring in more visitors to the museum.
Collaborate with internal and external stakeholders, artists, guest curators, and partner institutions.
Ensure exhibitions are developed and delivered on time, within budget, and are of superior quality.
Project manages the full cycle of exhibit development that includes working with graphic artists, printers, art installers, and others.
Ensure each temporary exhibit is supported with an array of rich and engaging related programs such as talks, panel discussions, tours, and more.
Manage the Pittock for Posterity mansion storytelling expansion project, ensuring that the current panels and stories are refreshed and delivered through various visitor engagement strategies. Work closely with the CEO to launch the complete refresh of the mansion’s storytelling.
Gather and leverage oral histories as required.

Collections Management:

Oversee the care, documentation, research, and development of the museum’s collections.
Develop acquisition and deaccession strategies and policies in line with institutional priorities.
Ensure proper storage, conservation, and display conditions for all collection objects.
Develop new engagement opportunities and programs with the collections, such as tour of the stacks, curator talks, collections carts, and more.
Be forward-thinking and develop strategies for expanding the collections based on the Pittock 2.0 vision.

Administration:

Manage departmental budget and grant-funded projects.
Develop and implement a long-term curatorial vision aligned with the museum’s mission, goals, and audience engagement strategies.
Supervise and mentor curatorial, collections, exhibitions, and conservation staff.

Work with the Development team to identify funding opportunities, including assisting with grant proposals.
Contribute to the museum’s visibility through curatorial talks and public engagement.
Develop materials and offer staff and volunteer training as required.
Write and edit various materials, including website content, newsletters, text panels, and more.
Work as the staff liaison with the Collections Committee.
Maintain related data and develop reports as requested by management.
Other duties as directed by the CEO.

Qualifications:

Master’s degree in art, History, Museum Studies, Anthropology, or a related field.
Minimum 6-8 years of progressively responsible curatorial and/or collections management experience, including supervisory roles.
Demonstrated experience in developing and managing exhibitions from concept to completion.
Strong knowledge of best practices in collections care and museum ethics.
Excellent leadership, project management, and team-building skills.
Outstanding written and verbal communication abilities.
Familiarity with collections management systems

Experience working with diverse communities and inclusive curatorial practices.
Established network in the museum and academic communities.

Proficient in project management while being resourceful and nimble.
Ability to be resilient, adaptive, collaborative, and creative, and embrace the fact that Pittock Mansion is at a “building as its flying” stage, where change is a constant.
Highly organized, with attention to detail, ability to multitask, and switch priorities articulately.
Ability to listen and synthesize ideas from various stakeholders.
Ability to take feedback objectively.
Ability to consistently produce high-quality deliverables promptly.
Ability to work well with directions as well as autonomously and collaboratively.
Possess multi-cultural appreciation and demonstrate an ability to work with a diverse group of coworkers, visitors, and other constituents.

Physical Activities/ Other Conditions

Ability to work in a shared/open space office environment.
Work is required to be done onsite at Pittock Mansion, with some hybrid as approved by the direct supervisor, or during inclement weather days.
Some evening and weekend work is required.
Workstations may not be in a climate-controlled environment.
Light to medium work that includes moving objects up to thirty pounds.
Ability to do set up and tear down during events, carry and set up supplies, etc.
Ability to navigate stairs and a fair amount of walking on the Pittock Estate grounds.

Pittock Mansion Society is committed to a work environment in which all individuals are treated with dignity and respect. Everyone has the right to work in a professional atmosphere that promotes equal employment opportunities and prohibits discriminatory practices.