Associate Objects Conservator

Title: Associate Objects Conservator

State Role Title: VMFA Associate

Hiring Range: $70,000

Pay Band: UG

Agency: Virginia Museum of Fine Arts

Location: MAIN MUSEUM

Agency Website: https://www.vmfa.museum/

Recruitment Type: General Public - G

About Virginia Museum of Fine Arts: 

The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond is one of the largest comprehensive art museums in the United States. VMFA’s growing encyclopedic collection houses more than 50,000 works of art spanning 6,000 years of world history.  

Our holdings include the largest public collection of Fabergé outside of Russia, the finest collection of Art Nouveau outside of Paris and one of the nation’s finest collections of American art. VMFA is also home to important collections of Chinese art, English silver, French Impressionism, Postimpressionism, British sporting art, and modern and contemporary art, as well as renowned South Asian, Himalayan, and African art. 

Recently named the 11th-best art museum in the United States by The Washington Post, VMFA is the only US art museum open 365 days a year with free general admission. 

VMFA is a state-supported, privately endowed educational institution created for the benefit of the citizens of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Its purpose is to collect, preserve, exhibit, and interpret art, to encourage the study of the arts, and thus to enrich the lives of all. 

About the Department  

The Goode Center is a vibrant research, treatment, and training center dedicated to advancing the field of conservation, art history, and science through joint study with conservators, curators, scholars, and scientists. Opened in 2010, the Goode Center is one of the largest conservation facilities in the southeast and is outfitted with advanced analytical and examination capabilities including hyperspectral, infrared, and multiband imaging, scanning and portable x-ray fluorescence, FT-IR, microfade testing, polarized light microscopy, and computed x-radiography. 

Position Overview: 

The primary objective of this position is the conservation and preservation of materials within the collection of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts that fall under the purview of Sculpture and Decorative Arts Conservation, including sculpture, furniture, decorative arts, textiles, time-based media, and a variety of other three-dimensional objects. Working collaboratively within the Conservation Department and across the museum, this position carries out conservation examination, documentation, treatment, preventive conservation activities, technical analysis, and conservation research. The Associate Objects Conservator will employ the highest conservation standards and ethics in order to preserve the integrity as well as the aesthetic and historic significance of each work while meeting the programmatic needs of the museum. They will work in collaboration with other conservation specialists, as needed, and advise on maintenance and preventive care of the collection including environmental control, storage, packing, handling, and requirements for exhibition. The Associate Objects Conservator will also have public engagement and educational responsibilities such as leading laboratory tours, speaking to visiting groups, responding to public inquiries, presenting conservation projects and activities to museum visitors, and supervising fellows and interns. National and international travel may be required for various activities of this position including research, conferences, workshops, teaching opportunities, and/or support for exhibitions, loans, and new acquisitions.

Key Responsibilities: 

• Employ the highest conservation standards and ethics in order to preserve the integrity as well as the aesthetic and historic significance of each work while meeting the programmatic needs of the museum.
• Work in collaboration with other conservation specialists, as needed, and advise on maintenance and preventive care of the collection including environmental control, storage, packing, handling, and requirements for exhibition.
• Will have public engagement and educational responsibilities such as leading laboratory tours, speaking to visiting groups, responding to public inquiries, presenting conservation projects and activities to museum visitors, and supervising fellows and interns.
• National and international travel may be required for various activities of this position including research, conferences, workshops, teaching opportunities, and/or support for exhibitions, loans, and new acquisitions.

Minimum Qualifications: 

• Knowledge, skills, abilities and competencies typically obtained through the completion of a Graduate Level academic curriculum in Art Conservation.
• Minimum of 5 years of experience as an object conservator, including experience working in objects conservation at a Fine Arts Museum. 

• Knowledge of currently acceptable conservation methods for treatment of a wide variety of materials including modern materials, furniture, decorative arts, and sculpture
• Knowledge of art history and historic methods of fabrication for a wide range of object types
• Demonstrated ability to perform historic and materials research.      
• Demonstrated ability to perform condition assessments, develop conservation treatment proposals, and execute treatments to a high degree of competency and efficiency.
• Demonstrated ability to convey information in a clear, succinct, and accurate manner. 
• Demonstrated ability to perform analytical and examination techniques frequently used in conservation and experience in interpreting test results. 
• Demonstrated ability to work well both independently and collaboratively with others, and to be professional, diplomatic, and discreet. 
• Experience with common computer software programs.        
• Knowledge of safe methods for handling chemicals and hazardous materials based on OSHA standards. 
• Ability to wear a respirator.

Additional Considerations: 

Experience with the conservation and documentation of furniture and time-based media artworks preferred.

Benefits: 
The Commonwealth of Virginia offers a comprehensive total compensation package that includes health benefits, paid leave, and flexible work schedules. The following benefits are available to classified employees: 
• Vacation and Other Leave 
• 12 Paid Holidays 
• Health Benefits 
• Sickness and Disability Program 
• Deferred Compensation with Cash Match 
• Group, Optional Life, and Long-term Care Insurance 
• Employee Assistance Program 
• Wellness Program 
• Retirement Plans 
• State Employee Resources 
• Agency-specific benefits such as complementary exhibition tickets and discounts on VMFA memberships, dining, shopping, classes & programs, and more. 
 
Additional information relating to the benefits available to eligible Commonwealth of Virginia employees can be found online at: https://www.dhrm.virginia.gov/employeebenefits  

Additional Information 

This role is a faculty appointment exempt from the Virginia Personnel Act. 

This is an exempt position under the FLSA.

Special Instructions: 

Please provide a CV and cover letter with three professional references, including their full name, phone number, and email address. References should be able to speak to your qualifications for the position and may be included in your resume or cover letter or attached separately in the portal’s "other" field. 

You will be provided with confirmation of receipt when your application and/or résumé is submitted successfully. Please refer to “Your Application” in your account to check the status of your application for this position. 
 
VMFA is a Virginia Values Veterans (V3) Certified Employer. Diverse and inclusive hiring practices are at the heart of what we do at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. 

Contact Information 

For the most up-to-date status of your application, please refer to your Jobs.Virginia.Gov account.  

Name: VMFA Human Resources Department 

Email: recruitment@vmfa.museum for recruitment-related questions. 

Phone: We do not provide application status updates via phone. 

All applicants must submit an online application. This position will close at 11:55 pm EST on the designated closing date listed at the top of this posting on Jobs.Virginia.gov. Emailed applications, resumes, or cover letters will not be accepted. 

Conditions of Employment:   

Employment is contingent upon the successful completion of a criminal background check. 
 
E-Verify Notice: After accepting employment, new hires are required to complete an I-9 form and present documentation of their identity and eligibility to work in the United States. Virginia Museum of Fine Arts uses the E-Verify system to confirm identity and work authorization. 

Equal Opportunity Employer

In support of the Commonwealth’s commitment to inclusion, we are encouraging individuals with disabilities to apply through the Commonwealth Alternative Hiring Process. To be considered for this opportunity, applicants will need to provide their AHP Letter (formerly COD) provided by the Department for Aging & Rehabilitative Services (DARS), or the Department for the Blind & Vision Impaired (DBVI). Service-Connected Veterans are encouraged to answer Veteran status questions and submit their disability documentation, if applicable, to DARS/DBVI to get their AHP Letter. Requesting an AHP Letter can be found at AHP Letter or by calling DARS at 800-552-5019.

Note: Applicants who received a Certificate of Disability from DARS or DBVI dated between April 1, 2022- February 29, 2024, can still use that COD as applicable documentation for the Alternative Hiring Process.