Collections Assistant

Title: Collections Assistant

State Role Title: Admin and Office Spec II

Hiring Range: $42,000

Pay Band: 2

Agency: Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation

Location: Jamestown General

Agency Website: jyfmuseums.org

Recruitment Type: General Public - G

Exhibition and Curatorial Services Overview

The Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation is an educational agency of the Commonwealth of Virginia offering programs and resources about early American history through its museums – Jamestown Settlement and the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown.

The Exhibition and Curatorial Services teams are part of the larger Museum Operations and Education division, tasked with the professional care and curation of our collections and exhibitions across both of our museums as well as the Phillip G. Emerson Central Support Complex. 

Job Duties

The Collections Assistant is to provide vital registrarial and hands-on support for our permanent collections and special exhibitions. Operating across Jamestown Settlement and the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown, this role blends technical data management with physical artifact care. You will assist with complex domestic and international loans, maintain digital and physical museum records, and ensure the preventative conservation of 17th- and 18th-century material culture. This position requires a blend of logistical precision, artifact handling experience, CMS database knowledge, and skills in historic preservation.

Minimum Qualifications

• Knowledge of 17th and 18th-century art, material culture, and decorative arts, preferably with the ability to identify specific artifact types.
• Prior experience managing and documenting intact artifact collections in a museum setting
• Ability to handle artifacts using museums best practices.
• Ability to meet multiple deliverables with exceptional attention to detail.
• Demonstratable skills in using computer programs in a museum environment, including full Microsoft suite of programs and collections management systems.
• Prior experience using collections management software, including for museum cataloging.
• Strong organizational skills with attention to detail and ability to manage multiple projects.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a team-oriented environment.
• Demonstrated knowledge and experience in art history, material culture, and museums collections management.
• Previous coursework in history, art history, museum studies, or a related field highly beneficial to this role.
• Demonstratable ability to communicate effectively verbally and in writing.
• Prior experience working with digital assets.

Additional Considerations

Previous coursework in history, art history, museum studies, or a related field highly beneficial to this role.

Prior experience in artifact collections management working hands-on with artifact collections in a museum setting, preferably documenting, handling, storing, packing and moving them.

Must have valid Driver's License

Special Instructions

You will be provided a 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.

Contact Information

Name: Lee Shelhorse

Phone: 7572534553

Email: leeann.shelhorse@jyf.virginia.gov

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.