Collections Manager & Conservator at Edo Museum of West African Art (EMOWAA)

The Edo Museum of West African Art (EMOWAA) is an independent non-profit organisation in Nigeria set up to drive research and execute high-value cultural, arts and heritage initiatives in West Africa. Our evolving research partners include major institutions such as the National Commission of Museums and Monuments (NCMM), the British Museum (BM), and the Deutsche Archaeological Institute (DAI).

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Title: Collections Manager & Conservator

Locations: Benin - Edo, Ibadan - Oyo, or Lagos
Job type: Multi-year contract

Key Responsibilities

• As Collections Manager and Conservator, you will be responsible for the care and management of a large and varied collection of fine art, historic objects, documents and photography, and coordinate collections management activity and resource planning for MOWAA.
• As a technical lead, you will lead on the planning and delivery of collections management operations across the museum, with an initial focus on the set up of collections management protocols before a focus on day-to-day collections care and access.
• As part of supporting the establishment of the Collections Facility, you will interface with museum practitioners, suppliers and private collection owners to ensure proper systems are in place to achieve MOWAA’s collection building and programming ambitions.
• You will be expected to lead on the introduction of new working practices, standards and a cohesive approach to collections management across the facility’s specialist functions. This will include the planning and delivery of conservation training programmes and workshops, which you will drive as the key liaison person with partnering institutions.
• Working closely with MOWAA’s curators and advisors, you will contribute to the development of MOWAA’s custody and care protocols as part of collection development. As the collection grows, you will facilitate access to collections, contribute to programme delivery, review process and procedure, and oversee Health and Safety compliance relating to collections’ access. This includes planning for the potential transfer and re-housing of collections in the future.

Your responsibilities are as follows:

• Oversee the design and fit out of the storage facilities at the Pavilion, liaising with suppliers, museum practitioners and the architects involved in the design and construction of the facility
• Develop MOWAA’s operational policies to enable a responsible, practical and sustainable approach for how physical objects our transferred, stored, recorded and cared for within the Pavilion
• Plan and manage large-scale collections moves and storage projects, loans programme and aspects of exhibitions activity
• Oversee day-to-day collections management operations, including object documentation and movement, security and maintenance of the stores.
• Liaise with the Technology lead, to ensure the structure and interface between our physical and digital collections management system address the relevant fields and are operationally aligned
• Contribute specialist knowledge to the Pavilion exhibition project team and subcontractors
• Work alongside the Director to plan and manage resources across the Collection Facility to establish priorities, and where relevant, commission and supervise external contractors
• Contribute to planning and delivery of the Pavilion’s learning and outreach programme, including access projects, giving talks to local groups, dealing with public enquires and promoting our collections work
• Contribute to the development of funding applications related to collections care and access
• Support the design and establishment of training programmes, with an initial focus on conservation and collections management
• Attend appropriate training and keep abreast of developments in collections management approaches

Terms and Conditions

• Rolling contract, subject to initial six-month probation and annual review
• Full time preferred. Part time arrangement possible, with a minimum time commitment of 50%
• Competitive fee to be determined based on experience, negotiable

Application Closing Date
30th July, 2023.