Curator | Arlington, TX

Curator

Job Description

The Curator for the National Medal of Honor Museum is a key member of the team tasked with telling the story of the Medal of Honor and its recipients through exhibits, programs, media, and our growing collection.  The Museum aims to inspire current and future generations to understand the meaning and price of freedom and to encourage them to embrace their responsibilities as citizens in a democracy.

The National Medal of Honor Museum will be built in Arlington, Texas and is slated to open in 2024.  As the museum’s founding curator, you will be in a position to shape this exciting new museum and its exhibits. In this role, you will work with Medal of Honor recipients, donors, museums, military representatives, and other lending institutions as you work to build our collection per a collection strategy that you will develop and implement. 

The Curator will report to the Chief Museum Content Officer and be a leader within the museum’s content team. 

Primary Responsibilities:

1. Build the museum’s collection

You will first be tasked with developing a collections strategy, a set of policies, and procedures that will guide our collections acquisition efforts.  As our Curator, you will work closely with donors, lenders, and other institutions to build a world class collection of objects and artifacts.  This collection will directly help us to tell the remarkable stories of the Medal of Honor and the more than 3,500 recipients of our nation’s highest military award.  This collection will include objects and artifacts that stretch from the American Civil War up to current times.

2. Be an effective steward of our collection

As our Curator, you will be the steward of our growing collection.  You will ensure that the museum employs a variety of systems, policies, and procedures that will protect and preserve our precious collection.  Through your team you will ensure that the museum employs best practices with regards to preservation, security, and restoration of historic objects. The Curator will also ensure that the museum’s collection is properly digitized and accessible via the website. You will also be the lead in creating and managing the museum’s loan agreements.

3. Develop the Museum’s permanent and temporary exhibitions

The Curator will be one of the leads as we work to develop exciting and effective exhibits within the National Medal of Honor Museum.  In time, the Curator will also be tasked with developing temporary exhibitions that will expand our interpretative reach and ensure that we remain a dynamic, current, and engaging institution.

4. A subject matter expert in how the collection can help tell the story

The Curator will be the museum’s subject matter expert when it comes to how objects, media, and material culture can help tell the story of the Medal of Honor, its recipients, and its role in society today.

5. Build the Museum’s curatorial team

The Curator will create an effective team that will support the museum’s collection strategy and mission.  The Curator will need to be a dynamic and effective leader of this team. 

6. Support the Museum’s larger content needs

The Curator will work with others in the National Medal of Honor Museum team in creating content for its educational programs, digital channels, and publications.  You will be an advocate for programs and initiatives that will expand our educational reach.

7. Develop an effective professional network

The Curator will be tasked with developing a strong and expansive network of professional relationships that will strengthen the museum’s position in the field.  The Curator will also be tasked with developing relationships with partners and vendors that will serve our curatorial mission.

8. Burnish the reputation of the National Medal of Honor Museum

We are looking to build a world class museum and our Curator should be in a position to burnish our reputation within museum and curatorial circles.

Top Candidates

1. Possess significant experience (6 years or more) working in a museum curatorial role (experience with military history is a plus).
2. An advanced degree in relevant museum studies or curatorial fields.
3. Experience in acquiring military vehicles, uniforms, weapons, media, heraldry, and other military material cultural objects. Experience in establishing and managing museum/institution loans.
4. Experience in developing effective museum exhibits
5. Familiarity with museum collection management systems
6. Experience with restoring, preserving, transporting, securing, and storing military vehicles and objects is a plus
7. Proven performer, exceptional project manager, impeccable integrity, professional demeanor
8. Excellent writing and presentation skills
9. Strong interpersonal skills. The ability to establish lasting relationships with donors, museums, and other lending institutions
10. Strategic vision – one who has authored effective strategic plans in the museum/collections space.
11. A team player – one who has shown the ability to lead teams and to work within a large, dynamic museum environment.
12. You must have a passion for this subject and a deep appreciation for the Medal of Honor. No exceptions.

Compensation for this role is competitive and commensurate with the successful candidate’s background and experience.

The National Medal of Honor Museum is committed to a competitive salary and benefits plan.

The Museum is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to providing equal employment opportunities without regard to race, creed, color, national origin, sex (including pregnancy), age, veteran status, sexual orientation, or disability.

Start Date:  Immediately

Location: Arlington, Texas

Position Type:  Full-Time, Managerial

Reports to:  Chief Museum Content Officer 

Salary Range: $100,000-$115,000

The National Medal of Honor Museum
The Medal of Honor Museum Foundation is a non-profit organization established to preserve and present the stories of the nation’s Medal of Honor recipients. The Foundation is in the formative stages of conceptualizing and building a museum that embodies the values of the Medal of Honor: courage and sacrifice; commitment and integrity; and citizenship and patriotism.  The National Medal of Honor Museum (the “Museum”) has established its headquarters in Arlington, TX, will begin construction in 2022, and open its doors in early 2024. Through dynamic content and programming, the Museum aims to inspire current and future generations to understand the meaning and price of freedom and to encourage them to embrace their responsibilities as citizens in a democracy. The Museum will be an interactive educational center that will preserve and present the extraordinary stories of individuals who reached the highest levels of recognition, “above and beyond the call of duty,” in service to the nation. Additionally, the organization is leading the development of the first National Medal of Honor Monument in Washington, D.C. The senior leadership of the Museum includes key staff members who were critical in the development, opening and running of the National September 11 Memorial & Museum at the World Trade Center - including that project’s President & CEO Joe Daniels. The National Medal of Honor Museum will be positioned as a collaborative leader among, and resource to, numerous Medal of Honor associated sites, parks, exhibitions, and small museums.

Learn more at: mohmuseum.org