Exhibits Curator

• Responsible for exhibit design, planning, management, coordination, and execution of established projects agreed upon by the Director of the Aquarium and the Leadership Team. The Exhibits Curator seeks new exhibit ideas to keep the Aquarium offerings fresh, to meet changing visitor dynamics and to draw new and repeat visitation. The Curator provides input and direction for daily project priorities and contributes to the Aquarium’s strategic plan
• Strong leadership skills for working with the Exhibits Team, the Leadership Team, the Aquarium and Division are necessary for maintaining excellence. Visual attention, mental concentration and manipulative skills are required for the Exhibits Curator to successfully design, coordinate, supervise and assist in the fabrication of exhibit projects.  Critical thinking skills are necessary to successfully conduct research, plan presentation methods, and select illustrations and graphics for effective communication. Interpersonal skills are essential. The Exhibits Curator must be able to understand the mission of the Aquarium, have good organizational skills, and the ability to multi-task while balancing numerous assignments.
• Responsible for the coordination of the overall look and feel of the entire Aquarium facility and must maintain a consistent high standard of quality. Facility appearance includes all aspects of the public areas: wall and floor colors and textures, exhibits, animal habitat décor (inserts), interpretive graphic panels, audiovisual materials and equipment, signage, lighting, and exterior features (banners and walkways). The Exhibits Curator manages timelines, budgets, scopes of work, and tracking mechanisms for labor and budget resources. The Exhibits Curator oversees Aquarium staff, vendors, and contractors to ensure high quality workmanship, and to meet time and budget constraints.
• Works with a team to set design standards for all Aquarium graphic materials and many publications. Determining design standard manuals, font choices, colors, quantity of text and text size, image dimensions and quality, and logo usage guidelines in collaboration with other staff fall within the responsibilities of this position. The Exhibits Curator works with the content and text from the team led by the Education Curator for exhibit signage. The Exhibits Curator ensures that messages in all graphic components and audio-visual presentations are relevant to and reinforce the mission of the Aquarium.
• Ensures that exhibits are relevant to ever-changing visitor expectations. The Exhibits Curator leads the effort in concept design and production of new exhibits as well as project management. This includes writing key goals and objectives, creating conceptual sketches, developing graphic mock-ups, researching, and implementing digital media concepts, building models, creating schedules, tracking progress, and meeting deadlines . The Exhibits Curator keeps abreast of state-of-the-art technologies, new scientific and environmental changes, and materials or methods used in museum and exhibit design. The Exhibits Curator explores environmentally friendly options for exhibit work and implements them where possible.
• The Exhibits Curator is responsible for providing guidance, leadership, daily supervision, and management to the exhibits team which includes full time and part time staff, and interns. These staff members are responsible for assistance with planning, developing, and producing aquarium exhibits, graphics, and renovation construction – and ongoing maintenance of exhibits. The Exhibits Curator recruits, hires, and trains new staff and is responsible for interim and year-end performance appraisals of staff members. The Exhibits Curator is responsible for safety awareness in all the workplaces of the Exhibits Department as well as overseeing staff safety as they perform their duties. Must have demonstrated strong team leadership skills, including communication, compassion, creativity, positivity, organization, flexibility, attention to detail, time management, and ability to work seamlessly across departments.

• Weekend, evening, and holiday work will be required.
• Must meet DNCR Fleet Safety Guidelines and have ability to obtain and maintain a valid driver’s license issued from within the United States or be able to obtain one within 90 days of employment.

1. Experience in creating a deliberate look and feel of an aquarium, zoo or museum with lighting, color, form, graphics, materials, and design elements.
2. Project management experience developing exhibits, from conceptual stages through to construction, documentation, and beyond, with achievable deadlines, realistic budgets, and deliberate plans. 
3. Experience coordinating with outside vendors for procurement, manufacturing, and installation of exhibit components, including designing bid packages, and maintaining clear notes and vendor records.
4. Demonstrated knowledge of safety regulations, proper storage of harmful chemicals, use of low VOC materials, methods for researching and filing MSDS sheets and guidelines for safe environments. 
5. Experience using a variety of standard and specialized equipment, hardware and software which support the development and production of exhibits, displays and animal habitats which may include graphic design, project management, computer-aided design and small and large format printers, etc. 

1. Applicants with certified forklift and tractor use. 
2. Applicants with certified project management training.
3. First aid and CPR certification. 
4. Applicants with functional background knowledge of relevant life support and husbandry issues.

Experience Required

Minimum Education and Experience Requirements (EDUCATION and EXPERIENCE must be documented to match the below criteria on your state application or your application WILL NOT BE FORWARDED TO THE HIRING MANAGER) Some state job postings say you can qualify by an “equivalent combination of education and experience.” If that language appears below, then you may qualify through EITHER years of education OR years of directly related experience, OR a combination of both. See oshr.nc.gov/experience-guide for detail. Master’s degree in biology, education, history, museum studies, zoology, or a curriculum related to area of expertise from an appropriately accredited institution, AND six years of experience in assigned specialty area, two of which must have been in a supervisory capacity; OR or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

Further Comments

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES and EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE must be accurately documented on your state application or your application will not be forwarded to the hiring manager. ALSO please make note that the “Salary” listed on the website does not reflect how much can be offered for the position. Please reference the “Recruitment Salary” as the highest amount the job can be offered at.

Perks

Full State Health Benefits and Retirement Package

Salary

$39,671 – $56,538 depending on experience

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