Head Registrar

Description:

The Peabody Essex Museum (PEM), in Salem, MA, one of the largest and most dynamic art museums in the nation, is pleased to announce that it has reopened the search for Head Registrar, a pivotal position in a multi-year strategic priority of collection accessibility and engagement. The successful candidate will be not only a specialist in the complex details of museum collection and exhibition registration, but a skilled, positive team builder and cross-departmental collaborator. Overseeing and partnering with the Registrar for Exhibitions and the Registrar for Collections and their teams, the Head Registrar is responsible for the general oversight and management of all aspects of the Registration department and coordinating departmental support for the implementation of institutional initiatives.

The Head Registrar joins the team at a moment of great excitement at PEM, midway through a major full-scale collections move to The James B. and Mary Lou Hawkes Collection Center in nearby Rowley, MA, a 120,000-square-foot facility that also houses the Phillips Library, collections records, archives and conservation. When the project is complete, this state-of-the-art facility will unify, preserve, protect, and activate all the works of art and culture in PEM's collection, which represents more than 12,000 years of global artistic and cultural creativity.

This unique opportunity requires a Head Registrar who enjoys mentoring and motivating exceptional staff during the rapid pace of progress. They will help the team to prioritize and pivot as they collaborate on ongoing exhibition rotations, cataloguing, the continuing schedule of collection moves and the buildout of new storage / educational facilities. The Head Registrar has a chance to make a major impact across the institution, working with colleagues within and outside the department to innovate, shape and refine inter-departmental processes, and steer the flow of simultaneous priorities. They will need to be an experienced, energetic, and creative problem solver with an ambition to foster positive cross-departmental relations, be adaptable, open to new ways of working, and have a genuine desire for collegial engagement.

PEM’s culture is forward-thinking and collaborative, with staff regularly working across collections and departments, celebrating intersections, discovery, and immersive, out-of-the-box visitor experiences. The Head Registrar will divide their work between the Collection Center (approximately 25% of their time) and the main Museum, working closely with the Registrars, Exhibition Planning, and the Curatorial team, as well as across all museum departments.

This position reports to the Director of Collections.