Head of Collections and Curatorial

Job Details: Job Location: Agua Caliente Cultural Museum - , CA, Position Type: Full Time

• Exempt, Salary Range: Undisclosed, Job Category: Management, Come work for the leading employer in the Coachella Valley. Agua Caliente offers a comprehensive benefit and compensation package that includes rich medical and dental benefits, a 401k plan with employer match, more than 3 weeks of paid time off per year for newly hired employees, and other great benefits like food and beverage discounts at our three casinos, fuel discounts, tuition and wellness reimbursement, plus much more. WHO WE ARE The Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians is a federally recognized Indian Tribe located in Palm Springs, California, with 32,000 acres of reservation lands that spread across Palm Springs, Cathedral City, Rancho Mirage, and into the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto mountains. The Tribe currently owns and operates two 18-hole championship golf courses, 3 casinos located in Cathedral City, Rancho Mirage, and downtown Palm Springs, two world class spas, and fuel stations. For more information about the Tribe, visit www.aguacaliente-nsn.gov. The Agua Caliente Cultural Museum (ACCM) opened in the fall of 2023 and is a 48,000 square-foot state-of-the-art facility, located in downtown Palm Springs, California. The Museum includes a permanent 10,000 square foot gallery on the history, culture, and present times of the Agua Caliente peoples, a 2,200 square foot changing gallery, dedicated collections storage areas, a 1,000 square-foot dedicated retail space, education classroom, meetings rooms and an outdoor education garden. ACCM is owned and operated by The Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, a federally recognized Indian Tribe. SUMMARY The Head of Collections & Curatorial is a department head and member of the Agua Caliente Cultural Museum’s (ACCM) Senior Management Team, reporting to the Executive Director. The position sets direction for and leads the Collections & Curatorial Department, which encompasses curatorial programming, exhibition development, collections management, registration, and NAGPRA compliance. The Head of Collections & Curatorial supervises the Assistant Head of Collections & Curatorial, Registrar, Assistant Registrar, Lead Preparator, and an Exhibition & Collections Assistant, as well as Tribal interns and independent contractors/vendors. The position delegates day-to-day operations to staff while remaining directly involved in detailed, object-level work when projects require it. The position is accountable for the care, documentation, and stewardship of ACCM collections and loans, prepares reports and recommendations for museum leadership and the Tribal Council, works across ACCM departments and with other Tribal departments, and develops policy and process for collections and exhibitions.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Leadership and Department Management Provides strategic direction for the Collections & Curatorial Department and serves on the Senior Management Team, contributing to museum-wide planning, priorities, and decision-making. Supervises and evaluates department staff, including the Assistant Head of Collections & Curatorial, Registrar, Assistant Registrar, Lead Preparator, and Exhibition & Collections Assistant, along with part-time and temporary employees and Tribal interns, across multiple ACCM sites.

Sets priorities, delegates responsibilities, and reviews work for quality and consistency. Oversees the hiring and onboarding of department staff, and prepares onboarding, transition, and handover materials to support continuity. Generates and manages the Collections & Curatorial Department and temporary exhibition budgets.

Manages external contractors as needed, including exhibition design, conservation, rigging, packing, crating, shipping, framing, and mount-making. Designs and implements department systems and workflows, including interdepartmental request processes, to improve coordination between Collections & Curatorial and other ACCM departments.

Curatorial and Exhibitions Along with the Executive Director, leads curatorial planning and exhibition development for permanent, temporary, and digital exhibitions, including concept, object selection, interpretation, and layout. Oversees exhibition production from planning through installation, including wall-by-wall installation planning, label and text review, artist and maker name verification, and coordination with exhibition designers, preparators, archive staff, and other departments.

Directs registration and logistical arrangements for exhibitions and loans; coordinates staff duties, executes loan agreements and deeds of gift, and ensures strict adherence to preservation standards during transport, installation, and handling. Plans and develops exhibition and collection related proposals and materials for review by the Executive Director and Tribal Council.

Collections Stewardship Directs the safe handling, preservation, storage, and security of cultural objects, artworks, and artifacts in the collection and custody of the museum. Oversees all object-based activities for the ACCM, including acquisitions, purchases, gifts, loans, outdoor sculpture, and deaccessions. Directs condition assessment and conservation planning, and develops collections documentation standards and templates, including condition report templates for paintings and works on paper.

Oversees digital collections activities, including cataloging, updating catalog records, location tracking, digital imaging of collection objects, and uploading clean metadata and images for access by the internal and external community. Develops, implements, and updates disaster preparedness, response, and recovery plans for collections in coordination with the Registrar, Assistant Head of Collections & Curatorial, and the Manager of Protective Services, and other key museum personnel.

Supervises the maintenance of emergency supplies and manages emergency preparedness for collections areas, outdoor sculpture, and off-site storage. NAGPRA, Legal, and Cultural Compliance Oversees the museum’s NAGPRA compliance, including documentation, research, and consultation on cultural items, and prepares NAGPRA-related reports and recommendations for the Executive Director and Tribal Council.

Fosters compliance with federal, state, local, and international laws related to collections management, and liaises with the Executive Director, General Counsel’s Office, and Risk Management on collections-related ethical, legal, and risk management issues. Policy, Planning, and Reporting Develops, implements, and updates collections-related policies and procedures according to American Alliance of Museums standards and best practices, including revisions to the Collections Management Policy.

Prepares reports, briefings, and presentations for the Executive Director, Senior Management Team, and Tribal Council. Produces or contributes to the museum’s Annual Report.

Qualifications

EDUCATION

AND/OR EXPERIENCE M.A. degree in art, art history, anthropology, archaeology, history, museum studies, or related field, plus eight (8) years related experience, including supervisory experience; or acceptable equivalent. Sound knowledge of, and experience with, museum registration methods, cataloguing, conservation, and storage practices; legal and insurance issues; and NAGPRA.

Demonstrated experience in exhibition development and departmental leadership, including supervision, delegation, and budget management. Strong organizational skills. Ability to maintain accurate records and documentation. Excellent verbal and written skills, including preparing reports for executive and governing bodies.

Excellent computer skills, including Microsoft Office, Photoshop, and Past. Perfect. Ability to work respectfully and effectively within a tribal organization. Self-motivated, able to work independently, and works effectively as a team member. T his person must be able to drive to and from the collection storage facilities on a regular basis PHYSICAL DEMANDS To perform this job successfully the individual must be able to sit, stand, walk, reach, climb a ladder, and lift a minimum of 25 pounds, talk, hear, and use hands to type.

The Head of Collections & Curatorial will occasionally participate in the installation of exhibitions. WORKING ENVIRONMENT Typically, the individual will be housed in an office environment and will frequently work in the climate-controlled vault with slightly lower than average temperatures and may occasionally be exposed to outside weather conditions.

The noise level in the work environment is usually low to moderate.