CURATOR OF HISTORY - City of Riverside

3% salary increase effective July 1, 2024, click HERE for details 

The City of Riverside is accepting applications for the position of Curator of History to fill one (1) vacancy in the Museum Department. The eligibility list established may be used to fill the current and/or upcoming vacancies within this classification for up to six (6) months.

The Curator of History is responsible for curating exhibitions, developing and presenting programs, and building the local history collections for the Museum of Riverside. Also included are curatorial responsibilities relating to informed care and interpretation of the Museum’s Victorian-era Heritage House (the only property currently open to the public and the location of the Curator of History’s office) and National Historic Landmark Harada House, and ensuring alignment with federal, state, and local historic preservation standards. In addition, the Museum of Riverside is under way on an exciting project to renovate and expand its historic main downtown museum site. The successful candidate for the position of Curator of History will be an experienced curatorial professional and will possess a distinguished curatorial record of achievement, creative storytelling skills, exceptional interpretive writing abilities, a commitment to scholarly integrity, and an engaging manner with the public. The Curator of History must be able to manage multiple projects simultaneously within a work environment that will be in flux for several years until the new downtown site reopens. The successful candidate will be an analytical thinker and have a strong work ethic, sense of humor, can-do attitude, and the desire to be part of the team who will bring about momentous change for the institution. Collections care and management experience will be important, and experience with historic structures is a plus.

 
The Museum of Riverside has a long history of collecting, exhibiting, and publishing in its areas of disciplinary expertise, which include Riverside area history, Indigenous resources, culture, and natural science. The Curator of History will plan and execute exhibitions, interpretive programming, and public communications relating to the region’s history, and will work with the Museum Director, colleagues, and the community to steward the permanent collection of historic artifacts. The Curator of History is also a key liaison to an active volunteer corps. The Curator of History may assist with the museum's ongoing effort to seek and administer grants and private donations and support execution of the Museum’s major events.

The Curator of History, under general supervision, performs a variety of technical and professional duties in the assembling and caring for museum collections in anthropology, history, historic structures, or natural history; to plan and provide materials for museum exhibitions and educational programs; (when assigned to the Anthropology division) to provide interaction with Native American groups and university scholars to implement the Department’s mission; (when assigned to the history division) to provide public access to archival collections and answer research inquiries; work closely with all facets of the community to preserve this region’s legacy; and to do related work as required. 

*Actual Classification Title: Museum Curator.  Please refer to the Museum Curator job description for more clarification.