Museum Curator

The current vacancy is in the Arizona Museum of Natural History; however, this recruitment will also be used to establish an eligible list for possible future vacancies in other assignment areas.

The first review of all applications will be on Monday, July 6, 2026.

The Museum Curator develops, interprets, evaluates, communicates, and curates the collections of the Arizona Museum for Natural History for the fields of natural and social sciences.

General responsibilities include:

• Developing and implementing procedures of a general curatorial nature relating to the fields of Social Sciences (history, ethnology, archaeology, anthropology) or Natural Sciences (paleontology, geology, biology).
• Conducting original and secondary research.
• Ensuring compliance with federal, state, and local laws in the acquisition and collection of objects.
• Writing policies, plans, grant proposals, reports, etc., regarding museum collections, general curatorial information, or a designated subject area.
• Providing curatorial expertise on certain changing and permanent exhibits.
• Supervising full-time, part-time, contractual, and volunteer personnel and performing related duties as required.

• Conduct primary and/or secondary research in anthropology or related disciplines.
• Oversee the disciplines of ethnology, and archaeology.
• Coordinate permanent gallery rotations, changes and updates to exhibits, public engagement, and educational programming.

General supervision is received from the Chief Curator, who reviews work through conferences, meetings, reports, and overall results achieved.

This class is an FLSA exempt professional.

All employees of the City of Mesa are expected to uphold and exhibit the City's shared employee values of Knowledge, Respect, and Integrity.

• A Master’s Degree or Ph.D. in Social Science, Natural Science, or related field such as Museum Studies, Anthropology, Biology, Geology, Paleontology, or a closely related area.
• Experience in responsible positions in a museum.
• Experience in Triassic paleo biology field collection and publication.
• Experience in application and administration of grants, permits, and federal and state repositories.
• Experience in large museum projects.

• Graduation from an accredited college or university with a Bachelor’s Degree in a Social Science, Natural Science, or related field such as Museum Studies, Anthropology, Biology, Geology, Paleontology, or a closely related area.
• Considerable (3-5 years) collections experience in museums, cultural centers, institutes, academics, or equivalent.