Assistant Collection Manager

Assistant Collection Manager 1 or 2 – Geoscience Specimen Collections

Stanford, California, United States

This is a 3-year fixed-term position. Work will be conducted on-site in Stanford, California and at a nearby off-campus facility. The job involves supporting the long-term preservation, enhancement, and access to a significant collection of rock, mineral, fossil, and other geological specimens housed in the Doerr School of Sustainability.

The Geoscience Specimen Collections consist of hundreds of thousands of samples of rock, mineral, fossil, soil, water, and other geological samples, and associated field notes, maps, publications, and other metadata. The collections date to the founding of Stanford University and have continued to grow through the research of Stanford’s faculty, students, and staff. The collections are housed within the Doerr School of Sustainability and serve as important and irreplaceable research infrastructure that support the School’s education and research mission.

The Assistant Collection Manager reports to the Geoscience Specimen Collection Curator and Manager and will work closely with the Curator and Manager, faculty, and collections staff to complete a detailed inventory and relocation of the collections into a new facility. The Assistant Collection Manager will be responsible for overseeing aspects of this work including packing, rehousing, relocating collections, digitizing specimen data and metadata, developing workflows and protocols, and assisting with supervision of student workers.

Additionally, the Assistant Collection Manager will assist with day-to-day operations of the collection and will be integral in evaluating and preparing collections metadata for migration into a new collections database.

This position is based at Stanford University’s main campus and at a nearby off-site facility. Work will be conducted on-site Monday through Friday during standard business hours unless otherwise arranged in advance. This is a three-year term position with the possibility of extension.

• Inventory, rehouse, organize and relocate existing collections.
• Catalog, and perform data entry into a relational database, photograph and otherwise document specimens in the collection.
• Perform quality control and cleaning of collections metadata.
• Georeference specimen locality information.
• Assist with the processing of incoming specimens and outgoing loans.
• Respond to inquiries and provide collections access and assistance to Stanford faculty, students, and visitors.
• Assist with the development, implementation, and maintenance of collections protocols and workflows.
• Assist with the design and implementation of special projects and exhibits.
• Assist with the training and supervision of student workers.
• Lead tours and/or give demonstrations/workshops on collections resources.
• Help maintain departmental files and other collections-related documentation.
• Other duties as assigned.

• Oversee the processing of incoming specimens (acquisitions) and outgoing loans.
• Assist with database development and oversee database maintenance.
• Develop, implement, maintain and/or enhance collections protocols and workflows, and remain current in community standards and best practices.
• Train and supervise staff and students.
• Assist with generating reports.
• May perform specimen preparation and identification in an area(s) of expertise.
• May manage a unit and/or special projects within the collection.
• May assist with identification of funding programs and in developing grant proposals.

• Advanced degree in museum studies, geology, earth sciences or related field, or Bachelor’s degree in geology, earth science or related field combined with relevant experience is required.
• At the Librarian 1 level:
  One or more years of experience working in geological collections or a closely related setting is required.
• At the Librarian 2 level:
  Two or more years of experience working in geological collections or a closely related setting is required.

• Demonstrated working knowledge in…