Career Opportunity

Associate Museum Conservator - Asian Art Museum (3518)

Recruitment: RTF0142173-01023826

Published: December 04, 2023

Apply using SmartRecruiters, the City and County of San Francisco's application portal.

About:

About Us 

Careers - Asian Art Museum

Strategically located on the Pacific Rim and serving one of the most diverse communities in the United States, the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco – Chong-Moon Lee Center for Asian Art and Culture is uniquely positioned to lead a diverse, global audience in discovering the distinctive materials, aesthetics and intellectual achievements of Asian art and cultures, and to serve as a bridge of understanding between Asia and the United States and among the diverse cultures of Asia.

Located in the heart of San Francisco, the museum is home to one of the world’s finest collections of Asian art, boasting more than 18,000 awe-inspiring artworks ranging from ancient jades and ceramics to contemporary video installations. Dynamic special exhibitions, cultural celebrations and public programs for all ages provide rich art experiences that unlock the past and spark questions about the future.

Our Vision 

Where experiences of Asian and Asian American art and cultures inspire and connect us all.

Our Mission

The Asian Art Museum celebrates, preserves, and promotes Asian and Asian American art and cultures for local and global audiences. We provide a dynamic forum for exchanging ideas, inviting collaboration, and fueling imagination to deepen understanding and empathy among people of all backgrounds.

Our Values

The Asian Art Museum of San Francisco strives to always be Respectful, Engaging, Inspirational, Nimble, & Accessible.

We Value Equal Employment Opportunity! 

At the Asian Art Museum, we’re dedicated to ideating, building, & holding ourselves accountable for Diversity, Equity, Accessibility & Inclusion in everything we do. We strive to foster a culture of respect, belonging and inclusivity for all employees.  Diversity of thought and experience is essential to our mission, and we are committed to recruiting, hiring, and retaining a diverse workforce. We encourage applicants from all backgrounds to apply. 

Appointment Type: This is a Temporary Provisional (TPV) position excluded by the Charter from the competitive Civil Service examination process. It is considered "at will" and shall serve at the discretion of the Department Head. This position will be subject to the Permanent Civil Service examination process at a later date. Successful participation in the Permanent Civil Service examination and selection through an open competitive process is needed in order to be considered for the permanent appointment.

Specific information regarding this recruitment process are listed below:

Application Opening: November 30, 2023
Application Deadline: January 8, 2024
Compensation Range:  $94,458 - $114,790 (Annually) 
Recruitment ID: TPV-3518-142174

Role description

Under direction Associate Museum Conservator performs skilled work in connection with the preservation and restoration of Asian Art sculptures and objects; prepares a variety of reports to document conservation activities; performs research, publishes articles, and gives oral presentations related to conservation needs of the Asian Art Museum.

Position Description:

• Prepares condition reports on outgoing loans, new acquisitions, art requiring treatment, and art installed in in-house exhibitions; surveys objects to determine conservation status; ensures that completed documentation complies with the American Institute for Conservation's Code of Ethics.
• Performs research to determine appropriate materials and techniques to conserve deteriorated or damaged art; recommends and performs treatment; documents these activities in compliance with the American Institute for Conservation's Code of Ethics.
• Investigates and researches materials used in contact with works of art, such as packaging materials, display mounts and storage cases; recommends acceptable environmental control conditions, equipment, and products; advises architects and engineers regarding physical requirements of the collection.
• Performs scientific tests that aid in the authentication of works of art; operates XRF spectrometer to identify materials; makes x-ray examinations of art objects to determine internal structure; arranges constancy resources.
• Installs, arranges, assembles, and prepares artifacts for exhibition, ensuring the artifacts’ safety, reporting their status and condition, and identifying and correcting any problems with the set up.
• Recommends preventive conservation procedures and best practices.
• Study object documentation and conduct standard chemical and analytical tests to ascertain the object’s age, composition, original appearance, need for treatment or restoration, and appropriate preservation method.
• Prepares treatment reports, documenting the condition of artifacts, treatment options, and the methods of preservation and repair used.
• Publishes articles describing conservation research and techniques; prepares written and oral presentations for general public, connoisseurs, museum staff, and conservators.
• Acts as an agent of the Museum internally and externally. Travels to other museums and other lenders’ premises to act as agent as necessary to examine works, prepare condition reports, do onsite treatments, and courier artworks.

How to qualify

Minimum Qualifications:

Education: Possession of a Master’s degree from an accredited college or university in art conservation or a related field.

Experience: Three (3) years of verifiable museum conservation experience in the conservation of art objects.

One year of full-time employment is equivalent to 2000 hours. (2000 hours of qualifying work experience is based on a 40-hour work week.) Any overtime hours that you work above forty (40) hours per week are not included in the calculation to determine full-time employment.

Verification of Experience:
Applicants may be required to submit verification of qualifying education and experience at any point during the recruitment and selection process.

Verification of Education: If education verification is required, information on how to verify education requirements, including verifying foreign education credits or degree equivalency, can be found at http://sfdhr.org/how-verify-education-requirements

Note: Falsifying one’s education, training, or work experience or attempted deception on the application may result in disqualification for this and future job opportunities with the City and County of San Francisco.

All work experience, education, training and other information substantiating how you meet the minimum qualifications must be included on your application by the filing deadline. Information submitted after the filing deadline will not be considered in determining whether you meet the minimum qualifications.

Applications completed improperly may be cause for ineligibility, disqualification or may lead to lower scores.

What else should I know?

SELECTION PROCEDURE: The selection process will include evaluation of applications in relation to minimum requirements. Depending on the number of applicants, the Department may establish and implement additional screening mechanisms to comparatively evaluate qualifications of candidates. If this becomes necessary, only applicants whose qualifications most closely meet the Department's needs will be invited for an interview.

Applicants who meet the minimum qualifications are not guaranteed to advance through all the steps in the selection process.

HOW TO APPLY
Applications for City and County of San Francisco jobs are only accepted through an online process. Visit https://careers.sf.gov/ and begin the application process.

• Select the “I’m Interested” button and follow the instructions on the screen.

Applicants may be contacted by email about this recruitment and, therefore, it is their responsibility to ensure that their registered email address is accurate and kept up-to-date. Also, applicants must ensure that email from CCSF is not blocked on their computer by a spam filter. To prevent blocking, applicants should set up their email to accept CCSF mail from the following addresses (@sfgov.org, @sfdpw.org, @sfport.com, @flysfo.com, @sfwater.org, @sfdph.org, @asianart.org, @sfmta.com, @sfpl.org, @dcyf.org, @first5sf.org, @famsf.org, @ccsf.edu, @smartalerts.info, and @smartrecruiters.com).

Applicants will receive a confirmation email that their online application has been received in response to every announcement for which they file. Applicants should retain this confirmation email for their records. Failure to receive this email means that the online application was not submitted or received.

If you have any questions regarding this recruitment or application process, please contact the analyst, nathaniel.cleveland@sfgov.org.

To find Departments which use this classification, please see https://sfdhr.org/sites/default/files/documents/Forms-Documents/Position-Counts-by-Job-Codes-and-Department-FY-2021-22.pdf.

Additional Information Regarding Employment with the City and County of San Francisco: 

• Information About the Hiring Process
• Conviction History
• Employee Benefits Overview  
• Equal Employment Opportunity 
• Disaster Service Worker
• ADA Accommodation
• Veterans Preference
• Right to Work
• Copies of Application Documents
• Diversity Statement

The City and County of San Francisco encourages women, minorities and persons with disabilities to apply. Applicants will be considered regardless of their sex, race, age, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition (associated with cancer, a history of cancer, or genetic characteristics), HIV/AIDS status, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, military and veteran status, or other protected category under the law.

The City and County of San Francisco encourages women, minorities and persons with disabilities to apply. Applicants will be considered regardless of their sex, race, age, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition (associated with cancer, a history of cancer, or genetic characteristics), HIV/AIDS status, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, military and veteran status, or other protected category under the law.