Vertebrate Paleontology Curatorial Assistant

Position: Curatorial Assistant, Vertebrate Paleontology Collections

Description: The Denver Museum of Nature & Science (DMNS) seeks a curatorial assistant in the Department of Earth Sciences to organize its extensive collection of North American vertebrate fossils as part of a National Science Foundation (NSF) funded project to rehouse and digitize collections. Successful candidates will have experience in vertebrate fossil research and identification, strong organizational skills, and a willingness to regularly engage the general public in collections-based outreach.

DMNS is an exciting place to work, with a large, highly-trained Earth Sciences staff and volunteer corps. The museum has outstanding conservation, volunteer management, and collections staff along with a new, state-of-the-art collections facility with excess storage. The vertebrate paleontology collections are sizeable and are growing; their composition and history are described at http://www.dmns.org/science/collections/. The Department of Earth Sciences also has four curators, a fully staffed preparation laboratory that operates 364 days per year, a full-time collections manager, and over 300 volunteers who engage in science, collections, and outreach.

The Curatorial Assistant will be responsible for organizing, rehousing, and digitizing the non-federal vertebrate paleontology collections at DMNS, consisting of fossils from across the American west. Independent research skills and knowledge of Tertiary vertebrates, especially Pleistocene mammals, is desired. The successful candidate will also have strong interpersonal and management skills to oversee a large, collections-based volunteer group for the duration of the project. Previous experience with museum databases, especially KeMU and Argus, are desired. Day-to-day tasks will include specimen identification, labeling, photography, and rehousing; computer-based databasing and online data management; and volunteer training and management.

A MS is required at the start of the position and previous collections and/or research experience is strongly recommended. The position is for a two-year term beginning January 15, 2015.

Application Instructions

In addition to the general application on the DMNS website, please provide:
(1) A CV highlighting your collections experience, outreach experience, and scientific research background.
(2) A 1-2 page cover letter that describes your experience training, supervising, and managing volunteers along with a concise description of your experience in museum collections and knowledge of national digitization efforts.
(3) Contact information for three or more professional references who can provide candid appraisals of your background and skills.

Please submit cover letter, cv, and information requested above no later than November 20, 2014.

Be advised that due to the high volume of applicants, we are only able to directly contact those candidates whose skills and background best fit the needs of the position, however please check your inbox and junk mail for any correspondence. If you are a returning applicant, please note that cover letters must be deleted, edited and then reattached to correspond with the position. No phone calls please.

The Denver Museum of Nature & Science is an equal opportunity employer. The Museum is dedicated to the goal of building a culturally diverse staff committed to serving the needs of all our visitors and we encourage applications from individuals of all backgrounds.