Museum Curator at Council for Geoscience (CGS)

Overall Job Purpose:    

Organisation, curation, preservation, classification and interpretation of all gemstones, mineral, meteorite and rock collections in the Council for Geoscience. Ensure cataloguing and capturing of all the information on relevant databases. To ensure that all collections are properly maintained, used, and expanded.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Operations Management

• Provides expert scientific input on all museum collections.
• Provides oversight to the museum operations, ensuring efficiency and effectiveness.
• Supervise work with conservators, researchers, and staff.
• Develops and implements procedures related to the handling, storing, security, and use of specimens in line with international best practices.
• Develops and implements general museum and collection policies and procedures.
• Curates a comprehensive database and develops a framework to provide specimen unique identifications based on common species or objects.
• Examines specimens to determine condition and authenticity.
• Produces literary material on the museum collections for public consumption.
• Supervise the handling of internal and public enquiries.
• Implements established procedures associated with the physical tracking of specimens and align with existing catalogues and documentation.
• Accurate management of information associated with all museum specimens.
• Resolves complex problems on the CGS mineralogic, rock, and fossil collections.

Research and Development

• To ensure, consultation with the Manager of Knowledge Management unit, museum curator, and executives management, that museum collections are used for research purposes.
• Initiates and participate in research and publication programmers.
• Coordinates museum educational programmers for visiting schools.
• Ensures that the museum collections are used for scientific research purposes at regional, national, international, and inter-governmental level.
• Provides guidance and/or mentoring to junior staff in research, which involves the following:
  • Formulates research proposals, research methodologies, data collection and data interpretation.
  • Evaluates project results and edit reports of Junior Scientists for publication.

Project implementation Management

• Ensures that the CGS museum and its collections are properly organized, these include:
  • The CGS Gem, Mineral and Rock collections.
  • The CGS Fossil collection in Silverton.
  • The CGS Invertebrate fossil collection in Bellville.
• Ensures proper cataloguing of collections as well as increasing or enhancing the collections with the aid of the annual budget or donations and possible exchanges.
• Give inputs to the development of project and contract proposals.
• Implements risk mitigation measures as directed by the Unit manager/project manager.
• Leads tasks or projects and monitor project execution and budget expenditure in line with deliverables and objectives.
• Scientifically support the Geoscience Technical Programme (GTP) and/or commercial projects.

Quality Management

• Apply quality management principles, processes, and procedures.
• Ensures required documentation is complete, current, and stored appropriately.
• Leads and/or participate in the preparation of quality documentation and reports by collecting, analyzing and summarizing information and trends within the area of responsibility.
• Develops and implement operating manuals for work procedures in line with ISO certification.
• Evaluates project results, reviews and edits project proposals and technical reports.

Stakeholder Relations

• Compiles and present talks and presentations about the CGS collections to museum visitors.
• Presents work outputs or scientific results internally to other staff members, and externally at conferences or symposia.
• Liaise with relevant bodies/councils on technical/science museum related matters.
• Provides advanced advice to the Executive Management, and/or public and private sector organisations related field of expertise.
• Participates in scientific discussions at national and international conferences involving matters of scientific importance either in a specific field or variety of fields.
• Makes science-based contributions to research publications as first author or co-author in national and international journals.
• Provides expert scientific input into new Museum temporary exhibitions.

Learning and Development

• Mentors, coaches, and provides supervision and guidance in research of lower-level scientists regarding their geoscientific work and their progress.
• Initiates national or international training workshops /courses to strengthen skills transfer to junior staff in line with the Business Unit development plan.

BEHAVIOURAL ATTRIBUTES

• Ability to conduct geo-scientific investigations and research independently in the field of expertise.
• Ability to manage self on a project / technical level and meet deadlines.
• Ability to present geo-scientific investigations in a written report.
• Ability to present scientific papers to members of staff or externally.
• Ability to work in a team setting and provide guidance to junior members of a team.
• Ability to mentor and coach junior scientists.
• Ability to provide Research support.
• Ability to meet stakeholder needs and expectations.
• Ability to communicate (Oral and Written) clearly.
• Ability to solve problems independently.
• Technical report writing.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

• Grade 12; and
• MSc or equivalent in geology and/or paleontology and 5 years proven experience in a museum environment (handled mineralogical and fossil collections).
• PhD or equivalent geology and/or paleontology and 3 years proven experience in a museum environment (handled mineralogical and fossil collections).
• Registration with SACNASP will be an added advantage.
• Proven experience as a Curator or experience in a museum environment
• Proven and relevant of peer-reviewed publication in:
  • Heritage management and collections or
  • Museum and heritage sector practices