Museum Conservation Manager

We're Hiring: Museum Conservation Manager

Location: United Arab Emirates (Remote)Employment Type: Full-TimeExperience Level: Mid-Level to SeniorWork Arrangement: Fully RemoteAbout UsWe are a globally focused organization committed to preserving cultural heritage, collections, and works of art through professional conservation, preventive care, research, documentation, and responsible collections management.

Our teams collaborate across curatorial, collections, exhibition, education, facilities, scientific, and operational functions to protect cultural assets for future generations.The RoleWe are seeking an experienced Museum Conservation Manager to lead conservation strategy, collections care, preservation programs, treatment planning, environmental monitoring, conservation documentation, and technical standards across museum collections and exhibitions.The ideal candidate will oversee preventive and interventive conservation activities while balancing preservation requirements with exhibitions, loans, research, access, storage, digitization, and public engagement objectives.Key ResponsibilitiesDevelop and implement museum conservation strategies, policies, standards, and long-term preservation plans.Manage preventive conservation, interventive treatment, collection care, and conservation research activities.Assess the physical condition, preservation risks, and conservation requirements of museum collections.Establish conservation priorities based on collection significance, condition, risk, use, and available resources.Oversee conservation assessments, treatment proposals, treatment plans, and technical reports.Manage conservation treatments for artworks, artifacts, objects, documents, textiles, photographs, and other collection materials as appropriate.Establish treatment standards that follow professional conservation ethics and accepted museum practices.Coordinate conservation requirements for exhibitions, permanent displays, temporary installations, and traveling exhibitions.Review object condition before, during, and after exhibitions, transportation, handling, and installation.Develop and implement preventive conservation programs covering temperature, relative humidity, light, pollutants, pests, vibration, and physical risks.Monitor storage and exhibition environments and coordinate corrective actions when conditions fall outside established parameters.Establish appropriate handling, packing, transportation, installation, storage, and display procedures.Coordinate conservation requirements for incoming and outgoing loans.Review loan condition reports, facility requirements, environmental conditions, packing specifications, and transportation risks.Work closely with registrars, curators, exhibition teams, art handlers, designers, and logistics providers.Develop collection-specific conservation guidelines and handling procedures.Manage conservation laboratories, equipment, materials, tools, and technical resources.Ensure conservation equipment is maintained, calibrated, safe, and fit for purpose.Establish laboratory safety procedures covering chemicals, tools, equipment, ventilation, waste, and hazardous materials.Coordinate scientific examination, materials analysis, imaging, testing, and technical research where required.Collaborate with scientists, conservators, researchers, universities, laboratories, and specialist institutions.Maintain comprehensive conservation records, treatment documentation, condition reports, images, test results, and research findings.Ensure conservation information is accurately recorded in collection-management and documentation systems.Develop conservation documentation standards and ensure consistent terminology and recordkeeping.Coordinate digitization and imaging requirements where conservation assessment or preservation considerations are involved.Develop emergency preparedness and disaster-response procedures for collection-related incidents.Support emergency response involving water, fire, pests, environmental failures, physical damage, or other collection risks.Conduct regular conservation audits, collection surveys, storage inspections, and risk assessments.Identify emerging preservation risks and implement corrective and preventive measures.Manage external conservators, specialist laboratories, consultants, suppliers, and conservation service providers.Define vendor requirements, technical specifications, service standards, quality expectations, and project timelines.Evaluate conservation materials, storage products, display systems, environmental equipment, and specialist services.Manage conservation budgets, treatment costs, equipment investments, materials, and external services.Develop conservation project plans, schedules, resource requirements, and risk controls.Recruit, supervise, mentor, and develop conservators, conservation technicians, interns, and support staff.Establish training programs covering preventive conservation, object handling, emergency response, documentation, and workplace safety.Support professional development, research, publications, conferences, and knowledge-sharing activities.Contribute conservation expertise to acquisitions, deaccessions, collections moves, storage planning, and museum development projects.Ensure conservation activities comply with applicable legal, ethical, cultural heritage, safety, environmental, and institutional requirements.Provide leadership with regular reports covering collection condition, conservation projects, environmental performance, risks, budgets, incidents, and improvement opportunities.Key Performance IndicatorsCollection condition assessment completionConservation treatment completion ratePreventive conservation complianceTreatment turnaround timeConservation project delivery performanceCondition-report accuracyConservation documentation completenessEnvironmental monitoring complianceTemperature and humidity stabilityLight-exposure compliancePest-management performanceStorage-condition complianceConservation incident rateEmergency response readinessLoan condition-report completionExhibition conservation readinessObject handling complianceConservation backlog reductionTreatment budget adherenceCost per conservation projectVendor performanceLaboratory safety complianceEquipment maintenance and calibrationStaff training completionCollection-risk reductionResearch and technical-study completionConservation database accuracyAudit findings and corrective-action closureStakeholder satisfactionPreventive conservation improvement initiativesIdeal CandidateThe successful candidate should have strong experience in museum conservation, cultural heritage preservation, preventive conservation, collections care, or conservation management, preferably within museums, galleries, archives, cultural institutions, heritage organizations, or specialist collections environments.The candidate should demonstrate:Strong knowledge of conservation principles, ethics, standards, and professional practices.Experience managing preventive and interventive conservation programs.Strong understanding of environmental monitoring and collection preservation requirements.Experience assessing and treating cultural objects, artworks, or heritage collections.Knowledge of condition reporting, conservation documentation, and collections-management systems.Experience supporting exhibitions, loans, transportation, storage, and object installation.Strong understanding of materials, deterioration mechanisms, handling risks, and preservation strategies.Experience managing conservation laboratories, equipment, materials, and technical resources.Ability to conduct collection-risk assessments and develop practical mitigation strategies.Experience managing conservators, technicians, consultants, vendors, and specialist service providers.Strong project-management, budgeting, and resource-planning capabilities.Excellent analytical, research, and problem-solving skills.Strong attention to detail and commitment to ethical conservation practice.Knowledge of museum safety, emergency preparedness, and disaster-response procedures.Strong communication and stakeholder-management skills.Experience collaborating with curators, registrars, scientists, researchers, facilities teams, and external institutions.Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English.Additional languages and international or cross-cultural experience are highly desirable.A strong commitment to cultural heritage preservation, professional excellence, and continuous improvement.