POSITION TITLE: museum collections manager
Hiring Organization/Employer: Sternberg Museum
Application Deadline: June 7, 2026
Education Required: Master’s degree in Zoology or Biology
Location: Hays, KS
Website Link/URL: Sternberg Museum Collections Manager/Curator
Description:
The Sternberg Museum Collections Manager/Curator is responsible for the preservation and growth of the six zoology collections: 1) mammals, 2) reptiles and amphibians, 3) fishes, 4) aquatic invertebrates, 5) birds, and 6) insects. Collections Manager/Curator supervises 2–3 curatorial assistants. Along with collections management, this person will provide education and outreach and connect stakeholders to the value of the research collections.
Responsibilities:
Collections Management
- Processing of loan requests (e.g., tissues, skins, wet specimens)
- Maintenance of skin-prepping materials
- Manage collections database (ARCTOS)
- Collections-improvement grants
- Permit applications and reports
- Annual reports on use of collections
- Active collecting
- Specimen prepping
- Delegation to and managing of curatorial assistants and volunteers
- Collections growth: managing public donations of specimens and cataloguing the backlog
- Integrated pest management
Public Service
- Assist with school tours
- Respond to visitor inquiries
- IACUC committee
- Occasionally assist Exhibits Director
Other opportunities
Depending upon interests and experience, there are other opportunities for the collection manager/curator, including:
- Teaching
- Adjunct teaching of Museum Collections Management (every other year)
- Adjunct teaching for the Department of Biological Sciences
- Research
- Grant writing
- Graduate-student recruitment and supervision
- Undergraduate-research supervision
- Research dissemination
- Outreach
- Collaborate in the care of 23 acres of museum nature trails
- Public presentations for outreach
Preferred Qualifications:
- Master’s degree in Zoology or Biology
- Expertise with taxonomy and identification of more than one taxonomic group
- Experience in field collecting and in preparing and conserving specimens.
- Demonstrated skills in public speaking, writing, and interpersonal communication
- Evidence of effective teaching at the university level
- Ph.D. in Zoology or Biology
- Specialty in herpetology
- Knowledge of museum-collections practices and standards
How to Apply:
Applicants must submit letter of application addressing the qualifications listed above, a current resume, and the names and contact information of three references.
Applicant documents must be submitted in one PDF.
Contact:
Reese Barrick