The Florida Museum (FM) is hiring an experienced full-time Collections Manager (CM) for McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity (MGCL) within the Department of Natural History. The Lepidoptera collection contains c. 10 million specimens used for research and education, and the Collections Manager is responsible for ensuring its integrity and accessibility. Achieving these goals involves: ensuring that the collection is efficiently organized and accessible, including curating all parts of the collection to a high level; integrating new material; coordinating with staff, students, and volunteers to digitize and database specimens and manage the Lepidoptera collections database; maintaining an appropriate collections environment to reduce pests; managing loan requests and donations; assisting visiting researchers and students that need to access the collections; and participating in outreach events. The CM will have the opportunity to conduct independent or collaborative research and publish results. This is a full-time, 12-month appointment. While the anticipated hiring rank is collections manager II, senior levels may be considered based upon experience or the need of the unit.
Minimum Requirements
Bachelor’s degree in a related field and five years of experience working with a collection of an appropriate discipline. Specific knowledge of the discipline for the collection area is required.
Preferred Qualifications
Knowledge/Experience:
An MS or PhD degree in entomology or relevant discipline, and diverse/extensive experience in managing and curating a significant Lepidoptera collection. Record of academic scholarship within Lepidoptera, extensive curatorial and digitization experience, and proven ability to manage diverse collection and digital products and collections databases. Experience in supervising collections staff/assistants and mentoring students.
Qualities:
We are looking for candidates with interpersonal skills, who can work independently or as part of a team, and who show a demonstrable interest in promoting knowledge outside the scientific community. A record of service to the lepidopterological community through contributions to societies, training events or citizen science initiatives would be beneficial.
Skills/Abilities:
Taxonomic expertise in Lepidoptera; knowledge of Lepidoptera literature; knowledge of field methods for collecting Lepidoptera; knowledge of Lepidoptera specimen preparation, tissue-sampling, dissection and morphological study, and microscopy; knowledge of collections databases, digitization principles and uses.
Special Instructions to Applicants
Interested applicants must apply online at https://explore.jobs.ufl.edu/en-us/job/529413/flmnh-collections-manager-ii. To be considered for this position, please upload 1) a professional CV, 2) a cover letter summarizing relevant experience in Lepidoptera research, collections management, data management, and other related professional activities, your vision for the MGCL collection, and provide names and contact details of three people qualified to comment on your suitability for the position, and 3) a statement, no more than three pages, describing your approach to collections management in a university-based museum, specifically addressing your experience relevant to this position with: collections curation; database management; digitization; identification of Lepidoptera; research collaborations; managing grants/funds/projects and associated reporting; research permit applications; supervising staff and students/volunteers; leading public tours of collections; outreach and public engagement, including website contributions and/or use of social media; independent research including fieldwork; educational contributions (classes taught, student mentoring).
For inquiries concerning this position, contact Dr. Akito Kawahara, Search Chair, kawahara@flmnh.ufl.edu.
Application must be submitted by 11:55 p.m. (ET) on December 22, 2023.
Equal Employment Opportunity Statement
The University of Florida is committed to non-discrimination with respect to race, creed, color, religion, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, marital status, national origin, political opinions or affiliations, genetic information and veteran status in all aspects of employment including recruitment, hiring, promotions, transfers, discipline, terminations, wage and salary administration, benefits, and training.