Job Details

Conservation Technician

Position Number: 6451877
Location: Philadelphia, PA
Position Type: Museum & Arts Administration

Conservation Technician

University Overview

The University of Pennsylvania, the largest private employer in Philadelphia, is a world-renowned leader in education, research, and innovation. This historic, Ivy League school consistently ranks among the top 10 universities in the annual U.S. News & World Report survey. Penn has 12 highly-regarded schools that provide opportunities for undergraduate, graduate and continuing education, all influenced by Penn's distinctive interdisciplinary approach to scholarship and learning. As an employer Penn has been ranked nationally on many occasions with the most recent award from Forbes who named Penn one of America's Best Large Employers in 2023.

Penn offers a unique working environment within the city of Philadelphia. The University is situated on a beautiful urban campus, with easy access to a range of educational, cultural, and recreational activities. With its historical significance and landmarks, lively cultural offerings, and wide variety of atmospheres, Philadelphia is the perfect place to call home for work and play.

Posted Job Title
Conservation Technician

Job Profile Title
Assistant Museum Collections, University Museum

Job Description Summary
The technician role has two primary responsibilities: carrying out gallery maintenance on Mondays and associated coordination and communication tasks; and assisting departmental conservators with preventive and treatment-related tasks. For gallery maintenance, the technician will be responsible for identifying preventive conservation issues in galleries and cleaning exposed objects and objects in cases and case interiors. The technician will also be responsible for communicating with Collections and Exhibitions staff and other gallery stakeholders regarding scheduling, incidents documentation, maintenance reports, and preventive intervention recommendations. For preventive and treatment-related tasks, the technician is responsible for assisting conservators with artifact movement, setting up database records, photo documentation, writing initial condition assessments, and carrying out basic treatments, assisting with departmental requests, as well as general laboratory and supply maintenance including mixing solutions and cleaning laboratory containers and spaces. The technician will also be responsible for performing additional duties as assigned.

Job Description

Job Title: Conservation Technician

Department: Conservation

Supervisor's Title: Museum Conservator

Compensation: $21.00 p/hour

Non-Exempt, Part-time

Job Responsibilities

Gallery maintenance and preventive conservation support, including cleaning objects in galleries, communication and scheduling, re-housing artifacts.
Conservation treatment support, including photography, condition reporting, documentation, treatment.
General laboratory support, including mixing solutions, restocking supplies, laboratory maintenance.
Other duties and responsibilities as assigned.

Qualifications

Minimum: BA/BS degree and 0-1 years experience required, or equivalent combination of both. An undergraduate degree in a related field is desirable but not required.
This position is most suitable for a pre-program candidate; someone planning to take a graduate degree in conservation with experience working in a museum conservation lab, particularly experience with documentation and basic treatments.
Knowledge of Axiell Emu or a similar collections management database is preferred.
Knowledge of digital photography, digital photography processing, specialized digital photography methods such as Reflectance Transformation Imaging (RTI) and multimodal imaging (MMI) will be an asset.
Sound work habits, personal initiative, organizational skills, excellent written and verbal communication skills, along with the ability to undertake moderate to heavy lifting are essential.
Requires extensive safety training. Object-handling experience is preferable; manual dexterity is required.
Candidate will uphold collegial and collaborative working relationships with conservation staff and other departments.

Application Requirement

A Cover Letter and Resume/CV are required to be considered for this position. Please upload your Cover Letter where it asks you to upload your Resume/CV; multiple documents are allowed.

**Please note that this position is a bargaining unit position represented by a labor union. Job related responsibilities, duties, qualifications, and compensation associated with this position are determined by a collective bargaining agreement.

Job Location - City, State
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Department / School
University Museum

Pay Range
$17.98 - $21.00 Hourly Rate
Salary offers are made based on the candidate's qualifications, experience, skills, and education as they directly relate to the requirements of the position, and in alignment with salary ranges based on external market data for the job's level. Internal organization and peer data at Penn are also considered.

Equal Opportunity Statement

The University of Pennsylvania is an equal opportunity employer. Candidates are considered for employment without regard to race, color, sex, sexual orientation, religion, creed, national origin (including shared ancestry or ethnic characteristics), citizenship status, age, disability, veteran status or any class protected under applicable federal, state or local law.

Special Requirements
Background checks may be required after a conditional job offer is made. Consideration of the background check will be tailored to the requirements of the job.

University Benefits

Health and Life: Penn offers comprehensive medical, prescription, behavioral health, dental, vision, and life insurance benefits to protect you and your family's health and welfare.
Retirement: Penn offers generous retirement plans to help you save for your future. Penn's Basic, Matching, and Supplemental retirement plans allow you to save for retirement on a pre-tax or Roth basis. Choose from a wide variety of investment options through TIAA and Vanguard.
Time Away from Work: Penn provides you with a substantial amount of time away from work during the course of the year. This allows you to relax, take vacations, attend to personal affairs, recover from illness or injury, spend time with family-whatever your personal needs may be.
Long-Term Care Insurance: In partnership with Genworth Financial, Penn offers faculty and staff (and your eligible family members) long-term care insurance to help you cover some of the costs of long-term care services received at home, in the community or in a nursing facility. If you apply when you're newly hired, you won't have to provide proof of good health or be subject to underwriting requirements. Eligible family members must always provide proof of good health and are subject to underwriting.
Wellness and Work-life Resources: Penn is committed to supporting our faculty and staff as they balance the competing demands of work and personal life. That's why we offer a wide variety of programs and resources to help you care for your health, your family, and your work-life balance.
University Resources: As a member of the Penn community, you have access to a wide range of University resources as well as cultural and recreational activities. Take advantage of the University's libraries and athletic facilities, or visit our arboretum and art galleries. There's always something going on at Penn, whether it's a new exhibit at the Penn Museum, the latest music or theater presentation at the Annenberg Center, or the Penn Relays at Franklin Field to name just a few examples. As a member of the Penn community, you're right in the middle of the excitement-and you and your family can enjoy many of these activities for free.
Discounts and Special Services: From arts and entertainment to transportation and mortgages, you'll find great deals for University faculty and staff. Not only do Penn arts and cultural centers and museums offer free and discounted admission and memberships to faculty and staff. You can also enjoy substantial savings on other goods and services such as new cars from Ford and General Motors, cellular phone service plans, movie tickets, and admission to theme parks.
Flexible Work Hours: Flexible work options offer creative approaches for completing work while promoting balance between work and personal commitments. These approaches involve use of non-traditional work hours, locations, and/or job structures.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

The University of Pennsylvania is an equal opportunity employer. Candidates are considered for employment without regard to race, color, sex, sexual orientation, religion, creed, national origin (including shared ancestry or ethnic characteristics), citizenship status, age, disability, veteran status or any class protected under applicable federal, state, or local law.
To apply, visit https://wd1.myworkdaysite.com/en-US/recruiting/upenn/careers-at-penn/job/University-Museum/Conservation-Technician_JR00108845