Employment Opportunities
University of Chicago Student Positions
These jobs are only available to University of Chicago students. For more information on student internships and opportunities, please see Student and Faculty Resources.
Student Docent Program
University of Chicago undergraduate and graduate students from a wide range of academic departments form the Smart Museum’s docent team. Docents facilitate tours for K–12 and university students, adults, and families. Docents gain valuable teaching and public speaking experience and develop a deep understanding of art and museums.
Applications for the 2010–2011 training class will be available in the summer.
Internships
University of Chicago students gain direct experience in museum work through year- and summer-long internships in a variety of areas, including our curatorial, registration, education, marketing, and business offices. Qualifications vary by department; all positions are paid and require approximately 10–19 hours of work each week. Interns are typically hired in the fall for one-year renewable positions.
Currently, there are no internships available. Please check back again in the future.
Gallery Attendants
Applications for Gallery Attendant positions are always accepted. Work schedules are flexible and can be designed to fit around a student's class schedule. Work-study students are strongly encouraged to apply. Applications are available at the Museum's front desk.
Café Attendants
When positions are open applications are made available at the Museum's front desk.
Staff Positions
Executive Assistant for Leadership Support
Working closely with both the Director of the Smart Museum and the Museum's Director of Development, the Executive Assistant for Leadership Support position will (1) coordinate all activities of the Museum's Board of Governors and its subsidiary committees, (2) provide high-level operational and communications support for the fundraising activities of the Museum Director, the Development Director, and key volunteers, and (3) manage the Office of the Director with a strong focus on prioritization and efficiency. As a primary point of contact for the Museum's board members, top-level donors and prospects, and the academic and administrative leadership of the University, this person serves as a knowledgeable, enthusiastic, and persuasive representative of the Smart Museum and its Director.
Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree required; advanced degree preferred
- Minimum of three years of relevant work experience (in an area such as development, public relations, or arts administration) required; previous experience in a university setting or a similarly complex institution preferred; experience working with donors, trustees, and volunteers in a non-profit setting strongly preferred
- Knowledge of Microsoft Windows, Outlook, Word, and Excel required
- Excellent organizational, time-management, and relationship-building skills required; excellent written and verbal communications skills required
- Ability to negotiate conflicting demands from a variety of internal and external constituencies, while ensuring an exceptional level of service to all parties, required
- Familiarity with the administrative structure, ethos, and inner-workings of the University of Chicago strongly preferred
- Flexibility to work at occasional evening and weekend events required.
To apply, submit a cover letter, resume, and list of references to job requisition #083156 on the University of Chicago's online employment site, http://jobopportunities.uchicago.edu.
No phone calls please.
Assistant Registrar
The Assistant Registrar manages registration functions related to the care and maintenance of the Museum's permanent collection and assists with all aspects of the Museum's registration work. This position reports to the Head Registrar.
Essential Functions
- 25% – Manage the museum’s permanent collection in consultation with the Head Registrar. Plan and oversee regular inventories. Maintain the Registrar’s Holding Area and other art storage areas. Oversee registration aspects of permanent collection rotations, including hiring and supervising temporary preparators. Oversee course-related use of permanent collection objects. Assist in developing annual program of conservation, and coordinate conservation projects. Act as a courier. Conceive, propose, and implement special projects related to collection management processes and facilities as needed.
- 25% – Manage collection records (electronic and paper). Assist in managing electronic records, including entering and maintaining object information in the Museum’s collections management database. Manage all paper records including maintaining physical document files and object media.
- 20% – Process new acquisitions. Arrange packing and shipping for gifts and purchases. Manage all paperwork, including producing incoming receipts and condition reports, managing donor and sales forms, and creating physical object files. Assign and apply accession numbers. Process acquisition paperwork and accession-number backlog.
- 15% – Manage photography of works in the collection, including scheduling photographer and initial identification and preparation of files for processing by Registration Assistant. Monitor copyright status of objects and coordinate use paperwork. Process reproduction requests, correspond with and send invoices to requestors, arrange for the production of photographic materials, and collect fee payment and file copies of publications.
- 5% – Hire, train, and supervise student intern. Ensure that all staff who handle art and/or have access to art storage receive proper training. Coordinate proper security clearance and access to storage for staff with Facilities and Security Manager.
- 5% – Assist in preparing and managing registration budget related to the permanent collection. Monitor museum’s facility systems as they relate to collections. Open and close the Museum on a back-up basis as needed. Perform other administrative tasks as necessary.
- 5% – Stay current in the field. In tandem with Head Registrar, cross-train and assist with exhibitions and loans as needed to ensure that overall registration functions of the museum operate well.
Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree required, preferably in art history or a closely related subject; Master's degree in museum studies, art history, or other related subject preferred
- Previous experience in a museum registration office or related field required
- Knowledge of museum standards regarding the care and handling of art required
- Knowledge of legal and ethical issues surrounding a museum art collection required
- Strong computer skills and familiarity with databases, especially TMS, required; familiarity with FileMaker Pro and Crystal Reports preferred
- Ability to represent the Museum in a professional manner to donors, professional colleagues, and all University constituencies required; ability and willingness to travel and work outside regular business hours required
- Background check and security assessment required.
Mental Demands
- Applicant must be detail-oriented and sensitive to the necessity of accurate record-keeping
- Ability to maintain confidentiality
- Excellent written, oral, and auditory communication skills
- Patience and flexibility
- Ability to see projects through to completion and ability to work well both with others and under own direction
- Ability to handle multiple projects simultaneously and prioritize workflow, both for self and for staff.
Physical Demands
- Ability to see, handle, lift, push, pull, and carry objects
- Ability to crouch, climb, balance, and stand for long periods of time
- Ability to participate in transportation of artworks and withstand various outdoor temperatures.
To apply, submit a cover letter, resume, and list of references to job requisition #083307 on the University of Chicago's online employment site, http://jobopportunities.uchicago.edu.
No phone calls please.