Curator job description template
If you are hiring for this role, start here. This free template is our detailed definition of the position, with everything you need to find and hire the right person. Copy it, add your own requirements, and post it.
What is a Curator?
Curators work in museums, art galleries, and related facilities where they research, collect, display, and maintain artwork, artifacts, art collections, and other valuable objects and pieces.
Their job involves a range of other activities, such as acquiring and recording artwork, artifacts, and other pieces, developing art collections, buying sculptures, paintings, and other items; and preparing exhibition proposals.
Curators also prepare the museum’s or gallery’s catalog, write articles for websites and publications, and develop guides and brochures.
The top Curator skills.
Five things separate a strong hire from a résumé that reads well. Use these as your scorecard criteria.
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Copy it as written, or edit it until it sounds like your company. Both work.
We are looking for an experienced Curator for the museum who will lead and manage the daily activities of the facility. As a Curator, you will have a range of important responsibilities, such as developing art collections, researching and buying statues, sculptures, paintings, artifacts, and other items to expand the museum’s collection, designing museum displays to make them engaging and interesting, and planning and organizing exhibits and other events.
Furthermore, you will prepare and write content for catalogs, websites, publications, guides, and brochures, maintain records and documentation of the museum’s possessions, and hire and train staff members and volunteers for exhibits and special events. You will also be responsible for raising funds and donations from prospective donors and partners and collaborating with other museum departments, such as education and marketing.
In the end, you should have excellent research, written and verbal communication, attention to detail, leadership, and organizational skills.
Duties and responsibilities
- Monitor and manage the daily activities of the museum or gallery
- Record and catalog artwork, artifacts, documents, and other pieces and objects
- Research and identify various objects, pieces, and artwork
- Prepare exhibition proposals and plan and manage other special events
- Manage the institution’s art collection by acquiring new pieces, researching artists, etc
- Develop new art collections to expand and improve the museum’s setting
- Research and buy sculptures, statues, paintings, and other items to add value to the collection
- Design collection and artwork displays to make them engaging and interesting
- Maintain records and documentation of the museum’s possessions
- Prepare written information for catalogs, websites, publications, guides, brochures, etc
- Organize events to raise funds and grants to expand collections, support research efforts, etc
- Perform administrative tasks, such as negotiating loan items, planning budgets, etc
- Hire and train staff members and volunteers
- Collaborate with other museum departments, such as education, fundraising, marketing, etc
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in art history, history, museum studies, anthropology, archaeology, or a similar field
- A Master’s degree or Ph.D. may be necessary
- Relevant working experience
- Familiarity with museum database
- Strong verbal and written communication
- Excellent project management skills
- Detail-oriented
- Leadership
- Organization
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Copy it straight into your job board or ATS, or have it emailed to you with the interview questions for this role.
What education this role needs.
The primary educational requirement for Curators is a Bachelor’s degree in art history, history, museum studies, archaeology, art, or a related discipline.
Larger museums typically look for a Curator who holds a Master’s degree or even a Ph.D. in some of these courses.
A higher educational level allows candidates to specialize in a unique area, such as cultural studies or public history.
Candidates may also consider joining some museology organizations. These organizations and institutions can offer great hiring opportunities as well as hands-on experience.
Some of these organizations are the International Council of Museums (ICOM), the American Alliance of Museums, and the American Institute for Conservation.
Sample interview questions for a Curator.
Once you have gathered the applications, work through these in order. Twelve questions across four areas, enough to tell your shortlist apart.
- What would you consider to be your greatest strengths and weaknesses?
- How have you adapted to changes or new challenges in the past?
- When did you become interested in art?
- Can you tell us about your education and relevant qualifications?
- How long have you been working as a Curator?
- Why did you choose this particular museum to continue your career?
- What does your regular day as a Curator look like?
- How would you rate your public speaking?
- What do you find the most challenging when researching and learning about some object?
- How do you accurately research the origin and history of an artifact?
- What would you do if you noticed damage on a particular item in your collection?
- What is your experience with writing articles, publications, brochures, and other content?
How much to pay when hiring.
Annual pay by percentile. Where you land depends on the size of the cycle they will own, and the 25th percentile is usually where a first analyst hire sits.
Hourly equivalents run from $12 at the 10th percentile to $34 at the 90th.
Candidates may apply under a different name.
Post the title your industry uses and keep the rest of the description. These three roles overlap enough that the same posting usually reaches all of them.
Three titles, one description.
Search behavior varies by industry, so the same job is advertised under several names. If you are unsure which one your candidates search for, run two titles and see which fills.
Archivist
Art Historian
Science Curator
Frequently asked questions.
What do Curators do?
Curators are professionals who manage the daily activities in museums and galleries.
They research and buy various artifacts, artwork, items, and other objects, design displays in museums, plan and organize exhibits and other special events, lead museum tours, and prepare articles, labels, brochures, guides, and other content.
Where do Curators work?
Curators work in public and independent museums, art galleries, historical sites, heritage centers, archives, etc.
How much do Curators earn per year?
Curators earn between $23,500 and $71,000 annually.
What are the necessary skills for Curators?
Curators must have outstanding written and verbal communication, attention to detail, organization, leadership, collaboration, and research skills.
Other job description templates.
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