Resources

Current Employment Opportunities

To apply for a position, please send your cover letter and resume to hr@isgm.org. E-mail is the preferred method of applying, with all attachments in Microsoft Word or PDF format. Applications not submitted via e-mail can be mailed to:

Human Resources Department
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
280 The Fenway
Boston MA 02115

We receive many resumes and kindly request that you do not call to inquire about the status of your application. Those candidates chosen for interviews will be contacted.

The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum is an equal opportunity employer and encourages minority candidates to apply.

Learn more about our current opportunities:

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Chief Curator

Title: Chief Curator
Department: Curatorial
Reports To: Director
Type of Position: Full-time, exempt/salaried

Position Summary

The Chief Curator is a new position at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. It has been established to bring leadership, inspiration, and support to the curatorial programs at the Museum. A new addition to the Gardner Museum by Renzo Piano, an innovative "entrance" portal to the collection, now frames the collection in a new way, via its programming. The Chief Curator thus leads interpretation of the historic museum Gardner built and the new working museum that we, as heirs to her legacy, have constructed for programs with an expanding and new public.

The Chief Curator will preside over the collections, their care, and scholarship. He/she will establish and maintain standards for collection management, research, scholarship, gallery appearance, and aesthetics of gallery restorations. He/she will collaborate with the conservation department in setting priorities and consulting on treatments. As a scholar, the Chief Curator will conduct his/her own research and occasionally curate exhibitions.

The Chief Curator will provide intellectual and artistic leadership to the curatorial departments of Collections, Contemporary art, Landscape, and Music giving direction to the planning and management of all programs as they forge a cutting edge programming identity for the Museum. He/she should have a deep interest in the art and culture of our times.

He/she will establish a structure for the planning and review of programs, and link this planning to the Museum's management of fundraising and marketing. The Chief Curator will report to the Director and work closely with the curatorial team.

The Chief Curator will work closely with the Curator of Education on public programs and interpretation.

Qualities We Seek

  • Demonstrated artistic and intellectual leadership with an expansive and innovative vision to create programs and exhibitions that are fresh, original, and captivate the public. A strong record of curatorial achievement;
  • Demonstrated ability to lead with a sense of excitement and self-confidence and motivate talented and individualistic curators;
  • Ability to inspire confidence and maintain effective working relationships at all levels of the organization including Museum staff, volunteers, donors, trustees, and diverse public constituencies;
  • Ability to collaborate and seek partnerships through creating national and international networks;
  • Integrity and public service values and inspiring trust among colleagues and the public;
  • Strong communication and persuasion skills;
  • Diplomatic, collegial and demonstrated ability to work with Director;
  • Broad knowledge of museum practices in the related fields of collections management, education and public programs, conservation, and budget management;
  • PhD in art history with specialty in one of the areas of the Museum's collections and a minimum of 7 years relevant experience;
  • Fluency in foreign languages is desirable

Responsibilities

  • Stimulating and enabling the curators to plan and program at the highest levels of thought, creativity and risk, encouraging their collaboration and interdisciplinary programming;
  • Coordinating the activities of the curatorial division and the exhibitions, performing arts, with the work of other divisions within the Museum;
  • Assuring that the curatorial program goals are part of the Museum's larger objectives and mission;
  • Generating a scholarly exhibition in a manageable cycle and commissioning or partnering for others;
  • Confirming that programs and exhibitions are intended with audiences in mind;
  • Serving as agent for assessing the effectiveness of the Museum's programs;
  • Overseeing Collection Management and conservation treatments;
  • Overseeing the operations of the curatorial departments. Develops and oversees the implementation of the annual and multi-year budget and work plans in accordance with the Museum's strategic plan;
  • Participates as a senior officer of the Museum in the development and implementation of institutional strategic plans, long-range budgets, and other initiatives.

Our Commitment to a Diverse Workplace

The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum is committed to affording equal opportunities to qualified individuals regardless of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, disabilities, marital status or sexual orientation. Candidates of color are strongly encouraged to apply. The Museum is proud to embrace the goals of Commonwealth Compact and pledges to measure its progress toward those goals over time, using the Commonwealth Compact benchmarks.

To Apply

Nominations welcome. Apply in confidence: Email résumé (Word document preferred); cover letter; list of three references with contact information; and salary requirement to retained search firm: Marilyn Hoffman, Museum Search & Reference, searchandref@museum-search.com. Additional information can be found at www.museum-search.com.

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Controller

Title: Controller
Department: Finance
Reports To: Chief Financial Officer
Type of Position: Full-time, exempt/salaried

Scope of Position

Responsible for all functions of accounting and fiscal controls, including general ledger, financial statements, management reports, and external compliance reports, for a $15 million operating budget and $130 million endowment.

Responsibilities

Supervisory Management

  • Oversee accounting staff:
    • transaction processing, including revenue, expenditures, payroll, and fixed assets,
    • journal entries for accruals, allocations, and amortizations, and
    • reconciliations of account balances

Audit and External Filing

  • Coordinate yearly audits (financial, pension, workers comp), including preparation of audit papers per prescribed formats, resolution of audit questions, and serving as liaison between auditors and museum employees
  • Oversee tax and external filings, including IRS Forms 990 and 990T, MA Form PC, Form 5500, federal and state payroll filings, Forms 1099, MA Form 3 ABC, various grants/gifts financial report and other compliance reports as needed

Investments and Endowments

  • Track and journalize investment income, gains, and losses as reported by investment managers and consultants
  • Maintain endowment unitization schedule of all individual endowment funds
  • Oversee balance transfers to/from investment managers to fund operations, to invest new endowment gifts, and to cover investment fees

Fiscal Control

  • Manage financial control systems and procedures for operating and financial staff covering all income, expenses and capital transactions
  • Close general ledger monthly, after recording all financial activity and reconciling all financial balances
  • Prepare monthly budget versus actual reports of operating activities and review with department managers

Grants/Gifts

  • Monitor operating and capital grants/gifts income and expenses, including pledges
  • Provide and review financial sections of grant applications/reports
  • Review grants/gifts documentation for income recognition per GAAP
  • Maintain capital campaign income/expenses to monitor progress

Qualifications

  • Minimum 5 years in Financial Management, preferably in a non-profit setting

    • General Ledger – full responsibility for monthly and annual closing
    • Audits – primary responsibility for oversight of external audits
    • Budget – monthly management reporting of budget vs. actual
    • Supervision – staff oversight of all transaction processing (AP, PR, cash/cc receipts)
  • Computer information systems skills

    • Strong spreadsheet skills (database skills helpful)
    • Broad understanding of general ledger software (Financial Edge helpful)
    • Experience with subsidiary ledger systems: AP, payroll, banking, investments, endowments, fixed assets
    • Experience with related business systems: development, admissions, shop
  • Knowledge of current GAAP for non-profits and taxation of 501(c)(3) organizations

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Position Title: Gallery Officer
Department: Security
Reports To: Security Managers
Type of Position: Part-time positions available

Please indicate schedule availability when submitting your resume.

Position Summary

Gallery Officers are responsible for the protection of the collection and the safety of all staff and visitors.

Primary Responsibilities

  • Protect the museum collection from theft and damage
  • Ensure the safety of all visitors and staff members
  • Monitor visitor activity to ensure adherence to museum policies and procedures
  • Respond to visitor/ staff requests and questions in a respectful, courteous and professional manner

Secondary Responsibilities

  • Respond (briefly) to visitors' questions about the collection to the best of your ability or direct them to the Information Desk
  • Be customer service oriented when enforcing museum policies and dealing with the public
  • Respond to emergency situations such as medical, theft, fire, vandalism and other incidents in a timely manner
  • Inform the Security Managers and the Director of Security of all incidents
  • Work all regularly assigned shifts as well as any special events when needed
  • Attend all training meetings and perform other duties as assigned

Requirements

  • High school diploma or equivalent
  • Experience in a fast paced security environment is preferred
  • Ability to work evenings, weekends, holidays
  • Must be able to stand for long periods of time
  • Customer service experience
  • Fluency in English is required
  • Must be dependable and punctual
  • Must be able to interact with others with professionalism and courtesy
  • Must be able to calmly handle stressful situations

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