Conservation Technician at United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

Job Details

Description

Information about the organization

The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum is a federally chartered, nonpartisan institution that was created by the US Congress to serve as America’s national memorial to the victims of the Holocaust and an educational institution dedicated to the history and lessons of the Holocaust. The Museum seeks to educate Americans from all 50 states and all walks of life as well as international audiences. The Museum has three areas of expertise: Holocaust remembrance, Holocaust scholarship and education, and genocide prevention.

In carrying out its important memorial and educational mission, the Museum is guided by its institutional values for our workplace: Honor the memory of the victims; carry out our work with dignity, humility, integrity and respect for others; and strive for excellence through teamwork, rigor, and a culture of continuous learning. Consistent respect for others is the foundation for trust, collegiality and inclusion.

Information About The Role

The David M. Rubenstein National Institute for Holocaust Documentation’s major responsibility is to collect, preserve, and make available the historical record of the Holocaust and to support with its stewardship of the Collection of Record the Museum's wide-ranging efforts in the areas of research, exhibition, publication, education, and memorialization.

The Conservation Services Branch is responsible for the preservation and conservation of the Museum's collections on exhibition, in storage or on loan to the institution, and makes recommendations and provides guidelines for the housing, handling, methods of storage, and laboratory treatment of the collection. It also provides environmental guidelines, recommendations, and monitoring to ensure a proper climate for the collection.

The incumbent assists staff conservators in conservation and preservation activities for the collections, with an emphasis on paper-based, photographic, and bound materials. These activities include: condition assessment, minor conservation treatment, preventive care for items entering the collections, design and production of conservation storage enclosures and mounts, and assessing archival collections in preparation for digitization. Additionally, the incumbent participates in activities such as integrated pest management (IPM), monitoring micro and macro environmental conditions and evidence of pest activity, and exhibitions collections care (ECC).

The position is located in the Shapell Center in Bowie, MD. This is a full-time, donated (non-federal), three-year term position paid with the Museum’s private funds. Salary is commensurate with experience.

Duties, And Responsibilities For The Role

• Assesses condition and develops preservation plans for collection items, including carrying out minor conservation treatments in conjunction with photographic and written documentation.
• Designs custom enclosures and supports for collection materials: suggests appropriate materials and techniques, as well as equipment and supplies needed; develops and constructs enclosures and supports for artifacts according to specified needs and uses, such as digitization, storage, exhibition, loan, and transport.
• Participates in IPM activities such as accompanying the IPM contractor to monitor pest incursions in the collection areas. Responds to reports of the presence of pests or bugs, and reports findings.
• Installs, de-installs, maintains, and preserves artifacts for exhibition. Provides logistical support for Exhibition Collections Care [ECC] following established procedures. Ensures artifacts are mounted, supported, and handled according to Museum standards, and the necessary tools and equipment are available and ready when needed for major ECC treatment and care projects.
• Conducts macro and micro environmental monitoring including: temperature, humidity, light levels, and dust to include placing and collecting remote environmental data loggers and inputting data into a computerized monitoring program.
• Conducts routine laboratory maintenance including monitoring and organizing lab supplies and conservation materials.
• Maintains collection documentation including hardcopy and electronic conservation records.
• Provides guidance related to Conservation Services policies and procedures, preservation, imaging, and handling.
• Serves on cross-office teams, projects, and initiatives to advance the Rubenstein Institute’s priorities and goals, as needed.
• Coordinates and communicates with colleagues and key stakeholders to share resources and integrate efforts across the Rubenstein Institute.
• Other duties as assigned.
  
  

Minimum Qualifications For The Role

• Knowledge of fundamental conservation principles, theoretical concepts, techniques, and functions, and the ability to apply the knowledge.
• Knowledge of preservation theories, practices, methods, and standards and experience in the digitization of museum collections, preventive care, and handling of various types of museum artifacts.
• Knowledge of, and skill in identifying, the agents of deterioration for a collection and general knowledge of proper corrective procedures and preventive conservation measures.
• Knowledge of museum practices, principles, and standards.
• Knowledge of macro and micro environmental requirements for museum artifacts and experience in environmental monitoring and reporting.
• Knowledge of, and experience constructing, artifact mounts, supports, and housings and the safety and efficacy of materials used in exhibit construction.
• Skill and ability in working with tools and equipment used in preventive conservation and conservation laboratory treatment such as: HEPA filter vacuums, brushes, micro spatulas, tweezers, scalpels, and board shears.
• Manual dexterity in performing precise conservation techniques, and the ability to perform tasks requiring extended periods of standing, recurring bending, stooping, reaching, or similar activities. Moderate physical strength may be required to lift museum artifacts safely and to handle equipment with care.
• Knowledge of conservation health and safety protocols.
• Skill in application of collections management software and the ability to track documents, three-dimensional artifacts, photographs, publications, audio and video testimonies, moving images, sound recordings, and microforms.
  
  

Preferred Qualifications For The Role

• At least one year of experience in the conservation of cultural heritage materials working in an institutional setting.
• Basic familiarity with history of and sensitivity towards the Holocaust and its legacy.
  
  

The application deadline for this position is December 12, 2025.

Interested applicants must send their resume and cover letter; applications without a cover letter will not be considered.

Benefits Highlights

The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum values employee wellness, work-life balance and the diversity of what this means for individual employees in life and work. We are proud to offer a comprehensive benefits package for benefits-eligible employees that includes generous paid leave benefits, health, dental, and vision insurance, flexible spending accounts, a health savings account with an employer contribution, 403(b) retirement plan with a generous employer match and contribution, group term and supplemental life insurance, short and long-term disability, commuter subsidy, access to two employee assistance programs, as well as voluntary critical illness and accident insurance coverage, long-term care and pet insurance options. Our policies also support telework and other flexible schedule options based on the job, work and team collaboration requirements.