Job Description

Manager Humanities Collections and Conservation

Collection Care and Access | Collections, Knowledge and Communities

Are you a people-leader with a passion for cultural heritage and collections? We're looking for a Manager Humanities Collections and Conservation to lead a highly committed team responsible for the care, preservation, and accessibility of Te Papa's humanities collections.

Purpose of the position

This is a pivotal role responsible for leading an integrated Collection Care team encompassing collection management and conservation functions, ensuring the highest standards of care and access across Te Papa's humanities collections. You will drive the efficient and effective delivery of collection care services, standards, and practices that support organisational priorities and enable meaningful access to collections. You will champion innovation, continuous improvement, and best-practice approaches, fostering a culture of collaboration and sustainability.

What success looks like

After your first year, colleagues will describe you as a thoughtful leader who has taken the time to listen, learn, and build strong relationships across the team. You will have developed a deep understanding of individual strengths, team dynamics, and the services we deliver. You will be leading improvements that maximise the impact of collection management and conservation activities, ensuring our resources are focused where they can make the greatest difference. You will work in a way that reflects manaakitanga (care and respect), builds whanaungatanga (strong relationships), and encourages auahatanga (continuous improvement).

The key responsibilities for this position are:

• Lead the Collection Care team, creating an environment that fosters growth, engagement and high performance.
• Oversee the effective application of collection management and conservation standards and practices to ensure the consistent and efficient care of Te Papa's humanities collections.
• Champion and embed Te Papa's Mana Taonga principle within collection management and conservation standards and practices, and support partnerships with communities, iwi, hapū, and other stakeholders to facilitate access to collections.
• Develop operation plans for the Collections Care team ensuring that they are innovative, future focussed and customer centric.
• Build and nurture influential internal and external relationships with a customer centric focus.

Skills, experience and behaviours

We're looking for someone who brings:

• Experience working in a museum or gallery in a similar role with a sound working knowledge of collection management and conservation practices.
• A tertiary qualification in a relevant field such as museum studies or management.
• Proven experience leading and managing a team, planning and monitoring the work programme, and encouraging innovation.
• Ability to work collaboratively as a manager across an organisation, building relationships and leveraging interdependencies to achieve organisational outcomes.
• The ability to integrate collection management and conservation standards and practices in a te ao Māori environment.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to communicate technical concepts to a variety of audiences.
• Demonstrated ability to work under pressure, remain self-motivated, and meet timeframe and quality requirements.

What we offer

• A supportive, values-driven team environment
• A workplace committed to Te Tiriti
• Comprehensive benefits including onsite Kindergarten, subsidised parking, café and store discounts, and free entry to paid exhibitions

Other Information

This is a full-time position, 40 hours per week, based at 55 Cable Street, Te Papa Tongarewa, Wellington, New Zealand.

For more details, please refer to the attached Position Description.

If you are viewing this advertisement on a website other than the Te Papa job board, the Position Description may not be accessible. In this case, please visit jobs.tepapa.govt.nz to view the Position Description and apply.

Applicants must have the legal right to work in New Zealand. Pre-employment checks will be undertaken.

The starting salary will be between $111,510 - $139,387 based on skills, experience and internal relativities.

How to apply

Please submit your CV and a cover letter via jobs.tepapa.govt.nz

Applications close: 25 August 2026

For a confidential discussion, contact the Head of Collection Care and Access simonw@tepapa.govt.nz