Description
The Baltimore Museum of Art (BMA) seeks a dynamic and experienced Director of Registration to lead all aspects of collections care, documentation, and stewardship for one of the nation’s foremost art museums. The Director oversees a team of six professionals (five Registrars and one Art Packer) and fosters a culture of collaboration, accountability, and innovation. The ideal candidate is a good communicator, stellar team player, and positive leader with a “can-do” attitude who inspires excellence across departments.
In addition to their leadership and managerial responsibilities, the Director serves as the BMA’s senior exhibitions registrar and will regularly act as the registrar of record for approximately 1–2 exhibitions each year.
As the BMA advances its goals in accessibility and innovation, the Director will prioritize digitization of the collection, its integration into the Museum’s soon-to-be-launched website update, and continued accuracy in cataloguing and documentation. The role also leads efforts to modernize collection housing and storage and to share its collection across the state, county, and world through loans and exhibitions.
Recently ranked by the Washington Post as one of the top 20 museums in the United States, the Baltimore Museum of Art is an internationally renowned museum with the world’s largest public collection of works by Henri Matisse. The BMA embodies a commitment to artistic excellence and social equity in every decision from art presentation, interpretation, and collecting to the composition of the Board of Trustees, staff, and volunteers—creating a museum welcoming to all. Serving nearly 250,000 visitors annually, the BMA is the largest art museum in Maryland and is a vibrant institution embraced as an indispensable element of community life, a vital educational resource for a broad and diverse audience, and a leader in the revitalization of the city that surrounds it. In the upcoming years, the work of the BMA will be guided and shaped by four strategic priorities: (1) Interweaving global and local histories; (2) Building a more artist-centered institution; (3) Deepening our commitment to education in all its forms; and (4) Developing greater community partnerships
The ideal candidate is a seasoned museum professional with experience in medium-to-large-sized art museums and deep expertise in both collection management and complex exhibition logistics. The Director of Registration reports to the Eddie C. and C. Sylvia Brown Chief Curator and collaborates closely with colleagues in the Curatorial, Exhibitions, Conservation, Installation, and Finance and Administration departments.
ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
As the leader of the Registrar’s Office, the Director of Registration is responsible for overseeing the following responsibilities:
Leadership & Administration
- Directs the Registrar’s Office, supervising, mentoring, and training registration and art handling staff, contractors, volunteers, and interns.
- Manages workload distribution, department budgeting, reporting, and expenditure tracking.
- Represents the department on institutional teams.
Exhibition Planning & Implementation
- Serves as lead registrar on 1–2 exhibitions annually.
- Reviews exhibition proposals, budgets, and contracts for feasibility and compliance.
- Assigns staff, manages checklists and loan documentation, and ensures adherence to standards.
Oversees all arrangements for insurance, shipping, unpacking, installation, repacking, and condition reports, maintaining all standards.
Oversees applications for Museum compliance with U.S. Federal regulations including TSA requirements; serves as Principal Security Coordinator for Indemnity, Immunity from Seizure, NAGPRA, and CITES compliance.
Collections Stewardship
- Ensures accurate documentation and legal compliance for ~100,000 artworks.
- Oversees acquisitions, provenance research, legal agreements, inventory control, collections access, and deaccessioning processes.
- Maintains complete accountability for object locations, movements, and records.
Serves as 24-hour on-call contact for emergency situations involving works of art.
Exhibitions, Loans & Art Handling
- Shares responsibility for safe handling, packing, transport, storage, and care of artworks with Directors of Exhibitions, Installation, and Conservation.
- Approves shipping, couriering, and insurance arrangements; evaluates borrowing institutions.
- Oversees logistics and risk management for traveling exhibitions; serves as emergency contact for artwork.
QUALIFICATIONS
Bachelor’s degree required
Master’s degree in museum studies, Art History, or a related field preferred.
Minimum of seven years of museum registration experience required; Ten to fifteen years of experience preferred
Demonstrated experience leading and supervising a team of museum registrars required, managing in a union environment a plus
Knowledge of best practices in fine art packing, shipping, insurance, and collections care required
Experience in both collections management and exhibitions planning required
Ability to travel as needed.
Familiarity with museum collection management systems required; knowledge of The Museum System (TMS) preferred.
Knowledge of art history desirable.
BENEFITS
The BMA is an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. We are committed to building a culturally diverse staff and strongly encourage all qualified professionals to apply.
We offer a competitive salary and a generous benefits package. For this exempt position we offer medical, dental, vision, prescription, 403b retirement plan with match, long term disability, flexible spending account, flexible and condensed scheduling, museum and restaurant discounts, and reduced gym membership fee. We also offer accrued vacation, holidays, personal days, floating holidays, and sick days.
SALARY - $91,838 annually
APPLY
Research suggests that women and individuals from underrepresented backgrounds often apply to jobs only if they meet 100% of the qualifications. We recognize that it is highly unlikely that an applicant meets 100% of the qualifications for a given role. Therefore, if much of this posting describes you, then you are highly encouraged to apply for this role.
Please send a cover letter with salary requirements and resume to HR@artbma.org with “Director of Registration” your first and last name in the subject line.
Incomplete application materials will not be considered.
Position will be posted until filled.
No phone calls please.
All employees must be legally authorized to work in the United States. The museum does not sponsor
