Job Title: Project Registrar
Department: Collections
Job Reports To: Collections Manager

Job Summary
The New-York Historical Society is hiring two Project Registrars who will manage the registrarial aspects of transferring the New-York Historical Society’s collection of 40,000 objects within an off-site storage facility in Jersey City, NJ. They will work in consultation with multiple museum departments including Collections, Curatorial, and Conservation as well as the Museum Database Administrator. The Project Registrars will be responsible for overseeing the work performed by fine art handlers/packers.

These positions are full-time, long-term (temporary).


Major Responsibilities


  • Overseeing collections object transfer from temporary storage at Mana Fine Arts in Jersey City, to the permanent offsite facility at Mana and implementing procedures for the documentation, release, receipt and tracking of all objects.
  • Work closely with the art handlers overseeing the unpacking of objects, shelving of boxes and organization of the collection by classification: paintings, sculpture, furniture, toys/games, decorative arts, Tiffany lamps, etc. into the new storage facility.
  • Documenting/updating the condition of objects and other necessary information in the museum’s database (TMS), and updating the objects’ new temporary and permanent locations using the TMS barcode manager.
  • Perform other reasonable duties as required by the collections transfer project (possibly couriering shipments, etc.)


The ideal candidates will be detail-oriented, team players, able to juggle multiple tasks and shifting priorities, and work productively in a hectic environment. Proven excellence in oral and written communication as well as superior organizational and interpersonal skills are a plus.

Education: Candidates should have a BA/BS degree in a related field; MA in museum studies, art history, history, material culture or related field preferred.

Experience: At least five years registration/collections/exhibition experience in museums. Experience with a large collection move is strongly preferred.

Skills: Required: proficiency with TMS (The Museum System) collection management; proficiency with all MS Office programs and their Google Doc counterparts; knowledge of current registration methods and art handling techniques. Must have experience/knowledge of the handling, storage and care with working with paintings, sculptures, and material culture.
Preferred: experience with TMS barcode manager or other bar-coding systems.

For consideration please send cover letter, resume, and salary requirements to hr1@nyhistory.org. In the subject line please reference the job title. The New-York Historical Society is an Equal Opportunity Employer.