Temporary Assistant Registrar, Collections at Museum of Fine Arts, Houston

Title                                          Assistant Registrar, Collections (Temporary Assignment)             

Date of Job Description         October, 2025

Classification                          Non-Exempt – Hourly

Work Schedule                       Monday to Friday 9 am to 5 pm

Term                                         Temporary Assignment – Six (6) month term[1]

Location                                   Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (Beck Building)

As an Assistant Registrar, you will work closely with the Collections Registrar and the Associate Registrar for New Accessions to document works of art entering the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston’s permanent collection. You will also collaborate with the Curatorial Departments to ensure that accurate records are created and maintained for inclusion in the Online Collections Database.

Essential Duties:

• Assist with annual artwork inventory.
• Photograph artwork as needed and update images in database.
• Apply physical numbers to nonaccessioned property, frames, archives objects, equipment and tag commodities.
• Update permanent collection exhibition records.
• Manage backlog of physical and digital Collections Files including temporary receipt paperwork, accession files, long term loan paperwork, and pertinent paperwork from outgoing loans. Assist in movement of relevant files to Archives.
• Work in conjunction with other collections registrars on large and special projects.
  • Examples: Local outgoing loans, large incoming collections for acquisition.
• Point person for office art requests.
• Assist with unpacking and packing of artwork, as needed.

Skills, Knowledge, and Abilities:

• Strong computer skills required;
• Must have exceptional organizational skills, be able to prioritize tasks and manage numerous projects at once.
• Must be a team player who can work well with others in the Registration, Preparations, and Curatorial departments.

Education and Experience:

• Bachelor's degree in related field OR an equivalent combination of experience and education from which comparable and demonstrable knowledge, skills and abilities have been achieved.
• Two (2) years of experience in museum registration related employment

Preferred Experience

• Previous experience with “The Museum System” (TMS)
• Experience with art-handling

Working Conditions and Physical Demands

Work will primarily be performed in an office environment.  Work will involve extended sitting and computer use.  With or without reasonable accommodation, the individual selected must have the capacity to perform effectively all essential functions. In addition to the other demands mentioned, the demands of the job may or will include:

• Must undergo and meet company standards for background and reference checks.
• Required ability to handle multiple tasks concurrently.
• Extensive computer usage.
• Seeing, hearing, speaking, and writing clearly in order to communicate with staff, guests and others.
• Frequent sitting, standing and walking, which may be required for extended periods of time.
• Good vision or corrected by use of glasses and/or contacts for reading and viewing abilities.

Given the nature of this work and this temporary assignment, regular attendance on campus is required.

More About The Organization:

The MFAH is an organization comprised of 600+ employees and 1,000+ docents and volunteers. The museum is more than 100 years old and ranks nationally among the top 10 art museums in exhibition space, memberships, endowments, and attendance, with 1M visitors annually. Our multifaceted institution includes multiple gallery buildings, a sculpture garden, two art schools, three eateries and two house museums for decorative arts. The encyclopedic collection numbers more than 70,000 works of art in a wide range of media.

Equal Opportunities for All

At the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston we believe that diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusivity are fundamental to our organization. We welcome all candidates whose experience has prepared them to contribute to our organization and to our pledge for workplace diversity, inclusion, and excellence.

Our commitment to our policy and practice of nondiscrimination represents more than good intentions. It provides for employment decisions that are made without regard to race, creed, color, age, gender, sexual orientation, religion, national origin, gender identity or expression, genetic information, disability, or veteran status, or any other protected characteristic as established by law or any other reason unrelated to your ability to join and contribute to our organization and support our mission to provide a museum experience for all.

The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston is equally committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals interested in employment with the organization. As part of this commitment, we want to ensure that persons with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation needed to 1) participate in the job application or 2) interview process; 3) perform essential job functions; and/or 4) participate in the benefits and privileges of employment with the MFAH. If reasonable accommodation is needed, please contact the human resources department: [email protected]

Compensation:

The MFAH schedules pay bi-weekly.  The hourly pay rate for this temporary assignment will be commensurate with the applicant's experience and the needs and requirements expressed in the job description.  The MFAH has set the pay range for this job and level as a general guideline and not a guarantee of the compensation amount or salary. Additional factors considered in extending an offer include (but are not limited to) responsibilities of the job, education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities, the needs and requirements expressed in the job description, as well as internal equity, alignment with market data, and any related regulations or other laws.

[1] This assignment is expected to last six (6) months.  As a temporary assignment, there is no guarantee of future or continued employment beyond the expected term.  With that said, there may be an opportunity for extension if operationally needed and mutually agreed.