Job Vacancy: Curator at the Ethnographic Collection of the University of Göttingen

The Institute of Social and Cultural Anthropology, Faculty of Social Sciences, and The Ethnographic Collection of the Georg-August-Universität Göttingen are seeking to fill the position of a Curator (Payment group 14 TV- with an unlimited employment contract)
by 1 March 2016. Under certain circumstances, an applicant already employed in a tenured research position with the civil service can be taken over as a civil servant.

Göttingen University's Ethnographic Collection is one of the most important educational and research collections in German-speaking countries. Its beginnings date back to the late Age of Enlightenment. It is the initiative of renowned scholars at the Georgia Augusta in the second half of the 18th century that we have to thank for the artefacts from Polynesia (Cook-Forster Collection) and the arctic polar region (Baron von Asch Collection) making their way to Göttingen. These two internationally unique core inventories form the historical flagship of the Ethnographic Collection and substantiate their international reputations.

Today, the approximately 18,000 objects with origins in Asia, Oceania, America and Africa spanning more than three centuries provide insights into the cultural accomplishments and artistic creations of a diverse number of non-European ethnic groups. The objects are incorporated routinely into research and teaching activities and used for exhibition practice as well.

Your duties:
Alongside the scientific and academic management, systematic research, documentation, maintenance and care, digitisation and expansion of the ethnological collections (specifically Cook-Forster Collection and Baron von Asch Collection), your work of the next years will focus on the conception and implementation of exhibition projects within the scope of both permanent and special exhibitions. Additionally, your duties will entail your own research, the development of research projects, academic teaching in the BA and MA degree programmes offered by the Institute of Social and Cultural Anthropology, fostering student involvement in activities relating to the Collection, managing the provision of ethnographic objects on loan or for courses, authoring and editing scholarly publications and exhibition catalogues, recruiting third-party funds, processing academic queries and supervising volunteers and interns, among others. Public Relations with guided tours of and lectures on the Collection similarly belong to your scope of responsibilities. Ultimately, the Curator is expected to cooperate with the general association of academic collections at Göttingen University ("Collection Initiative").

Your profile:

• −  You have earned an academic university degree at the level of M.A., Master's or an
  equivalent qualification and a doctoral degree in social and cultural anthropology or a
  related subject;
  
• −  many years' experience with museum and exhibition work;
  
• −  experience with major exhibition projects;
  
• −  proof of scientific publications (incl. exhibition catalogues);
  
• −  teaching experience;
  
• −  regional expertise in at least one of the collection’s focal regions;
  
• −  public relations experience for museums and exhibitions;−  communication and organisational skills, with primary emphasis on collaboration with international partners;
  −  highly proficient in written and spoken English.

• The University of Göttingen strives to increase its proportion of female staff in fields where women are underrepresented and emphatically encourages qualified women to apply. Severely disabled persons with the appropriate qualifications will be given priority.
  
  Interested candidates are requested to submit their applications consisting of the usual documents by 28.06.2015 (the electronic form is also welcome) to: Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Institute of Social and Cultural Anthropology, Theaterplatz 15, 37073 Göttingen, Germany or ethno@gwdg.de.
  
  For inquiries, Ms. Kristin Jansen-Enabulele is happy to be available at phone number +49(0)0551 39-7892 or by e-mail at kjansen@sowi.uni-goettingen.de.
  
  Please only submit copies of your application documents. The documents will be destroyed after an archiving period of five months. They shall only be returned if a self-addressed stamped envelope with sufficient postage is enclosed.