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Curator, Indigenous Content

Job ID26-87-63-FC-65-25
CompanyCanadian Museum For Human Rights
LocationWinnipeg
ProvinceManitoba
Date Posted2021-07-23
Posted Until2021-08-22
Job TypeFull-time
Job CategoryMiscellaneous
Description
The Canadian Museum for Human Rights (CMHR) is a national museum dedicated to the evolution, celebration and future of human rights. It is the first national museum in Canada to be built outside the National Capital Region. Located in the heart of Canada in Winnipeg, Manitoba, the CMHR rises from the Prairie earth at The Forks, which has been a meeting place for over six thousand years.

The CMHR delivers an immersive, interactive and memorable experience for visitors of every background, age and ability. Each visitor has access to a fully reinvented museum experience that reflects a design approach that sets new Canadian and world standards for inclusion and universal accessibility.

We are seeking talented individuals who are motivated to share their passion and commitment to join our team. Together, we aim to enhance the public's understanding of human rights, to promote respect for others, and to encourage reflection and dialogue.

Purpose of Position

The Canadian Museum for Human Rights (CMHR) is centered around the idea that respect and understanding of human rights can serve as a positive force for change in the world. The Curator, Indigenous Content will support our collective efforts to build a workplace culture that is inclusive, equitable, innovative and focused on inspiring action.

Reporting to the Director, Research and Head Curator, curators are responsible for ensuring that CMHR’s human rights content across all departments is accurate, authentic, relevant, balanced and aligned with current strategic priorities so that CMHR can successfully fulfil its legislated mandate as a Canadian national museum.

Curators conduct research to create human rights content which is communicated to a broad array of audiences through various museum initiatives including exhibitions (physical, digital and online), events and programs, as well as public and scholarly engagement. The incumbent will be a strong and thoughtful communicator, critical thinker and innovator, and will bring a collaborative approach to their role.

Key Responsibilities

• Contributes to a culture that promotes respect, equity, inclusion and innovation, and models anti-racist and accountable behaviours.
• Proposes and curates exhibitions on human rights issues from a variety of disciplines on topics of interest to the CMHR.
• Plans and conducts research (primary, secondary, and oral history) on human rights issues using various methods and sources.
• Conducts external engagement and relationship-building with individuals and communities whose stories will be shared in Museum projects and programs.
• Participates in the dissemination of information on exhibitions, including staff training, media promotion and visitor inquiries, and contributes to social media and programming.
• Plans and conducts oral history interviews to document lived experiences and other aspects of Canada’s intangible heritage.
• Contributes to CMHR’s Collections by engaging in the stewardship or acquisition of artefacts, photographs and archival material related to their areas of expertise.
• Provides expert advice to the CMHR executive and other CMHR departments on the subject of human rights, including risk assessment and issues management.

Required qualifications

• Completion of a graduate degree in a field involving in-depth research on topics relevant to Indigenous concepts of rights and responsibilities (history, political science, sociology, law, cultural studies, anthropology, oral history, etc.) or an equivalent combination of education and experience in a relevant area.
• Minimum of 3 years experience in conducting scholarly or community-based research relevant to human rights or Indigenous studies.
• Commitment to human rights principles, including respect, equity, inclusion and dignity for all.
• Demonstrated in-depth knowledge in a field related to Indigenous concepts of rights and responsibilities.
• Knowledge of scholarly research methodologies relevant to Indigenous studies.
• Experience in communicating research findings on human rights topics to academic and non-academic audiences.
• Experience using a variety of research databases, A/V asset databases and Microsoft Suite.
• Experience engaging in dialogue with people of varying viewpoints and arriving at productive outcomes.
• Ability to conduct research using a variety of digital sources, basic understanding of various digital, reference and research platforms used to disseminate content.
• Strong analytical skills, ability to synthesize disparate information in accessible ways.
• Strong interpersonal skills, ability to collaborate with multiple teams within the department and across all divisions; tact and diplomacy in working on projects of a sensitive or controversial nature.
• Strong communication skills, both oral and written, ability to convey difficult subject matter to a wide range of audiences (scholarly, public, media, etc.).
• Strong attention to detail, particularly with regard to accuracy, balance, authenticity and integrity of the Museum’s subject matter. Focused on producing a high quality and credible outcome.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to manage multiple concurrent projects and deadlines; strong organization skills.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a team-oriented environment.
• Demonstrated ability to manage competing or divergent perspectives.

Desired qualifications

• PhD in a field relevant to Indigenous concepts of rights and responsibilities.
• Demonstrated experience in curation (including research, exhibitions and collections development) or equivalent experience.
• The ability to communicate proficiently in both official languages, oral and written, is a significant asset.
• Experience contributing subject matter expertise, e.g., on committees, panels or editorial boards; by reviewing papers and grant applications; by teaching at the university level and/or supervising students.
• Experience with project management software.
• Familiarity with basic oral history audio recording equipment.

Other

• Ability to work in an office environment, reading lengthy documents and prolonged periods at a desk and/or computer.
• Travel may be required.
• Based on the type of work required of this position, individuals in this role may be exposed to high mental and emotional stress due to the difficulty of the subject matter (abuse, torture, death, etc.) and the process of conducting oral history interviews.

Conditions of Employment

• Security Screening Level – Reliability Status
• Child Abuse Registry Check
LanguagesEnglish
How To ApplyApplication Procedure

Interested applicants should submit a cover letter and résumé through CMHR’s Careers page at https://humanrights.ca/about/careers by August 12, 2021. The cover letter must provide concrete examples that illustrate how they meet the education and experience aspects listed in the Required and Desired Qualifications.

The Canadian Museum for Human Rights (CMHR) believes that a diversity of experiences and thought drives innovation and transformation. We are working towards building a workforce that is representative of the community in which we live and that we serve. We are committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all and encourage you to identify your employment equity status in your cover letter. The information you voluntarily disclose will be kept confidential and used solely for the purpose of increasing workforce diversity.

The CMHR is committed to developing a work environment and recruitment processes that are inclusive and barrier-free. Please advise the HR representative if accommodation measures must be taken to enable you to apply and be assessed in a fair and equitable manner.

Intent / Result of process: An eligibility list of qualified candidates may be created as a result of this process. The list would have a retention schedule of six months.

If contacted about this job posting, please advise us if you require any accommodations regarding the interview process.