Archivist to cultural archive manager
An archivist already meets 15% of what the cultural archive manager role asks for. The move turns on 16 required skills not yet in the profile.
82.4/ 100
1 How much of what a cultural archive manager is expected to do is already part of an archivist’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the cultural archive manager role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A cultural archive manager role treats 3 of its required skills as things an archivist already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- collection management
- conservation techniques
- manage budgets
What stands in the way is 16 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 5 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A cultural archive manager role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of an archivist background worth leading with.
- already held collection management social sciences, journalism and information
- already held study a collection information skills
- already held manage digital archives information skills
- already held conservation techniques arts and humanities
- already held manage budgets management skills
All 5 carried skills, including the 3 the cultural archive manager role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 29 missing skills fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn advise on loans of art work for exhibitions required
- still to learn create collection conservation plan required
- still to learn manage staff required
- still to learn perform clerical duties required
- still to learn supervise work required
- optional, not held identify process improvements optional
- optional, not held coordinate operational activities optional
- still to learn monitor museum environment required
- still to learn document museum collection required
- still to learn implement risk management for works of art required
- still to learn monitor artistic activities required
- optional, not held manage archive optional
- optional, not held assess museum object condition optional
- optional, not held compile detailed collection inventory optional
- optional, not held evaluate art quality optional
- still to learn cope with challenging demands required
- still to learn respect cultural differences in the field of exhibition required
- optional, not held present exhibition optional
- optional, not held provide project information on exhibitions optional
- optional, not held coach employees optional
- still to learn art collections required
- optional, not held art history optional
- still to learn project management required
- optional, not held budgetary principles optional
- still to learn supervise artefact movement required
- optional, not held handle artworks optional
2 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a cultural archive manager role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 advise on loans of art work for exhibitions practise this
- 02 art collections study this
- 03 cope with challenging demands practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 5 skills that carry over
- already held collection management knowledge
- already held conservation techniques knowledge
- already held manage budgets skill
- already held manage digital archives skill
- already held study a collection skill
The 2 learning areas not shown above
- still to learn museum databases required
- optional, not held collection management software optional
- still to learn establish high standards of collections care required
13 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held manage archive optional
- optional, not held art history optional
- optional, not held assess museum object condition optional
- optional, not held budgetary principles optional
- optional, not held collection management software optional
- optional, not held compile detailed collection inventory optional
- optional, not held evaluate art quality optional
- optional, not held handle artworks optional
- optional, not held identify process improvements optional
- optional, not held present exhibition optional
- optional, not held provide project information on exhibitions optional
- optional, not held coach employees optional
- optional, not held coordinate operational activities optional
22 held skills the cultural archive manager role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role aid archive users with their enquiries skill
- not needed by the target role appraise historical documents skill
- not needed by the target role contextualise records collection skill
- not needed by the target role coordinate educational programmes skill
- not needed by the target role create semantic trees skill
- not needed by the target role develop classification systems skill
- not needed by the target role digital curation knowledge
- not needed by the target role digitise documents skill
- not needed by the target role digitization knowledge
- not needed by the target role facilitate access to information skill
- not needed by the target role manage archive users guidelines skill
- not needed by the target role manage digital documents skill
- not needed by the target role manage human resources skill
- not needed by the target role manage information access aids skill
- not needed by the target role perform customer management skill
- not needed by the target role perform records management skill
- not needed by the target role recruit employees skill
- not needed by the target role respect data protection principles skill
- not needed by the target role store archival documents skill
- not needed by the target role use databases skill
- not needed by the target role use software for data preservation skill
- not needed by the target role write scientific publications skill
6 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn art collections required
- still to learn museum databases required
- still to learn project management required
- optional, not held art history optional
- optional, not held budgetary principles optional
- optional, not held collection management software optional
Common questions about this move
Can an archivist become a cultural archive manager?
Yes, and it is a career change move. An archivist already covers 15% of what a cultural archive manager is expected to do: 5 skills carry over, 3 of which the cultural archive manager role treats as required.
What skills does an archivist need to become a cultural archive manager?
16 required skills are missing, plus 13 optional ones. They fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by management skills. The single most important is advise on loans of art work for exhibitions.
How hard is the move from archivist to cultural archive manager?
Its learning distance is 82.4 out of 100, which is the career change band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.