Conservator to collection manager
A conservator already meets 43% of what the collection manager role asks for. The move turns on 11 required skills not yet in the profile.
60.2/ 100
1 How much of what a collection manager is expected to do is already part of a conservator’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 collection manager role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A collection manager role treats 9 of its required skills as things a conservator already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- art history
- assess museum object condition
- cope with challenging demands
- create collection conservation plan
- interact with an audience
- museum databases
What stands in the way is 11 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 12 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A collection manager role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a conservator background worth leading with.
- already held assess museum object condition information skills
- already held create collection conservation plan management skills
- already held provide project information on exhibitions communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held respect cultural differences in the field of exhibition communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held cope with challenging demands communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held use ICT resources to solve work related tasks working with computers
All 12 carried skills, including the 9 the collection manager role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 18 missing skills fall into 7 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 compile detailed collection inventory required
- 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 collection management software required
- still to learn digitization required
- optional, not held museology optional
- still to learn handle artworks required
- still to learn supervise artefact movement required
- still to learn advise on loans of art work for exhibitions required
- optional, not held arrange interlibrary loans optional
- optional, not held manage budgets optional
- still to learn conservation techniques required
- still to learn establish high standards of collections care required
1 further area in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a collection 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 collection management software study this
- 03 compile detailed collection inventory 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 12 skills that carry over
- already held art history knowledge
- already held assess museum object condition skill
- already held cope with challenging demands skill
- already held create collection conservation plan skill
- already held interact with an audience skill
- already held museum databases knowledge
- already held provide project information on exhibitions skill
- already held respect cultural differences in the field of exhibition skill
- already held use ICT resources to solve work related tasks skill
- already held art-historical values knowledge
- already held coordinate operational activities skill
- already held evaluate art quality skill
The 1 learning area not shown above
- optional, not held contribute to specialised publications optional
- optional, not held present exhibition optional
- optional, not held coach employees optional
- optional, not held train employees optional
7 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held contribute to specialised publications optional
- optional, not held museology optional
- optional, not held arrange interlibrary loans optional
- optional, not held present exhibition optional
- optional, not held coach employees optional
- optional, not held manage budgets optional
- optional, not held train employees optional
21 held skills the collection manager role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role apply restoration techniques skill
- not needed by the target role apply strategic thinking skill
- not needed by the target role art collections knowledge
- not needed by the target role assess conservation needs skill
- not needed by the target role create solutions to problems skill
- not needed by the target role cultural history knowledge
- not needed by the target role cultural projects knowledge
- not needed by the target role ensure safety of exhibition skill
- not needed by the target role estimate restoration costs skill
- not needed by the target role estimate restoration costs of antique items skill
- not needed by the target role examine conservation issues skill
- not needed by the target role furniture, carpet and lighting equipment products knowledge
- not needed by the target role historic architecture knowledge
- not needed by the target role history knowledge
- not needed by the target role meet deadlines skill
- not needed by the target role perform project management skill
- not needed by the target role plan measures to safeguard cultural heritage skill
- not needed by the target role present reports skill
- not needed by the target role provide conservation advice skill
- not needed by the target role structure information skill
- not needed by the target role supervise projects for the conservation of heritage buildings skill
4 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 collection management software required
- still to learn conservation techniques required
- still to learn digitization required
- optional, not held museology optional
Common questions about this move
Can a conservator become a collection manager?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A conservator already covers 43% of what a collection manager is expected to do: 12 skills carry over, 9 of which the collection manager role treats as required.
What skills does a conservator need to become a collection manager?
11 required skills are missing, plus 7 optional ones. They fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by information skills. The single most important is advise on loans of art work for exhibitions.
How hard is the move from conservator to collection manager?
Its learning distance is 60.2 out of 100, which is the substantial 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.