Museum director to collection manager
A museum director already meets 34% of what the collection manager role asks for. The move turns on 13 required skills not yet in the profile.
67.7/ 100
1 How much of what a collection manager is expected to do is already part of a museum director’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 7 of its required skills as things a museum director already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- advise on loans of art work for exhibitions
- art history
- document museum collection
- handle artworks
- implement risk management for works of art
- monitor museum environment
What stands in the way is 13 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 10 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 museum director background worth leading with.
- already held museology social sciences, journalism and information
- already held implement risk management for works of art information skills
- already held advise on loans of art work for exhibitions management skills
- already held monitor museum environment information skills
- already held document museum collection information skills
- already held handle artworks handling and moving
All 10 carried skills, including the 7 the collection manager role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 20 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 cope with challenging demands required
- still to learn provide project information on exhibitions required
- still to learn respect cultural differences in the field of exhibition required
- still to learn interact with an audience required
- 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
- still to learn assess museum object condition required
- still to learn compile detailed collection inventory required
- optional, not held evaluate art quality optional
- still to learn collection management software required
- still to learn digitization required
- still to learn create collection conservation plan required
- optional, not held arrange interlibrary loans optional
- optional, not held coordinate operational activities optional
- still to learn conservation techniques required
- still to learn establish high standards of collections care required
2 further areas 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 assess museum object condition 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 10 skills that carry over
- already held advise on loans of art work for exhibitions skill
- already held art history knowledge
- already held document museum collection skill
- already held handle artworks skill
- already held implement risk management for works of art skill
- already held monitor museum environment skill
- already held museum databases knowledge
- already held art-historical values knowledge
- already held manage budgets skill
- already held museology knowledge
The 2 learning areas not shown above
- still to learn supervise artefact movement required
- still to learn use ICT resources to solve work related tasks required
7 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held contribute to specialised publications optional
- optional, not held arrange interlibrary loans optional
- optional, not held evaluate art quality optional
- optional, not held present exhibition optional
- optional, not held coach employees optional
- optional, not held coordinate operational activities optional
- optional, not held train employees optional
37 held skills the collection manager role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role advertise an art collection skill
- not needed by the target role advise on art handling skill
- not needed by the target role analyse packaging requirements skill
- not needed by the target role approve reports for artistic project skill
- not needed by the target role art collections knowledge
- not needed by the target role assist clients with special needs skill
- not needed by the target role classical antiquity knowledge
- not needed by the target role collaborate in the development of marketing strategies skill
- not needed by the target role conduct scholarly research skill
- not needed by the target role consult exhibition organisers skill
- not needed by the target role coordinate marketing plan actions skill
- not needed by the target role develop classification systems skill
- not needed by the target role ensure infrastructure accessibility skill
- not needed by the target role ensure safety conditions in storage rooms skill
- not needed by the target role evaluate cultural venue visitor needs skill
- not needed by the target role history knowledge
- not needed by the target role install artwork in gallery skill
- not needed by the target role investigation research methods knowledge
- not needed by the target role liaise with colleagues skill
- not needed by the target role liaise with educational institutions skill
- not needed by the target role liaise with managers skill
- not needed by the target role liaise with shareholders skill
- not needed by the target role maintain catalogue collection skill
- not needed by the target role maintain museum records skill
- not needed by the target role manage fundraising activities skill
- not needed by the target role manage rented goods returns skill
- not needed by the target role manage staff skill
- not needed by the target role marketing management knowledge
- not needed by the target role marketing principles knowledge
- not needed by the target role organise participation in local or international events skill
- not needed by the target role paleontology knowledge
- not needed by the target role perform fundraising activities skill
- not needed by the target role plan art educational activities skill
- not needed by the target role public relations knowledge
- not needed by the target role sell art skill
- not needed by the target role store goods skill
- not needed by the target role supervise art gallery staff skill
3 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
Common questions about this move
Can a museum director become a collection manager?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A museum director already covers 34% of what a collection manager is expected to do: 10 skills carry over, 7 of which the collection manager role treats as required.
What skills does a museum director need to become a collection manager?
13 required skills are missing, plus 7 optional ones. They fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is assess museum object condition.
How hard is the move from museum director to collection manager?
Its learning distance is 67.7 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.