Museum Collections Assistant Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Job Description | Facilities Maintenance

Division | Operations

Department | Facilities Operations

Reporting Relationship | Senior Manager, Building Services

About The Newark Museum of Art:

We acknowledge the traditional homelands of the Lenape, also known as the Delaware, upon which The Newark Museum of Art resides.

We welcome everyone with inclusive experiences that spark curiosity and foster community.

Founded in 1909 and located in New Jersey, The Newark Museum of Art (NMOA) is the state's largest museum and ranks twelfth nationally in terms of collection size. Global and diasporic, the collection includes more than 130,000 artworks, as well as significant holdings of science and natural history. From the ancient world to the art of today, NMOA boasts exceptional quality and depth in the Arts of Global Africa; Arts of Global Asia, featuring a renown Tibetan collection and Buddhist altar; Arts of the Americas, with particular strength in Native American art; Arts of the Ancient Mediterranean, and Decorative Arts.

Visitor-and community-centered, NMOA responds to the evolving needs and interests of the diverse publics it serves by offering exhibitions, programming, a research library, paid internships, and local and global partnerships. A four-acre campus includes the National Historic Landmark Ballantine House (1885); the Ward Carriage House (1868); the Old Stone School House (1784); and the Alice Ransom Dreyfuss Memorial Garden. NMOA has launched an era of transformation to create an engaged citizenry by reimagining the role of the art museum for the 21st century.

Job Summary:

Reporting to the Senior Manager, Building Services, Facilities Maintenance performs a variety of cleaning, maintenance, and operational support tasks in accordance with the Museum’s safety, preservation, and facility standards. This role is responsible for maintaining the Museum’s interior and exterior spaces and supporting daily operations, including cleaning, event setup, and general building upkeep. This position helps ensure a safe, clean, and welcoming environment for visitors, staff, and the Museum’s collections.

Work Schedule: This position is a full-time, on-site position, required to work on-site five (5) days per week from 8:00–5:00pm. Facilities Maintenance staff work a 40-hour workweek, including holidays and weekends. Overtime is available for other shifts.

Available Shifts:

Responsibilities:

• Perform daily cleaning tasks, including dusting, mopping, stripping/waxing floors, vacuuming rugs, high dusting, removing fingerprints from surfaces, and general cleaning.
• Follow Museum protocols when working in galleries, storage, or collection areas to ensure the safety and preservation of artwork and artifacts.
• Maintain a safe and clean and organized environment for visitors, staff, and museum collections.
• Assist with exterior maintenance, including snow removal, salting walkways, and basic grounds upkeep.
• Support emergency response procedures related to building operations or safety incidents.
• Clean drinking fountains, coolers, glass doors, mirrors, and bathrooms; remove trash and recycling.
• Replace light bulbs and minor fixtures as needed.
• Set up and break down spaces for public programs, meetings, special events, building rentals, and other functions on Museum property.
• Safely move furniture, fixtures, and other Museum property as required.
• Maintain inventory of cleaning supplies, equipment, and materials; distribute supplies as needed.
• Operate ladders or personal hydraulic lifts to access elevated areas when necessary.

• Drive Museum vehicles when required.
• Perform security-related tasks when needed.
• Complete other duties as assigned.

Knowledge, Skills, and Attributes:

Working Conditions/Physical Demands:

• Ability to remain in a stationary period for extended periods of time, move about, access, and operate equipment.

• Ability to lift and move up to fifty (50) pounds.
• Ability to navigate accessible public and administrative areas of the Museum, including use of elevators.

Rate: $18.18/hourly

The Newark Museum of Art is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Upholding this commitment, we prohibit discrimination and harassment of any type and afford equal employment opportunities to employees and applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, age, national origin, disability status, genetic information, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. This commitment applies to all aspects of employment, including but not limited to recruitment, hiring, compensation, training, promotion, placement, transfer, layoff, recall, leaves of absence, and termination.

We embrace a culture of inclusive excellence, ensuring that people of all backgrounds, identities, or abilities are empowered to explore, learn, contribute, and engage with the arts. Since its founding in 1909, the Museum has been grounded in the belief that art and learning are for everyone. The Museum reaffirms its dedication to this inclusive vision, which has shaped its aspirations, actions, and policies for over a century. More information on the Newark Museum of Art’s commitment to a culture of inclusive excellence can be found here.

The Newark Museum of Art is dedicated to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals. As an integral part of this commitment, reasonable accommodation may be provided to applicants and employees to support them in performing the essential functions of their roles, unless doing so would cause undue hardship for the organization. For inquiries regarding reasonable accommodation, please contact accessibility@newarkmuseumart.org.