Assistant Manager/ Manager - Collections Management

THIS IS A 2-YEAR RENEWABLE CONTRACT ROLE

The jobholder will be part of the Curatorial & Collections (C&C) Department at Defence Collective Singapore (DCS), supporting the management, stewardship, and governance of artefact collections across its five entities: Singapore Discovery Centre, Singapore Army Museum, Singapore Air Force Museum, Singapore Navy Museum, and the NS Gallery.

Working within a dynamic and collaborative environment, the jobholder will oversee collections management operations and contribute to the acquisition, documentation, care, storage, movement, and long-term stewardship of MINDEF’s collections under DCS’s custodianship. The role will also support the planning and delivery of exhibitions, gallery refreshes, loans, and collections-related projects, ensuring that collections management practices align with professional museum standards and organisational objectives.

The jobholder will work closely with the Curatorial and Oral History teams within C&C, as well as internal stakeholders from the Exhibition Team and Museum Teams, and external stakeholders from the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) and the Heritage Management Department from MINDEF, to ensure effective collections governance, operational coordination, and the preservation of Singapore’s defence heritage.

Key Responsibilities

Collections Stewardship, Operations & Governance

· Plan, coordinate, and oversee collections management operations, including acquisition, loans, registration, documentation, storage, movement, and return of museum collections, ensuring compliance with established policies, standard operating procedures, and recognised museum standards.

· Ensure the long-term care, preservation, security, and accessibility of collections through preventive conservation, environmental monitoring, and appropriate collections management practices.

· Maintain accurate collections records and inventory within the Collections Management System (Qi), ensuring the integrity and traceability of all collection data.

· Drive continuous improvements to collections policies, procedures, systems, and operational workflows to strengthen collections stewardship, governance, and organisational effectiveness.

· Partner with Curators, Exhibition Team, Service Museum, and POCs from the SAF, to support the planning and delivery of permanent galleries refreshes/ revamp, temporary exhibitions, loans requests, and other collections-related projects.

· Assess, plan, and coordinate collections requirements during exhibition planning, including object suitability, conservation, environmental, security, mounting, and display requirements to ensure operational feasibility and the safe display of artefacts.

· Lead the end-to-end operational delivery of artefact display for exhibitions and projects, including artefact preparation, condition reporting, framing, mount fabrication, display installation, art handling, logistics coordination, post-display object returns, and storage, ensuring compliance with conservation requirements, established polices, standard operating procedures, and recognised museum standards.

· Build and maintain effective collaboration with internal stakeholders, including the Curatorial, Oral History, Exhibition and Service Museum teams, and with external stakeholders from the SAF Services, MINDEF, conservators, art handlers, mounters, fabricators, and logistics providers to ensure the timely and successful delivery of exhibitions, collections-related projects, and operational requirements.

· Support the Senior Manager in overseeing the day-to-day operations of the Collections team by leading the operational coordination of collections-related projects and cross-functional workstreams, developing implementation plans, coordinating collections requirements and procurement activities, monitoring project timelines and deliverables, proactively identifying and mitigating project risks, resolving operational issues, escalating matters where appropriate, and ensuring compliance with collections policies, governance requirements, and recognised museum standards.

The role operates within a dynamic, multi-museum environment where the jobholder will be expected to balance competing operational priorities, coordinate diverse internal and external stakeholders, and manage multiple concurrent projects. The jobholder should be comfortable navigating ambiguity, adapting to evolving project requirements, and working collaboratively across cross-functional teams to achieve operational outcomes. Success in the role requires strong organisational and stakeholder management skills, sound operational judgement, and the ability to deliver collections outcomes while upholding professional museum standards, governance requirements, and organisational priorities.

· Degree in Arts Management, Museum Studies, History, Archaeology, Heritage Management, Conservation, Information Management, or a related discipline and/or;

· Professional training or certification in collections management, museum registration, conservation, project management, or procurement would be an advantage and/or;

· Familiarity with recognised museum collections management standards and practices is preferred.

· At least 5 years of relevant experience in museum collections management, registration, exhibitions, or heritage management, including experience in preparing artefacts for exhibition and/or conducting collections inventory and documentation for legacy or uncatalogued collections.

· Experience working with multiple stakeholders, contractors, procurement processes, and cross-functional teams within a museum or heritage environment.

· Strong organisational, stakeholder management, and project coordination skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities, navigate ambiguity, and deliver outcomes in a structured and systematic manner.

· Meticulous, analytical, and operationally driven, with sound judgement, strong attention to detail, and a commitment to professional museum standards, governance, compliance, and collections stewardship.

· Dependable, proactive, adaptable, and collaborative, with the ability to work independently, exercise initiative within delegated authority, and build effective working relationships across multidisciplinary teams.