curator, temporary and travelling exhibitions - temporary

The Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21 is Canada’s sixth national museum. Our mission is to share the ongoing story of immigration to Canada—past to present and coast to coast to coast. The Museum is located in the Pier 21 national historic site at the Halifax seaport where nearly one million immigrants landed in Canada from 1928 to 1971.

We have an opening for the role of temporary Curator, Temporary and Travelling Exhibitions, located on site at the Museum in Halifax, Nova Scotia.  This role is temporary for one year to cover a maternity leave of absence.

We are committed to having a skilled, diversified workforce reflective of Canadian Society. Applications are invited from all qualified candidates, including Indigenous persons, women, people of any sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression, visible minorities, racialized people, and people with disabilities.

The Curator, Temporary and Travelling Exhibitions leads the Museum’s Temporary and Travelling Exhibitions department, with a focus on delivering high-quality, accessible and engaging visitor experiences through strategically aligned exhibitions.

 Curatorial & Exhibitions Management

·         Proposes and curates exhibitions and curatorial content for temporary and travelling exhibitions, supporting the Museum’s mandate and goals; 

·         Manages the Museum’s temporary and travelling exhibition programs, including monitoring of all processes to ensure high quality of content, product and service;

·         Leads the Museum’s Community Presents partnership program (a component of temporary exhibitions);

·         Leads the Exhibitions Committee in long-term temporary and travelling exhibitions planning guided by Museum strategic goals and priorities;

·         Works in collaboration with key team members to determine the scope and methods for exhibition content development and interpretation strategies;

·         Conducts primary and secondary research for the development of exhibitions and curatorial content for a variety of platforms;

·         Supports the Curator of Core Exhibitions in the development or updating of content within permanent exhibitions;

 Accessibility & Partnerships

·         Identifies innovative ways of increasing accessibility in exhibitions and engagement with the Museum’s collection and research in collaboration with key team members;

·         Collaborates with the Digital Platforms Manager and other key team members on virtual projects requiring curatorial content;

·         Participates in collection planning in collaboration with the Collection Manager and other key team members to establish Museum collection areas of development; 

·         Collaborates with the Collection Manager to ensure the care and security of Museum collection items and loans on display within Museum temporary and travelling exhibitions;

·         Leads or participates in partnership-based exhibitions, including collaboration with community members, museums, organisations, and government departments;

·         Presents to and exchanges knowledge with colleagues, the public, professional organizations, and academic institutions;

• Represents and promotes the Museum’s exhibition-related activities by participating in regional and national professional networks;

·         Nurtures and develops external partner relationships to strengthen the Museum’s collaboration, impact and reach.

 Administration

·         Manages, provides leadership and guidance to department staff, volunteers, interns, and is responsible for related project contracts and service providers;

·         Determines department priorities and where to focus efforts and appropriate allocation of resources to achieve results;

·         Conducts training and orientation of new department staff, volunteers and interns;

·         Develops and implements policies and procedures for the department;

·         Prepares and monitors the department’s annual budget, goals and associated reports;

·         Ensures compliance with Canadian Acts as they relate to the Museum’s exhibitions and curatorial projects;

·         Maintains a high level of knowledge of current trends and best practices at national and international levels in areas of curation, exhibition planning and development;

• Represents the Curatorial discipline within the organization and to external bodies;

·         Participates in appropriate committee activities and meetings as required;

·         Reports risk issues to the Vice President, Visitor Experience;

·         Other tasks as assigned by the Vice President, Visitor Experience.

Direct Supervision

Supervises the Assistant Curator, Welcome Home to Canada participant and casual on-call preparators

Skills and Qualifications –Required

·         Master’s degree in History, Anthropology, Museum Studies or field relevant to immigration or curating;

·         Minimum of five years of experience working in a museum and thorough understanding of professional museum principles, practices and standards;

·         Minimum of five years of experience in exhibition curation including planning and development in a museum, public historical institution or gallery setting;

·         Management and leadership skills gained through a minimum of five years of experience in supervising staff, volunteers, interns and service providers;

·         Demonstrated project management experience, including planning and delivering projects on time and within scope, while managing resources, budgets, risks, and stakeholder expectations;

·         Experience managing and executing exhibition projects with varying budgets including budgets greater than $70,000 with internal and external partners;

·         Demonstrated ability in working in and creating a team environment focused on enriching visitor experience;

·         Strong interpretive writing skills for a museum audience with varying learning needs;

·         Experience working with collections in a museum, public historical institution or gallery setting;

·         Demonstrated research skills: abilities in locating, evaluating, analyzing and synthesizing historical information from diverse sources;

·         Ability to engage effectively with diverse perspectives and exercise tact, sound judgement and diplomacy in managing complex or sensitive projects;

·         Ability to develop strong networks, relationships and partnerships;

·         Excellent oral and written communication skills;

·         Strong understanding of exhibition design, production and preparation, experience in exhibition installation/de-installation and safe handling of power tools;

Skills and Qualifications – Desired

·         Intermediate to advanced proficiency in both official languages, French and English, both spoken and written;

·         Demonstrated experience in strategic planning, including setting priorities, aligning initiatives with organizational goals, and translating strategy into actionable plans;

·         Broad knowledge of Canadian immigration history and patterns, and/or Canadian history and culture;

·         Demonstrated experience in community consultation or co-creation in exhibition development, incorporating community perspectives and lived experiences into curatorial content and fostering collaborative relationships;

·         Strong presentation and public speaking skills;

·         Experience in policy and procedures development and implementation;

Compensation for this position is commensurate with experience and includes a comprehensive benefit package, including the public service pension plan. Some assistance with relocation costs may also be provided.

 The salary range for this role is $87,277 to $118,447.

 The closing date for applications is 5pm AST on Friday, July 3, 2026.

 Please click on the link below to apply for this position:

 https://pier21.ca/about/employment-opportunities