Associate Media Conservator

The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art is one of the largest museums of modern and contemporary art in the United States and a thriving cultural center for the Bay Area. We cannot imagine life without art; it inspires and connects us every day. Now more than ever, these connections matter and are aligned with our values.

Inclusive: We strive to be a museum of many voices in dialogue.  

Passionate: We believe working with art is more than a job or trusteeship - it's a way of life.  

Brave: We are committed to approaching our work with courage and a sense of adventure, always ready to explore new perspectives.

Empathic: We aim to act like a person, not an institution. 

SFMOMA is a place for the infinitely curious to explore, support, and experience the art of our time. We believe that modern and contemporary art can influence the way we think, view the world, and embrace the many voices and perspectives around us. We aspire to foster an environment that elicits joy, nurtures a sense of belonging and purpose—where difference is seen as a strength, and every one is appreciated for their whole self.

Schedule: Full Time, 35 hours/week, approximately five days working onsite

• Contribute to the care, maintenance, handling, storage study of San Francisco Museum of Art’s time-based media art holdings
• Examine and assess the condition of works being considered for acquisitions, loans, exhibitions, rotations, deaccession, and imaging.
• Perform treatment on media artworks in accordance with SFMOMA Conservation Department policies and the American Institute of Conservation Code of Ethics.
• Document all aspects of artwork through written and photographic records.
• Engage with artists, their studio assistants, or estates to foster relationships that underpin the long-term care and display of their work in the collection.
• Work with living artists to explore and document their practices in ways that contribute to shared stewardship of the museum’s collection.
• Provide recommendations for display, loan, and storage of works of the collection coherent with the highest standard of preservation.
• Contribute to review and refinement of current conservation procedures for acquisitions, exhibitions, loans out, storage and collections care.
• Maintain and continue to develop work areas in both the Conservation Studio and Conservation Media Suite, including researching and ordering necessary equipment, and maintenance of obsolete equipment and software.
• Advise curators and other staff on preservation and care issues related to collections and potential acquisitions.
• Working with Head of Collections, facilitate monthly Team Media meetings when needed and work with the team to identify topics, set the agenda, and host the meeting.
• Work on museum exhibitions as a Conservation point as assigned by Director of Conservation. Examine, prepare and maintain artwork in gallery spaces, including troubleshooting, dusting and monitoring of ongoing and new condition issues.
• Observe museum standards for monitoring, handling, storage, installation, and documentation of artworks and provide input to improve current practices.
• Work with colleagues in IT, Registration, and Archives and Art Resources to develop preservation protocols in care of digital artwork files in the digital art server.
• Advise on handling, transit, and installation procedures for complex, obsolete or fragile media artworks.
• Conduct surveys of the media and digital works in the museum collection, share findings, and develop preservation strategies to care for the collections.
• Serve in the role of courier (including performing virtual oversight) as needed.
• Participate in professional networks, workshops, and programs to stay current with relevant practices, methods, and technologies; share new knowledge base with the department and Collections colleagues.
• May participate in training and supervision of the Fellow in the Conservation of Contemporary Art and interns.
• Travel for museum business and off-site conservation work or study as needed. 

• Required
• Masters degree in Moving Image Archiving and Preservation/Art Restoration/Conservation or related field (or foreign equivalent degree) plus 3 years experience or Bachelors plus 5 years experience.
• Experience must include at least 1 year in museum environment.
• Travel 3-4 weeks per year, domestic and/or international 

Job posting open date: 3/10/25

All jobs posted will remain open for at least five business days.    

Please submit an application via this posting and/or by sending your resume and cover letter to talent@sfmoma.org.

Location: San Francisco, 151 3rd Street. 

Benefits: PTO, Medical, Dental, Vision, Flexible Spending Accounts, Pet Insurance, Life and AD&D Coverage, Disability Insurance, Mental Health and Wellness Benefits, Discount Programs, Pre-Tax Commuter Benefits, 403(b) Retirement Savings Plan, SFMOMA Membership, and more

Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records. 

SFMOMA is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility. No person shall be discriminated against based on race, color, religion, gender, gender identity, age, genetic information, ancestry/national origin, marital status, disability, medical condition, HIV status, sexual orientation, veteran/military status, and any other category protected by federal of state law.

You may request reasonable accommodation if you are unable to or are limited in your ability to access job postings or provide additional information asked in the job posting.

You can request reasonable accommodation by contacting the People Team at talent@sfmoma.org.