Senior Curator JOB

1. Job Details
Job Title Senior Curator

Department Culture Programming

Section Public Art

Unit Senior Curator

Direct Manager Head of Public Art

2. Role Purpose

The Public Art Abu Dhabi Senior Curator is responsible for the strategic and curatorial direction of the department, leading major initiatives such as the Public Art Abu Dhabi Biennial and Manar Abu Dhabi. This role also oversees the development of all public art projects, acquisitions, and commissions while managing the curatorial team and liaising with artists, institutions, and stakeholders.

3. Key Responsibilities

• Lead the curatorial vision of all public art projects aligning with the mission and vision of the cultural sector.
• Lead and mentor the curatorial team and providing professional development opportunities
• Curate and oversee the development of each edition of two major events: the Public Art Abu Dhabi Biennial and Manar Abu Dhabi
• Collaborate with artists and the art production team during the commission phase
• Generate presentations for other DCT department, the Public Art Abu Dhabi Committee, external stakeholders and partners.
• Identify and engage artists for public art proposals
• Develop acquisition proposals and oversee the collection strategy in line with the Public Art Abu Dhabi Masterplan
• Ensure accurate documentation of the public art collections by maintaining curatorial records in the Collection Management System.
• Foster collaborations with local, regional and international institutions and artists
• Conduct research on emerging and established artists in the UAE, in the region and internationally.
• Contribute to the development of public programmes and strategies for community engagement and outreach
• Provide curatorial content for all publications, including catalogues, guidebooks, labels and any digital content
• Work closely with the Head of Public Art to develop budgets, project timelines and implementation of all public art projects
• Respond to external public art project inquiries

Shared Activity

Strategic Contribution

• Ensure effective cascading of the functional strategy into section business plans to ensure vertical alignment and horizontal integration with other interfacing sectional strategies.  

Poeple Management

• Manage the effective achievement of assigned objectives through the leadership of the Section by setting individual objectives, managing performance, developing and motivating staff to maximize performance.  
• Lead the P&P Systems initiatives for the assigned section, collaborating with technical/discipline experts and thereby ensure the availability of talent to fit business requirements.  
• Act as a role model and drive adherence to organizational values and ethics by employees of the assigned section to foster a value driven culture within the organization.  

Budgeting and Financial Planning

• Manage the preparation and recommend the section budget and monitor financial performance versus the budget while ensuring all sectional activities are conducted in line with the approved guidelines.  

Policies, Processes, and Procedures

• Follow all Public Art section policies, processes, procedures and instructions so that work is carried out in a controlled and consistent manner

EHS (Environment, Health and Safety)

• Comply with all relevant EHS guidelines, policies and procedures, by reporting incidents and hazards on a timely manner, and reduce consumption of natural resources to support in protecting the environment and ensure a healthy and safe work environment.

4. Communication and Business Relationships

Internal

• Culture Sector
• Culture Programming Department
• Marketing and Communication Department
• Legal Department
• Modern Heritage Department
• Museums
• PME
• Project Management & Engineering
• Tendering & Projects Control

External

• Municipalities
• Governmental bodies
• Artists and galleries
• Cultural institutions
• Architects, Exhibition Designers, Consultants for media, graphics and other exhibition elements
• Government & Education Institutions
• Academics, archaeologists, historians and other subject matter experts 

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree (Masters’ preferred) in History of Art, Museum Studies, Curatorial Studies or related fields

Experience

• At least 10 years of experience in Curatorial field, or relevant field, with at least 3 years in a managerial role.
• In-depth experience in contemporary art and an understanding of the requirements for public art commissions.

Skills

• Demonstrated leadership in managing curatorial teams and working with artists at an international level
• Strong understanding of contemporary art practices and public art discourse
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English; attention to detail; ability to prepare and write curatorial text and to prepare oral presentations
• Problem-solving skills: ability to analyse problems, identify alternative solutions, anticipate consequences, and provide recommendations
• Ability to work collaboratively in a multicultural environment and engage with diverse stakeholders.
• Technical IT skills: ability to be trained for the collection dabatase, ability to use efficiently MS Office.
• Effective organising and planning skills: ability to create and keep deadlines; set and meet goals and think strategically.
• Excellent verbal communication skills - including appropriate stakeholder alignment.
• Strategic thinking and the ability to align creative efforts with broader business objectives.
• Proficiency in project management, including the ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously and meet deadlines