Senior Curator JOB
Apply now »Date: 4 May 2026
Location: AE
Company: Department of Culture and Tourism
Role Purpose
Lead curating exhibitions in museums and culture sites, aiding to participate in the development of DCT collection. Lead and support the development of capital and culture projects including permanent and temporary exhibitions in museums and historic buildings. Develop curatorial plans and narratives, select collections, recommend potential acquisitions and loans, and create exhibition interpretation.
Key Responsibilities
Curatorial & Exhibitions
- Lead the curatorial development of exhibitions in DCT museums, historic buildings, and cultural sites.
- Lead the conduction of research, including research on DCT collections, for the purpose of selecting artefacts and images and developing historical narratives for DCT museums and exhibitions.
- Supervise the creation and development of exhibition narratives and content for text, multimedia and publications.
- Oversee and manage the development of exhibition content and design, participating in tender evaluations and design reviews as required.
- Manage and provide expertise to the junior curators to implement curatorial projects, as required.
- Collaborate with external consultants including architectural, exhibition design and building conservation experts, on the development of DCT museums, historic buildings, and exhibitions.
- Ensure providing continuous support to the DCT Collections and Conservation teams by ensuring the care of the collections and the development of the DCT collections database.
- Provide curatorial expertise as required for DCT acquisitions, loans, policies and strategic planning.
- Represent the curatorial, content-related components of exhibition and capital projects in the strategic planning process and in compliance with project schedules
Registration Operations
- Supervise maintain databases, ensuring that all records on collections information is up to date for management review and to support DCT decision making process.
- Lead the submission of reports and presentations related to exhibitions development and progress and collections related activities such as conservation, to the Section Head or to DCT Management as required.
- Ensure research reports are undertaken to a high standard, including due diligence for acquisitions if required.
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.
People 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, Systems, Processes & Procedures
- Manage and ensure effective implementation of functional policies, procedures and controls covering all areas of assigned section activity so that all relevant procedural/legislative requirements are fulfilled while delivering a quality, cost-effective service.
Continuous Improvement
- Lead the identification of opportunities for continuous improvement and sustainability of systems, processes and practices considering global standards, productivity improvement and cost reduction.
Reporting
- Ensure that all section reports are prepared timely and accurately and meet DCT requirements, policies and quality standards.
EHS
- Adhere to the DCT Occupational Safety and Health policy, regulations, and laws, and provide help to the Corporate EHS in executing the OSHMS.
- Report any incidents, near misses, occupational illnesses, unsafe practices, and conditions immediately to the concerned person and participate in the investigation of OSH incidents, as required.
Communication and Business Relationships
Internal
- Culture Sector
- Project Management & Engineering
- Tendering & Projects Control
- DCT Relevant Sectors / Departments
External
- 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 (Master’s preferred) in Archaeology, Art, Museums or Heritage Studies or a related field..
Experience
- At least 5 – 7 years of experience in Curatorial field, Collections Management, or relevant field.
- In-depth experience in collections management and an understanding of the physical requirements for acquisition, logistics, storage, care, research and exhibition.
Skills
- Full professional English proficiency both in speaking and writing.
- Skilled in MS Office (PowerPoint, Word and Excel).
- Strong analytical skills with the ability to interpret complex data and information.
- Proficiency in documenting business requirements using industry-standard techniques and tools.
- Strong problem-solving and critical-thinking skills.
- Strong communication and interpersonal skills to collaborate effectively with stakeholders/vendors and cross-functional team members.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skill - including appropriate stakeholder alignment.
- Strategic thinking and the ability to align creative efforts with broader business objectives.
- Exceptional writing skills, including the ability to convey emotion, action, and depth in concise and impactful language.
- Proficiency in project management, including the ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously and meet deadlines.
- Skilled in database administration and development (CMS – EMu, Adlib, TMS etc.)
- Long-term planning skills
- Agility and Innovation skillsExcellent financial accounting skills
- Expert knowledge on IT strategic set-ups, supply management and facilities management best practices