Botanical Society of America
Senior Collections Specialist
Botanical Society of America, San Francisco, California, United States, 94199
California Academy of Sciences - San Francisco, California, USA
Position Title: Senior Collections Specialist
Position Type: Temporary Position
Application Review Begins: Monday, October 27, 2025
Application Deadline: Friday, November 14, 2025
Institution: California Academy of Sciences
Department/Division: Botany Department
Field (e.g., systematics): Herbarium curation
City: San Francisco, California, USA
General Information: Reporting to the Herbarium Collection Manager and under minimal supervision, the Curatorial Assistant III performs duties related to specimen preparation, cataloging and archiving, processing loans, digitization, collection maintenance and organization. The incumbent is expected to work with a high degree of autonomy, developing and leading projects as needed, and to provide expertise in the relevant discipline. The incumbent will independently manage one or more of the duties and responsibilities listed, and will contribute to the team’s efforts in many, if not all, of the others. Assigned responsibilities for this position are diverse and range from moderately simple to complex in nature.
PLEASE NOTE: the timeframe for this role is an initial term of 2 years with potential for extension, contingent upon continued funding. In addition, applications will be accepted initially for 3 weeks, and extended as needed.
Qualifications / Requirements
Bachelor's degree in Botany or closely related field required; Master’s degree in Botany or closely related field required, or equivalent education and experience required
Demonstrated expertise in Botany
Experience in relevant computer programs required
Minimum six years of experience in curatorial or closely related work (inclusive of education), including physical curation, object tracking, loan processing, data management and facilitating collections visitors
Minimum two years’ experience working with volunteers or interns, including onboarding, training and managing
Ability to identify needs of the departmental collections and willingness to lead projects independently
Specific knowledge of systematic botany and the literature relevant to the field
Ability to work well collaboratively with internal team members and external collaborators
Excellent verbal and written communication skills and the ability communicate effectively with staff, cross-functional teams and external partners from different identities and experiences
Ability to bring new ideas, create inventive solutions and find efficiencies to transform manually or detailed processes
Bilingual (spoken and/or written) in any non-English language, or the ability to research translations of non-English languages, is desirable
Familiarity with the California/western North American flora is desirable
Demonstrated commitment to equity and inclusion
Responsibilities
Helps maintain departmental collection and its files, including specimen preparation, updating and organization of current collection, and accessioning of new specimens
Performs curatorial duties such as processing loans & exchange
Assists in overseeing departmental digitization activities; must become familiar with specimen database, operating digital camera equipment and image processing software
Trains and supervises all department volunteers and interns
Performs literature review and archival research to answer inquiries or in the performance of routine curation of collections
Provides taxonomic identifications consistent with education and training or experience appropriate to this position
Assists in maintaining the quality of information in the database
Assists visitors, students or scientists in the use of the collections; leads departmental tours and occasional public demonstrations for Academy members and visitors
May assist Curators in research activities, which may include fieldwork, labwork, literature review and/or other research-related activities
Serves as acting collection manager in the Collection Manager’s absence, responsible for all day-to-day collections activities and decision making
Serves on Academy-wide committees, or as a liaison for the Collections Manager on standing committees
May contribute to the building of exchange material by participating in field collection efforts
Encouraged to participate in or present talks at professional scientific meetings
May perform heavy lifting
Follows all Academy safety regulations
Other duties as assigned
Application Instructions The job application for the position can be found at: https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/californiaacademyofsciences/jobs/4949620008
You will need to upload a resume and cover letter, as well as answering some initial questions.
Compensation Compensation Range: $35.78-$37.23 per hour, commensurate with experience
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Position Type: Temporary Position
Application Review Begins: Monday, October 27, 2025
Application Deadline: Friday, November 14, 2025
Institution: California Academy of Sciences
Department/Division: Botany Department
Field (e.g., systematics): Herbarium curation
City: San Francisco, California, USA
General Information: Reporting to the Herbarium Collection Manager and under minimal supervision, the Curatorial Assistant III performs duties related to specimen preparation, cataloging and archiving, processing loans, digitization, collection maintenance and organization. The incumbent is expected to work with a high degree of autonomy, developing and leading projects as needed, and to provide expertise in the relevant discipline. The incumbent will independently manage one or more of the duties and responsibilities listed, and will contribute to the team’s efforts in many, if not all, of the others. Assigned responsibilities for this position are diverse and range from moderately simple to complex in nature.
PLEASE NOTE: the timeframe for this role is an initial term of 2 years with potential for extension, contingent upon continued funding. In addition, applications will be accepted initially for 3 weeks, and extended as needed.
Qualifications / Requirements
Bachelor's degree in Botany or closely related field required; Master’s degree in Botany or closely related field required, or equivalent education and experience required
Demonstrated expertise in Botany
Experience in relevant computer programs required
Minimum six years of experience in curatorial or closely related work (inclusive of education), including physical curation, object tracking, loan processing, data management and facilitating collections visitors
Minimum two years’ experience working with volunteers or interns, including onboarding, training and managing
Ability to identify needs of the departmental collections and willingness to lead projects independently
Specific knowledge of systematic botany and the literature relevant to the field
Ability to work well collaboratively with internal team members and external collaborators
Excellent verbal and written communication skills and the ability communicate effectively with staff, cross-functional teams and external partners from different identities and experiences
Ability to bring new ideas, create inventive solutions and find efficiencies to transform manually or detailed processes
Bilingual (spoken and/or written) in any non-English language, or the ability to research translations of non-English languages, is desirable
Familiarity with the California/western North American flora is desirable
Demonstrated commitment to equity and inclusion
Responsibilities
Helps maintain departmental collection and its files, including specimen preparation, updating and organization of current collection, and accessioning of new specimens
Performs curatorial duties such as processing loans & exchange
Assists in overseeing departmental digitization activities; must become familiar with specimen database, operating digital camera equipment and image processing software
Trains and supervises all department volunteers and interns
Performs literature review and archival research to answer inquiries or in the performance of routine curation of collections
Provides taxonomic identifications consistent with education and training or experience appropriate to this position
Assists in maintaining the quality of information in the database
Assists visitors, students or scientists in the use of the collections; leads departmental tours and occasional public demonstrations for Academy members and visitors
May assist Curators in research activities, which may include fieldwork, labwork, literature review and/or other research-related activities
Serves as acting collection manager in the Collection Manager’s absence, responsible for all day-to-day collections activities and decision making
Serves on Academy-wide committees, or as a liaison for the Collections Manager on standing committees
May contribute to the building of exchange material by participating in field collection efforts
Encouraged to participate in or present talks at professional scientific meetings
May perform heavy lifting
Follows all Academy safety regulations
Other duties as assigned
Application Instructions The job application for the position can be found at: https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/californiaacademyofsciences/jobs/4949620008
You will need to upload a resume and cover letter, as well as answering some initial questions.
Compensation Compensation Range: $35.78-$37.23 per hour, commensurate with experience
#J-18808-Ljbffr