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.

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: 35 hours/week, approximately five days working onsite

The Registration Assistant has an essential role in supporting registration activities for the museum’s collecting, loans out, rotations, and exhibition programs, including the Fisher Collection. They are responsible for assisting registrars and the department head in planning, implementing, and closing-out activities related to accessions/deaccessions, collections care, outgoing/incoming loans, and exhibitions, in ways that are aligned with the museum’s strategic priorities and the goals of the Registration department and the Collections, Exhibitions, and Design (CED) division. The position is an opportunity to learn and develop skills in museum registration methods and procedures for modern and contemporary art.

Reporting to the Director of Registration, the Registration Assistant works collaboratively on assigned projects with Registration project points and with colleagues in CED, Curatorial, Facilities & Operations, Security, Visitor Experience, and other museum departments in realizing integrated collections stewardship, collaborative collections and exhibitions research, and engaging and inspiring public programming. The Registration Assistant works with and represents the museum’s interests to members of the arts communities, such as artists, studios, fabricators, estates, donors, vendors, galleries, and other museums.

Responsibilities & Duties

• Team Participation
• Encourage and contribute to an inclusive, rewarding, and inspiring workplace, where innovation, discovery, and constant learning cultivate a deep sense of belonging and shared responsibility within the Registration team.
• Share in fostering a culture of safety, inclusivity, and equity.
• Work in a healthy and flexible style, and models empathy and understanding.
• Participate in nurturing collaboration and partnership across teams with fluid communication and respect for diverse expertise essential to an art museum.
• Demonstrate a commitment to the museum’s strategic focus of making programming that engages visitors and inspires individuals to return and recommend the museum to their family and friends.
• Represent the museum at the local, national, and international levels.
• Participate in professional networks, workshops, and programs to stay current with relevant practices, methods, and technologies, as well adding new skills to share with the department.

• Collections, Exhibitions, Loans Out
• Assist with arranging, producing, and closing-out accessions, loans out, rotations and exhibitions activities.
• Assist in coordinating and hosting virtual and in-person courier appointments, including: o Scheduling, setting-up, and hosting virtual appointments.
• Making travel arrangements for, hosting, and supporting in-person appointments.

• Assist with registration activities in galleries, staging spaces, and art storage, including:
• Examining artworks, producing condition reports, and generating receipts.
• Making periodic checks of the galleries and working across departments to address potential risks to works on view.
• Providing gallery access training for new staff.
• Liaising with internal teams about planned events in galleries.

• Administration  
• Assemble and manage a variety of documents, records, and information related to exhibitions, loans out, and accessions by adding documentation, data, and digital assets to relevant museum systems or the institutional archives according to the department’s records retention schedule.
• Track and monitor budgets and expenses for registration activities such as temporary and touring exhibitions; this includes coding, routing, and tracking invoices.
• Assist with maintaining Collection insurance records and files.
• Generate and distribute reports related to accessions, loans out, and exhibitions.
• Assist with mitigating risks to artworks and to relationships with people and organizations.
• Perform other related duties as required.

• Bachelor's Degree in Art History, Museum Studies, or closely related field.
• Minimum of one (1) year registration experience in an art museum or similar institution
• General knowledge of museum registration methods and museum purposes, organization, and procedures.
• Proficiency with Microsoft applications (Outlook, Teams, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.).
• Experience with collections management systems and digital asset management systems.
• Proficiency with Asana or other project management software.
• Experience with event management systems (preferably Artifax).
• Excellent organizational skills and proficiency in project management software, such as Asana.
• Strong initiative and follow-through skills, and an ability to operate under pressure of time and multiple demands
• Ability to manage multiple projects while establishing and meeting deadlines.
• Ability to work independently, as well as in partnership with colleagues.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with Museum colleagues, volunteers, and interns, and effectively represent the Museum to outside professionals, lenders, donors, and members of the artistic community.
• Ability and willingness to maintain a high level of accuracy and attention to detail.
• Ability to communicate effectively in person, in video conferencing, on the telephone, and in writing to artists, galleries, donors, borrowers, trustees, colleagues, and the public is essential.
• Creative and flexible problem-solving skills.
• Sound judgment and strong professional presence.
• Ability to work effectively on a wide variety of projects concurrently, with concern for the tasks assigned and the goals of the Registration Department.
• Familiarity with basic conservation concepts, procedures, and terms.
• Working knowledge of twentieth century art history.
• Successful candidates will have a strong commitment to access and sustainability, will collaborate well, and will demonstrate timeliness and effectiveness in a complex environment.
• Demonstrated commitment to principles of diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility, and sustainability in the arts sector.

Job posting open date: 4/16/24

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

We encourage both internal and external candidates to apply within the initial open posting period as the application close date may or may not be extended beyond that initial period. 

Location: San Francisco, 151 3rd Street. 

COVID-19 Environmental Factors: In keeping with city, county, and state regulations regarding large gatherings, and to contain the spread of coronavirus, the museum is following the city of San Francisco guidelines. As a part of our commitment to health and safety, COVID-19 vaccination is required for all current and newly hired employees and contractors. 

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.