Assistant Conservator

Ingenium

$75K — $91K *
Education, Government & Non-Profit
5 - 7 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • University or Community College degree in Conservation or equivalent experience
  • Minimum 5 years of experience in conservation treatment and related activities
  • Valid Ontario Class G driver’s license for transporting materials
  • Thorough knowledge of conservation techniques and methods for various artifact types
  • Understanding of health and safety regulations specific to conservation environments

Responsibilities

  • Oversee preservation and conservation of Ingenium's national collection of artifacts
  • Conduct condition assessments and develop care projects for artifacts
  • Implement restoration treatments and maintenance practices for diverse artifacts
  • Prepare conservation reports and communicate findings effectively to stakeholders
  • Manage collection access, storage, and exhibition processes

Benefits

  • Hybrid work environment with flexible scheduling
  • Opportunity to work on a significant national collection
  • Professional development in conservation practices
  • Collaborative work with a diverse team of experts
  • Engagement with a variety of artifacts across multiple disciplines
Full Job Description
If you are an Ingenium employee, please visit your ADP home page, select "Myself". Under Talent, select Career Centre and submit your application - do not create a personal account

Salary: $75,116.46 - $91,361.43
Employment Status: Full time, Indeterminate

Language Requirement: English
Schedule: 37.50 hours per week (Monday to Friday)
Work Environment: Hybrid

Competition Closing Date: June 26, 2026

SUMMARY OF DUTIES

The Assistant Conservator is responsible for the preservation, conservation, restoration, and maintenance of Ingenium Canada's primary asset, the national collection of scientific and technological artifacts, for the purposes of storage, study, use, access, loan and exhibition.

EDUCATION

  • Graduation from a University or Community College program in Conservation, OR an acceptable amount of equivalent experience;
  • A valid driver's licence (Ontario Class G or equivalent) to enable transport of work-related materials between sites via vehicle.


EXPERIENCE

  • A minimum of 5 years of experience in conservation treatment, condition assessment, collections care projects or related conservation activities for a wide variety of artifacts, including electronic and electrical objects


KNOWLEDGE

  • Thorough knowledge of current conservation techniques, methods, procedures, display and practices relating to industrial, archival, scientific, aviation, aerospace and agricultural artifacts and other types of artifacts in the Ingenium collection;
  • Thorough knowledge of the physical and chemical properties and characteristics of a wide range of organic and inorganic materials and substances, and how to qualitatively and quantitatively identify and assess them analytically;
  • Knowledge of the Code of Ethics and Guidelines for Practice for professional Canadian Conservators, museological principles, theory and practices, electronic collection management systems and photo documentation processes specific to artifacts and museums;
  • Knowledge of the sources of conservation and technical information available to and within the profession;
  • Knowledge of the safe operation of machinery, equipment and specialized tools relevant to the tasks performed;
  • Knowledge of health and safety regulations, standards and best practices and issues which pertain to the unique and specialized workplaces at Ingenium, with special regards to hazards within the collection and with materials used in Conservation;
  • Understanding of Ingenium's organization and corporate mandate.


COMPETENCIES

  • Excellent fine motor, manual dexterity, colour perception skills and attention to detail skills are required to work with artifacts and perform treatments;
  • Excellent communication skills (written, and oral) are required to communicate with colleagues, clients, volunteers, interns, and other stakeholders, write conservation reports, correspondence, as well as effectively communicate complicated or technically specific concepts to a less knowledgeable audience;
  • Effective research and analytical skills are required for learning and adapting established conservation methods, treatments, and procedures and ability to soundly judge new collections and conservations/restoration procedures, materials, tests, methods etc. which are new to the field;
  • Ability to perform the physical tasks relevant to the job including capacity to work in challenging work environments (confined spaces, hazard remediation, respond to collection emergencies etc.).
  • Learn and expand knowledge of specialized terms, nomenclature, and lexicons etc. to various industries and fields of work;
  • Ability to operate and maintain machinery and equipment related to conservation, restoration and collection management (e.g. Forklift, wood working tools, machine shop etc.);
  • Effective supervisor and personal management skills are needed for working with volunteers and interns;
  • Excellent time and project management skills are required for managing multiple projects at multiple campuses at the same time, including large special projects and daily tasks;
  • Negotiation, tact, diplomacy, interpersonal, and conflict management/resolution skills are essential for working with other departments, colleagues and stakeholders where different teams have different priorities;
  • Ability to be highly effective when working alone for long periods of time, and in small groups;
  • Innovative thinking and problem-solving skills are needed to adapt to each artifact and project's needs;
  • Database (Emu)/Computer skills required for communication, and maintaining accurate artifact records, Photography skills needed to photo document work performed.


Security Requirements: Enhanced reliability
Work location: 1865 St. Laurent Blvd. Ottawa ON (might be required to visit Ingenium's 4 sites)

Union Affiliation: Public Service Alliance of Canada
Classification: level 7

Position number: 7862

We wish to thank all applicants for their interest and effort in applying for this position. Only candidates selected for interviews will be contacted.

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