Museum Technician- Death Valley National Park

The Great Basin Institute (GBI) is hiring one Cultural Resource Services Museum Technician to work cooperatively with the National Park Service (NPS) at Death Valley National Park (DEVA) to support the preservation of museum collections. The position is a 17-week placement beginning mid-June of 2025.

The CRS Research Associate will gain experience within collection preservation issues while assisting staff with increasing and improving access to collections. The Research Associate (RA) will work closely with curators and conservators using best practices to care for museum collections while in storage, during research, and when on display.The GBI RA will also gain additional experience in complex museum projects such as environmental monitoring, housekeeping, inventorying, cataloging, and reporting.

Primary Responsibilities:

The Research Associate will be expected to catalog museum objects, complete collection inventories, maintain museum records, upgrade storage environments, perform exhibit maintenance, and conduct collection housekeeping activities including Integrated Pest Management and environmental monitoring. As part of their responsibilities, the RA will:

• Complete 100% inventories and annual reporting for museum collections;
• Complete condition reports and treatment proposals for museum collections;
• Upgrade collections storage environments, including creating boxes, mounts, and supports;
• Conduct monthly Integrated Pest Management and environmental monitoring for Scotty’s Castle, Cow Creek, and Furnace Creek museum collection areas;
• Collaborate with NPS museum staff to conduct research on museum collections, and assist researchers, exhibit designers, and outreach efforts;
• Collaborate with NPS museum staff and conservators to conduct preservation/conservation treatments on a wide range of museum objects;
• Process and/or catalog incoming and backlog museum collections including cultural, natural, and archival collections;
• Write progress reports detailing work completed.

Work will primarily take place in an air-conditioned building, but occasional outside work will be required. . When outside, tasks include working in cramped, often dirty locations, in hot temperatures. Must be able to repeatedly move objects up to 50lbs and be able to perform duties while wearing a half-face respirator if needed.

Location: 

Death Valley National Park is located in Nevada and California and boasts some of the hottest and driest climates, and lowest elevation in North America. The park includes a superlative desert of streaming sand dunes, snow-capped mountains, multicolored rock layers, water-fluted canyons and three million acres of wilderness. Death Valley is home to the Timbisha Shoshone people and to plants and animals unique to the harshest desert environment. The closest cities are Pahrump and Beatty, Nevada (both approximately 1 hour away). Las Vegas is a little over 2 hours away.

Death Valley National Park headquarters is based at Furnace Creek and the park administration buildings in the surrounding area. 

Field conditions include hot, arid days with high exposure to the sun, as well as cold, winter weather. Resources of the region include threatened and/or endangered species habitat, big game habitats, abandoned mine lands, and historic and pre-contact cultural sites.

Compensation:

• $20 an hour
• Health, Dental and Vision Insurance premiums will be completely paid for at no cost to you by the Great Basin Institute and available starting after your first month of service.
• Paid Personal Leave Time and paid federal holidays
• $25,000 Basic Life, AD&D Insurance provided free of charge by GBI

Contract Timeline:

• 17-week appointment beginning June 2025 or upon completion of a Department of Interior background investigation
• 40 hours per week. Some weekend work may occasionally be required

Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree, coursework in museum studies or related field (history, anthropology, etc.);

• Self-motivated and self-directed individual who is capable of working independently or part of team toward mutual goals and objectives;
• Strong attention to detail;
• Ability to prioritize time and work on multiple tasks with ongoing deadlines;
• Ability to communicate effectively both verbally and in writing and with diverse audiences, particularly conveying technical information;
• Ability to work independently or with limited supervision to resolve problems.

Successful applicants must complete a Department of Interior (DOI) Background Investigation (BI) or submit paperwork to NPS human resources indicating an active and fully adjudicated BI has already been completed prior to beginning position. If you already have an active and fully adjudicated BI, please let us know in your application.

NOTE:  This job description is not intended to be all-inclusive. Employees may perform other related duties as negotiated to meet the organization’s ongoing needs.

Disclaimer:  Although the organization has attempted to accurately and thoroughly describe this position, GBI reserves the right to change the same, including to change, add to or subtract from the duties outlined, within the sole discretion of the organization, at any time, with or without advance notice.