Curator, Temporary and Travelling Exhibitions – One Year ContractThe Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21 is Canada’s sixth national museum. Our mission is to share the ongoing story of immigration to Canada—past to present and coast to coast to coast. The Museum is located in the Pier 21 national historic site at the Halifax seaport where nearly one million immigrants landed in Canada from 1928 to 1971.
We have an opening for the role of temporary Curator, Temporary and Travelling Exhibitions, located on site at the Museum in Halifax, Nova Scotia. This role is temporary for one year to cover a maternity leave of absence. We are committed to having a skilled, diversified workforce reflective of Canadian Society. Applications are invited from all qualified candidates, including Indigenous persons, women, people of any sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression, visible minorities, racialized people, and people with disabilities.
The Curator, Temporary and Travelling Exhibitions leads the Museum’s Temporary and Travelling Exhibitions department, with a focus on delivering high-quality, accessible and engaging visitor experiences through strategically aligned exhibitions. The role oversees the planning and delivery of exhibitions and related projects, working with cross-departmental teams and applying strong project management practices to ensure projects are delivered on time, within scope and achieve intended outcomes. The role contributes knowledge related to topics including Canadian immigration, history and culture to shape compelling and relevant curatorial content. The position is responsible for managing budgets, setting goals and supervising staff, volunteers, and service providers. The Curator also develops policies and procedures and builds and maintains partnerships that strengthen collaboration and increase the impact and reach of exhibitions.
Curatorial & Exhibitions Management
- Proposes and curates exhibitions and curatorial content for temporary and travelling exhibitions, supporting the Museum’s mandate and goals;
- Manages the Museum’s temporary and travelling exhibition programs, including monitoring of all processes to ensure high quality of content, product and service;
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Leads the Museum’s Community Presents partnership program (a component of temporary exhibitions);
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Leads the Exhibitions Committee in long-term temporary and travelling exhibitions planning guided by Museum strategic goals and priorities;
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Works in collaboration with key team members to determine the scope and methods for exhibition content development and interpretation strategies;
- Conducts primary and secondary research for the development of exhibitions and curatorial content for a variety of platforms;
- Supports the Curator of Core Exhibitions in the development or updating of content within permanent exhibitions;
Accessibility & Partnerships-
Identifies innovative ways of increasing accessibility in exhibitions and engagement with the Museum’s collection and research in collaboration with key team members;
- Collaborates with the Digital Platforms Manager and other key team members on virtual projects requiring curatorial content;
- Participates in collection planning in collaboration with the Collection Manager and other key team members to establish Museum collection areas of development;
- Collaborates with the Collection Manager to ensure the care and security of Museum collection items and loans on display within Museum temporary and travelling exhibitions;
- Leads or participates in partnership-based exhibitions, including collaboration with community members, museums, organizations, and government departments;
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Presents to and exchanges knowledge with colleagues, the public, professional organizations, and academic institutions;
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Represents and promotes the Museum’s exhibition-related activities by participating in regional and national professional networks;
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Nurtures and develops external partner relationships to strengthen the Museum’s collaboration, impact and reach.
Administration-
Manages, provides leadership and guidance to department staff, volunteers, interns, and is responsible for related project contracts and service providers;
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Determines department priorities and where to focus efforts and appropriate allocation of resources to achieve results;
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Conducts training and orientation of new department staff, volunteers and interns;
- Develops and implements policies and procedures for the department;
- Prepares and monitors the department’s annual budget, goals and associated reports;
- Ensures compliance with Canadian Acts as they relate to the Museum’s exhibitions and curatorial projects;
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Maintains a high level of knowledge of current trends and best practices at national and international levels in areas of curation, exhibition planning and development;
- Represents the Curatorial discipline within the organization and to external bodies;
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Participates in appropriate committee activities and meetings as required;
- Reports risk issues to the Vice President, Visitor Experience;
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Other tasks as assigned by the Vice President, Visitor Experience.
Direct Supervision Supervises the Assistant Curator, Welcome Home to Canada participant and casual on-call preparators
Skills and Qualifications –Required-
Master’s degree in History, Anthropology, Museum Studies or field relevant to immigration or curating;
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Minimum of five years of experience working in a museum and thorough understanding of professional museum principles, practices and standards;
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Minimum of five years of experience in exhibition curation including planning and development in a museum, public historical institution or gallery setting;
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Management and leadership skills gained through a minimum of five years of experience in supervising staff, volunteers, interns and service providers;
- Demonstrated project management experience, including planning and delivering projects on time and within scope, while managing resources, budgets, risks, and stakeholder expectations;
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Experience managing and executing exhibition projects with varying budgets including budgets greater than $70,000 with internal and external partners;
- Demonstrated ability in working in and creating a team environment focused on enriching visitor experience;
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Strong interpretive writing skills for a museum audience with varying learning needs;
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Experience working with collections in a museum, public historical institution or gallery setting;
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Demonstrated research skills: abilities in locating, evaluating, analyzing and synthesizing historical information from diverse sources;
- Ability to engage effectively with diverse perspectives and exercise tact, sound judgement and diplomacy in managing complex or sensitive projects;
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Ability to develop strong networks, relationships and partnerships;
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Excellent oral and written communication skills;
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Strong understanding of exhibition design, production and preparation, experience in exhibition installation/de-installation and safe handling of power tools;
Skills and Qualifications – Desired-
Intermediate to advanced proficiency in both official languages, French and English, both spoken and written;
- Demonstrated experience in strategic planning, including setting priorities, aligning initiatives with organizational goals, and translating strategy into actionable plans;
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Broad knowledge of Canadian immigration history and patterns, and/or Canadian history and culture;
- Demonstrated experience in community consultation or co-creation in exhibition development, incorporating community perspectives and lived experiences into curatorial content and fostering collaborative relationships;
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Strong presentation and public speaking skills;
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Experience in policy and procedures development and implementation;
Working Conditions & Physical Demands-
Combination of work in an office environment and remote, onsite in exhibition spaces as well as occasional work offsite.
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Requires lifting and moving objects from 20 to 50 pounds. Must be able to safely climb inclines, negotiate uneven surfaces, stairs and ladders.
- Occasional use of hand tools and basic power tools.
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May require irregular hours (evening, weekends).
CompetenciesTeamwork - Ability to work both independently and in a team environment. Ability to work professionally with a diverse group of people including visitors, partners, scholars and service providers.
Ethics: exercises sound ethical judgment and discretion in the handling of confidential matters, applies ethical principles to research and dissemination of information.
Problem Solving - knowledge of problem-solving and decision-making techniques, and the ability to anticipate, generate solutions to problems and decide on a course of action.
Responsiveness - ability to respond to and learn from new developments andinitiatives, ability to deal with sensitive and difficult personal issues that may arise, with tact, sensitivity and confidentiality.
Customer Focus - Knowledge and ability to provide high levels of service to both internal and external customers, leading to high customer satisfaction and established relationships.
Integrity and Trust - Ability to operate with a high degree of honesty and openness, such that respect and trust is earned by coworkers, customers and partners.
Communication - Well developed communication skills: knowledge of various communication methods, and the ability to present and receive information in the most appropriate manner.
Adaptability - Knowledge and ability to effectively manage one’s own behaviour and positively influence the actions of others during times of change, stress or uncertainty.
Planning & Organizing - Effectively manages resources (time, people, funding, material, support) and eliminates roadblocks to achieve goals.
Creative & Innovative Thinking – Develops fresh ideas that provide solutions to all types of challenges.
Research & Analytical: demonstrated research skills: abilities in locating, evaluating, analyzing and synthesizing historical information from diverse sources.
Developing Direct Reports - Works with employees to understand and set career goals.
Motivation - Encourages others to do their best through empowerment, reward and recognition, delegation, and the creation of a positive work environment, team development opportunities and support.
Impact & Influence - Ability to assume leadership, even in challenging or difficult situations, and provide direction and impact the behaviour of others in a positive way. Compensation for this position is commensurate with experience and includes a comprehensive benefit package, including the public service pension plan. Some assistance with relocation costs may also be provided. The salary range for this role is $87,277 to $118,447. The closing date for applications is 5pm AST on Friday, July 3, 2026.
About The Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21 The Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21 is Canada’s sixth national museum. Our mission is to share the ongoing story of immigration to Canada—past to present and coast to coast to coast. The Museum is located in the Pier 21 national historic site at the Halifax seaport where nearly one million immigrants landed in Canada from 1928 to 1971. Our purpose is to explore the theme of immigration to Canada in order to enhance public understanding of the experiences of immigrants as they arrived in Canada, of the vital role immigration has played in the building of Canada and of the contributions of immigrants to Canada’s culture, economy and way of life. We are committed to having a skilled, diversified workforce reflective of Canadian Society. Applications are invited from all qualified candidates, including Indigenous persons, women, people of any sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression, visible minorities, racialized people, and people with disabilities. The Museum is committed to developing inclusive, barrier-free selection processes and work environments. Alternative selection tool methods and/or reasonable accommodations are available upon request. For further information on the Museum please visit https://pier21.ca
