Chief of Curatorial Affairs and Conservation

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Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

Location: Boston, MA, United States
Contract: Full-time, 35 hours/week
Salary: $240,000–$280,000
Reports to: Director of the Museum
Department: Leadership Team

The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA) is seeking a strategic, visionary, and collaborative Chief of Curatorial Affairs and Conservation (CAC) to join its leadership team. Reporting directly to the Director, the Chief will oversee the museum’s global collections, curatorial and conservation departments, provenance and registration teams, exhibition programming, and intellectual property, ensuring integration with institutional priorities and a strong public experience.

Key Responsibilities

Lead all curatorial, conservation, registration, and exhibition functions
Develop long-range exhibition strategy, including touring programs and gallery rotations
Oversee acquisitions, deaccessions, loans, provenance research, and collection care policies
Serve as institutional spokesperson at public events, conferences, and professional forums
Supervise curatorial chairs and departmental leadership, building collaborative culture and accountability
Drive fundraising efforts in partnership with development teams
Represent the museum at board and committee meetings
Align programming and content development with institutional values and community engagement

Qualifications

Advanced degree in Art History or related discipline
Minimum 10 years of senior leadership in curatorial and conservation within an art museum
Strategic thinker with demonstrated budget and operations management experience
Strong track record in donor relations and cross-institutional collaboration
Proven leadership in staff mentoring, team building, and organizational culture
Outstanding communication and public engagement skills