Institution: Powerhouse Museum
Department: Collection Curatorial
Location: Sydney, Australia
Contract: Temporary Full-time (up to 4 years)
Classification: Senior Curator
Reports to: Head of Collection Curatorial
Application Deadline: 24 May 2026 – 5:00 PM
Powerhouse Museum is one of Australia’s leading cultural institutions, operating at the intersection of arts, design, science, and technology. The museum stewards more than half a million objects of national and international significance across multiple sites including Powerhouse Ultimo, Parramatta, Castle Hill, and Sydney Observatory.
This role forms part of Powerhouse’s major institutional transformation and infrastructure renewal programme, contributing to the future development and interpretation of one of the country’s most significant science and technology collections.
About the Role
The Senior Collection Curator, Science and Technology, leads curatorial strategy and collection development across science and technology holdings, managing curatorial staff and supporting long-term institutional planning.
The role combines collection stewardship, public engagement, research leadership, and cross-sector collaboration, with a strong emphasis on future-focused collection development and interdisciplinary programming.
Responsibilities
- Lead strategic development of the science and technology collection
- Manage and support a team of curatorial staff
- Develop future-focused collection development plans
- Oversee collection-based research projects and public access initiatives
- Facilitate collaboration with industry, researchers, and community partners
- Support cross-divisional collaboration across exhibitions, programming, and research
- Contribute to institutional planning aligned with Powerhouse’s transformation programme
- Drive alignment between collection strategy and public programme delivery
- Support access to the collection for external stakeholders and researchers
- Represent the institution within professional and public contexts
Candidate Profile
- Senior-level curatorial experience in museums, science collections, or related institutions
- Strong knowledge of science, technology, and collection-based research practices
- Experience leading curatorial teams and strategic projects
- Ability to work collaboratively across departments and external partnerships
- Excellent organisational and leadership skills
- Strong understanding of public engagement and access within cultural institutions
- Experience developing long-term collection strategies and institutional initiatives
- Ability to manage complex research and curatorial workflows
