Curatorial Officer (Collection) at the Newcastle Art Gallery

Location: Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia
Contract: Permanent, full-time
Hours: 35 hours per week
Salary: AUD 88,889.29 per annum, plus 17.5% annual leave loading and 12% superannuation
Application deadline: 30 September 2026

Newcastle Art Gallery is seeking a Curatorial Officer to support the care, documentation, interpretation and presentation of its nationally significant collection of more than 7,000 works.

Joining the Gallery during a period of growth and renewal, the successful candidate will contribute to its artistic programme while maintaining professional standards across collections management, research and documentation.

About the Role

Working within the Curatorial and Exhibitions team, the Curatorial Officer will support long-term collection displays and produce interpretive materials for written, public and digital contexts.

The position combines collections administration with object and provenance research, cataloguing, digital asset management and collaboration across the Gallery’s Curatorial, Exhibitions, Operations and Audience teams.

The role will suit an organised and detail-oriented arts professional with an interest in First Nations, Australian and international art.

Responsibilities

The Curatorial Officer will:

• Support the care, documentation and presentation of the Gallery’s collection;
• Administer collection records and documentation;
• Maintain collections management and digital asset management systems;
• Apply professional cataloguing and collections-management procedures;
• Conduct detailed research into artworks and their provenance;
• Support the development of long-term collection displays;
• Research and write interpretive materials;
• Adapt curatorial content for written, public and digital contexts;
• Contribute to exhibitions and the wider artistic programme;
• Liaise professionally with internal and external stakeholders;
• Collaborate with curators and the Gallery’s Exhibitions, Operations and Audience teams; and
• Help ensure the collection remains accurately documented, accessible and appropriately cared for.

Requirements

Applicants should have:

• Experience in curatorial, collections or museum work;
• Knowledge of collection care, documentation and management;
• Experience using collections management or digital asset management systems;
• The ability to undertake object and provenance research;
• Demonstrated research and writing skills;
• Strong administrative and organisational abilities;
• Excellent attention to detail;
• The ability to manage multiple priorities;
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills;
• A collaborative working style; and
• An interest in First Nations, Australian and international art.

Applicants must have the legal right to live and work in Australia.

Benefits

The City of Newcastle offers:

• A 35-hour working week;
• Flexible working arrangements;
• Four weeks of annual leave;
• Three weeks of personal leave;
• Two additional paid public holidays;
• Annual leave loading of 17.5%;
• Paid parental leave for primary carers;
• A corporate fitness programme;
• Employee rewards and benefits;
• Annual performance-development plans;
• Ongoing training and professional development;
• Inclusion, diversity and equity employee networks; and
• Health and wellbeing programmes, including physiotherapy, psychology, yoga and Mental Health Ambassador Groups.

About Newcastle Art Gallery

Newcastle Art Gallery holds a nationally significant collection of more than 7,000 works of art.

Its collection encompasses First Nations, Australian and international art. As the reimagined Gallery enters a new phase of development, its team is expanding the collection’s care, interpretation and presentation for local and visiting audiences.

Newcastle Art Gallery forms part of the City of Newcastle, which supports cultural activity, public services and sustainable community development across the region.