The Assistant Registrar, Collection Management System leads a small team within the Registration Department to manage the daily operations of the National Gallery’s Collection Management System (CMS), EMu. This system underpins the Gallery’s commitment to recognised museum documentation standards and supports the accurate care, tracking, and management of the national collection. It plays a critical role in ensuring all works of art are properly documented, securely stored, insured, and accessible, reflecting both the breadth and significance of a national collection comprising more than 155,000 works—including the world’s largest collection of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art.
Working within a dynamic environment that includes national and international exhibitions, touring programs, and extensive lending activity, the Assistant Registrar, Collection Management System is pivotal in maintaining excellence in documentation, data integrity, and recordkeeping practices. The role supports system upgrades, oversees CMS performance, and delivers training to internal users to ensure consistent application of best practice standards across the organisation.
The position provides authoritative advice on collection documentation, cataloguing standards, and reporting requirements to senior and executive staff, contributing to informed decision making and aligning daily operations with the Gallery’s strategic objectives.
Reporting to the Assistant Director, Collection Management & Art Services, this ongoing full time position is responsible for one direct report and works collaboratively across the Registration team and the broader Artistic Programs Portfolio to support the integrity, accessibility, and stewardship of the national collection.
The key duties of the position include:
In accordance with the APS 6 work level standards, you will:
* Provide high level advice and guidance on collection documentation standards, systems, and processes, supporting internal stakeholders and senior managers to achieve consistent, best practice outcomes.
* Administer and manage the Collection Management System (CMS), including coordinating stakeholder engagement and designing and delivering user training aligned with contemporary museum and gallery documentation practices.
* Maintain the integrity, accuracy, and operational performance of the CMS by coordinating system maintenance, reviews, and upgrades, and managing interfaces with related ICT systems in line with organisational ICT frameworks.
* Lead and support CMS staff by providing clear direction on system administration, documentation standards, and stakeholder coordination to ensure effective and timely delivery of work.
* Implement and refine collection documentation processes to support continuous improvement and compliance with current cataloguing, data governance, and documentation standards.
* Produce accurate, fit for purpose documentation, reports, and system outputs that support the accessibility, reliability, and management of the national collection.
* Liaise with internal stakeholders and external service providers, including the CMS vendor (Axiell), to support system optimisation and adherence to agreed documentation standards.
Eligibility
Citizenship – To be eligible for employment with the Gallery, you must be an Australian citizen.
Police Check – to be eligible for this role you must complete a police check.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION - Qualifications, Certifications and Registrations
Role specific qualifications /certification and/or registrations include:
* Three or more years’ experience with a collection management system/s at any system administration level in an art gallery, museum or similar environment is highly desirable.
* A tertiary qualification in museums studies, collection management, registration or collection systems or related fields is desirable.
Notes
HOW TO APPLY
To apply for this role please go to the National Gallery's Careers portal.
You should provide a tailored CV (maximum of three pages) along with a statement of no more than two pages that outlines your skills, capabilities and experience, against the information above.
In your statement response you should keep in mind the capabilities and behaviours required to be successful for this role, as identified in the information above. Try not to duplicate information that can be found in your CV but do highlight any specific examples or achievements that demonstrate your ability to perform the role.
An order of merit or merit pool may be established from this selection process and may be used to fill future identical vacancies over the next 18 months. Selection may be based on application and referee reports only. If you do not wish to be added to an order of merit, please notify us in your application.
Getting to know the National Gallery of Australia
The National Gallery is one of Australia’s leading visual arts institutions. The National Gallery is based in Canberra and is a vital part of the Australian cultural landscape. Our Purpose is to collect, preserve, promote and share the national collection of art. The Vision of the National Gallery is to be the international reference point for art in Australia, inspiring all people to explore, experience and learn. Our Values include Boldness, Integrity, Respect, and Excellence.