Museum Director Production & Specialised Services Managers
SaveWhat Does a Museum Director Do?
Museum directors oversee the management of the art collections, artefacts, and exposition facilities. They secure and sell works of art on the one hand, and strive to preserve and maintain the art collection of a museum on the other hand. Moreover, they also manage finances, employees, and marketing efforts of the museum.
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Where Do I Start?
Museum Databases
The tools and processes involved in working with museum databases.
Sign up to trackReady to go deeper? Pick up to 3 skills to focus on from the list below.
These are common skills for this role. Real-world experience matters more than ticking every box — use this as a guide, not a checklist.
Skills You Need to Become a Museum Director
Essential Skills
Essential Skills
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EssentialMuseum Databases knowledge
The tools and processes involved in working with museum databases.
Recommended Books
1 book -
EssentialArt-Historical Values knowledge
The historical and artistic values implied in examples of one's branch of art.
No book recommendations available yet.
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EssentialArt History knowledge
The history of art and artists, the artistic trends throughout centuries and their contemporary evolutions.
No book recommendations available yet.
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EssentialArt Collections knowledge
The variety of paintings, sculptures, prints, drawings and other works that form collections in a museum and prospective new collections which are of interest for a museum or art gallery.
Recommended Books
1 book -
EssentialLiaise With Colleagues skill
Liaise with fellow colleagues to ensure common understanding on work related affairs and agree on the necessary compromises the parties might need to face. Negotiate compromises between parties as to …
Course recommendations coming soon.
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EssentialLiaise With Managers skill
Liaise with managers of other departments ensuring effective service and communication, i.e. sales, planning, purchasing, trading, distribution and technical.
Course recommendations coming soon.
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EssentialLiaise With Shareholders skill
Communicate and serve as communication point with shareholders in order to provide an overview on their investments, returns, and long-term plans of the company to increase profitability.
Course recommendations coming soon.
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EssentialManage Budgets skill
Plan, monitor and report on the budget.
Course recommendations coming soon.
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EssentialManage Staff skill
Manage employees and subordinates, working in a team or individually, to maximise their performance and contribution. Schedule their work and activities, give instructions, motivate and direct the workers to meet …
Course recommendations coming soon.
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EssentialPlan Art Educational Activities skill
Plan and implement artistic facilities, performance, venues and museum-related educational activities and events.
Course recommendations coming soon.
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EssentialAdvise On Art Handling skill
Advise and instruct other museum professionals and technicians on how to manipulate, move, store and present artifacts, according to their physical characteristics.
Course recommendations coming soon.
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EssentialAdvise On Loans Of Art Work For Exhibitions skill
Working together with curators and museum collection managers, a registrar evaluates the condition of art objects for exhibition or loan purposes. The registrar also decides whether or not an artwork …
Course recommendations coming soon.
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EssentialDocument Museum Collection skill
Registrars are concerned with documentation and record keeping of museum collections. Documentation includes information about an object's condition, provenance, materials, and all of its movements within the museum or out …
Course recommendations coming soon.
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EssentialHandle Art skill
Work directly with objects in museums and art galleries, in coordination with other museum professionals, to ensure that artworks are safely handled, packed, stored and cared for.
Course recommendations coming soon.
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EssentialImplement Risk Management For Works Of Art skill
A registrar determines risk factors to an art collection and mitigates them. Risk factors for artworks include vandalism, theft, pests, emergencies, and natural disasters. It is the responsibility of a …
Course recommendations coming soon.
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EssentialLiaise With Educational Institutions skill
Communication and cooperation for the supply of study materials (e.g. books) to educational institutions.
Course recommendations coming soon.
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EssentialMaintain Catalogue Collection skill
Describe, inventorise and catalogue items in the collection.
Course recommendations coming soon.
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EssentialMaintain Museum Records skill
Keep museum records current and in conformity with museum standards.
Course recommendations coming soon.
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EssentialMonitor Museum Environment skill
Monitor and document environmental conditions in a museum, in storage as well as exhibition facilities. Make sure an adapted and stable climate is guaranteed.
Course recommendations coming soon.
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EssentialSell Art skill
Secure and sell pieces of art in different markets. Negotiate prices, liaise with art dealers, and prevent from acquiring counterfeit art pieces.
Course recommendations coming soon.
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EssentialSupervise Art Gallery Staff skill
supervise the activities and performance of art gallery employees
Course recommendations coming soon.
Optional Skills (5 of 20 displayed)
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OptionalPublic Relations knowledge
The practice of managing all aspects of the image and perception of a company or individual among stakeholders and the society at large.
Recommended Books
2 books -
OptionalMarketing Principles knowledge
The principles of managing the relationship between consumers and products or services for the purpose of increasing sales and improving advertising techniques.
Recommended Books
1 book -
OptionalInvestigation Research Methods knowledge
The methods and strategies used to conduct police, government intelligence or military investigation research, as well as the research regulations specific to the operation.
No book recommendations available yet.
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OptionalMarketing Management knowledge
The academic discipline and function in an organisation which focuses on the market research, market development, and the creation of marketing campaigns to raise awareness on the company's services and …
Recommended Books
3 books -
OptionalPaleontology knowledge
The field of science that studies fossils' ecologies, their evolution and interaction with other organisms, and the environment during period beginning approximately 11,700 years ago up to the present.
Recommended Books
3 books -
OptionalHistory knowledge
The discipline that studies, analyses, and presents the events of the past related to humans.
No book recommendations available yet.
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OptionalClassical Antiquity knowledge
The period in history marked by ancient Greek and ancient Roman cultures, before the Middle Ages.
No book recommendations available yet.
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OptionalAnalyse Packaging Requirements skill
Analyses packaging requirement against the design of the production plan. Perform the analysis considering engineering, economic, ergonomic, and other perspectives.
Course recommendations coming soon.
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OptionalCollaborate In The Development Of Marketing Strategies skill
Work together with a group of professionals to develop marketing strategies performing market analysis and financial viability while staying aligned with the company's goals.
Course recommendations coming soon.
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OptionalConduct Scholarly Research skill
Plan scholarly research by formulating the research question and conducting empirical or literature research in order to investigate the truth of the research question.
Course recommendations coming soon.
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OptionalCoordinate Marketing Plan Actions skill
Manage the overview of the marketing actions such as the marketing planning, internal financial resource granting, advertising materials, implementation, control, and communication efforts.
Course recommendations coming soon.
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OptionalManage Fundraising Activities skill
Initiate fundraising activities managing the place, teams involved, causes and budgets.
Course recommendations coming soon.
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OptionalPerform Fundraising Activities skill
Perform activities which will raise funds for an organisation or campaign, such as speaking with the public, gathering funds during fundraising or other general events, and using online fundraising tools.
Course recommendations coming soon.
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OptionalAdvertise An Art Collection skill
Write catalogues, research documents, articles, reports, policies, standards and project grant proposals.
Course recommendations coming soon.
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OptionalDevelop Classification Systems skill
Organise archive or business records; develop classification systems to facilitate access to all information.
Course recommendations coming soon.
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OptionalEnsure Special Requirements For Goods In Storage skill
Handle goods that require special storage measures, e.g. fragile items or items that need to be stored at certain temperatures.
Course recommendations coming soon.
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OptionalEvaluate Cultural Venue Visitor Needs skill
Assess the needs and expectations of museum and any art facility visitors in order to regularly develop new programmes and activities.
Course recommendations coming soon.
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OptionalManage Artworks' Installation In The Gallery skill
Organise tools and equipment; ensure correct and safe installation of the art piece.
Course recommendations coming soon.
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OptionalManage Rented Goods Returns skill
Organise the return of rented goods to the distributor.
Course recommendations coming soon.
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OptionalStore Goods skill
Arrange and store goods in areas outside of customers display.
Course recommendations coming soon.
