Collections Technician 1: Fishes

Royal Ontario Museum • Toronto, ON

169d • Onsite

About The Position

Opened in 1914 and welcoming over 1.3 million visitors annually, the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) is Canada's most-visited museum, ranking among the top 10 cultural institutions in North America. At ROM, we are dedicated to building and sharing global collections, sharing knowledge, inspiring learning, and fostering community engagement. As a globally recognized field research institute, ROM houses an impressive collection of over 18 million artworks, cultural objects, and natural history specimens, showcased in over 40 galleries and exhibition spaces. We are committed to creating a space where art, culture, and nature intersect, connecting people and communities to the past, present and shared future.

As we continue to work toward our goals to transform and evolve as one of the world’s foremost 21st-century museums, we seek passionate and dynamic team members who embody our mission and values.

We are seeking a Collections Technician 1: Fishes to support the care, management, and accessibility of ROM’s extensive ichthyology collections.
Reporting to the Manager, Collections Care, this role plays a vital part in preserving, organizing, and documenting natural history specimens to support research, education, and public engagement. The Collections Technician works closely with curators and collections staff, contributing to specimen preparation, conservation, cataloguing, loans, acquisitions, and fieldwork.
This position also supports ROM’s Ontario Fish Identification workshops, including preparation, facilitation, and travel with collections, and contributes to broader technical and programmatic needs within the Fishes collections.

Requirements

• Completion of a Master’s degree in Arts or Sciences, or an equivalent combination of education, experience, or informal training in biodiversity, natural history, or collections data management
• A strong academic background in biology or a closely related discipline
• Three (3) to less than five (5) years of experience in collections care, specimen preparation, or a related technical field; museum experience is an asset
• Demonstrated experience working with wet collections; prior museum experience in this area is strongly preferred
• Knowledge of current preparation, conservation, and best practices for natural history collections
• Experience with collections databases and standard business software; familiarity with TMS is an asset
• Experience with digital photography techniques and documentation of specimens
• Strong attention to detail, sound judgment, and care in handling specimens and data
• Strong interpersonal, oral, and written communication skills
• Ability to lift and move objects up to 25 kg (50 lbs.) and safely climb ladders up to 3 metres

Nice To Haves

• museum experience is an asset
• prior museum experience in this area is strongly preferred
• familiarity with TMS is an asset

Responsibilities

• Prepare, preserve, and conserve fish specimens using established techniques, including fixation, rinsing, alcohol preservation, identification, counting, and morphometric and meristic measurements
• Maintain and enhance the organization, storage, re-housing, and physical care of the Fishes collections in collaboration with curators and collections staff
• Support acquisitions and loans by preparing specimens, completing documentation, coordinating shipping, and tracking materials in accordance with museum policies
• Accurately catalogue specimens by entering, reviewing, and maintaining collection data within the approved collections management system, ensuring completeness and accuracy
• Record detailed locality and geographic data, including waterbody names, political boundaries, coordinates, and watershed codes
• Prepare labels, cards, and digital assets, and photograph specimens for inclusion in collection records
• Support and participate in fieldwork under curatorial direction, including specimen collection and documentation
• Monitor and maintain wet collections, frozen tissue collections, alcohol storage, and cold storage infrastructure
• Facilitate access to collections by supporting research visits, responding to inquiries, and assisting with exhibitions, outreach, and public programs
• Prepare and support Ontario Fish Identification workshops, including updating course materials, packing and transporting collections, assisting instructors, and travelling to workshop locations
• Support contract staff, part-time staff, volunteers, interns, and students in collections-related tasks

Benefits

• Comprehensive benefits coverage: For permanent and full-time contract positions (conditions apply), enjoy 100 percent premium-free benefits for individuals and families, a health spending account, flexible working options (varies by position), and an Employee Assistance Program.
• Worry-free retirement savings: With our pension plan, you benefit from an employer-matched Defined Benefit contribution plan, which provides predictable lifetime retirement income, survivor benefits, and early retirement options without the stress of investment decisions.
• Support for new parents: Enjoy a parental leave top-up to 95 percent of your salary for 17 weeks, helping you balance work and family life.
• Perks: Free ROM membership for permanent full-time and part-time staff, plus discounts to over 200 attractions through Attractions Ontario.
• And more!

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level