Employment

Museum Assistant - Student

Hours of Work: 35 hours/week; 9:00am to 4:30pm – may include weekends
Hourly Wage: $19.90
Placement Term: May 11 – August 30, 2026 (funding dependent)
Application Deadline: April 6, 2026

Position Overview
Located in Sidney, B.C., the Sidney Museum and Archives (SMA) is a community museum and archives that preserves objects and records of significance to the people of Sidney, North Saanich, and the Saanich Peninsula more broadly. The Museum hosts an annual cycle of both travelling and internally-developed exhibitions in addition to offering special events, workshops, and other programming activities open to the public. The SMA is in the midst of a transition period with a new and motivated staff team and ongoing projects working towards the implementation of a new collections management database, updating records of museum and archives collections inventories, working to increase access to its collections, and revitalizing permanent historical displays. This creates an exciting opportunity for aspiring or emerging museum and archival professionals to gain experience in a museum and archives with a half-century old collection.

Tasks and Responsibilities
Reporting to the Executive Director, the Museum Assistant will be responsible primarily for developing temporary and permanent displays within the museum’s galleries as well as conducting extensive collections management work. This work will offer the opportunity to conduct original research and develop interpretive materials on aspects of local history of the Museum Assistant’s choosing. The Museum Assistant will conduct object photography, nomenclature classification, research and description, and data clean-up in SMA’s digital collections database to improve SMA’s catalogue records and its knowledge of its collections. This collections management work will involve working directly with staff and a dedicated team of volunteers.

The Museum Assistant will additionally be expected to assist in the development of additional programming and written materials to accompany the museum’s Waterfront Signage Project. Moreover, the Museum Assistant will gain meaningful experience in the course of contributing to the planning of the museum’s permanent gallery revitalization project, outreach activities, and the development and implementation of pop-up displays. In addition to the above, the Museum Assistant will assist in the daily operations of the museum and in providing guidance to volunteers.

Qualifications, Knowledge and Skills
The ideal candidate for this role will possess the following:

Currently enrolled in a post-secondary accredited program of study, preferably in the fields of Museum Studies, History, Anthropology, Archaeology, Art History, or a related field;
Outstanding attention to detail and well-honed research skills;
Strong English writing abilities and experience conducting and compiling historical research;
An interest in public history and community programming;
Good public relations and written/verbal communication skills;
Demonstrable time-management skills, particularly when balancing one or more ongoing projects;
The ability to work independently as part of a team & with people of all ages, identities, and backgrounds;
Familiarity with museum standards and best practices including collection management, exhibit design, and interpretive content development considered an asset.

Please note: Applicants are encouraged to self-identify as members of the Government of Canada’s job equity groups or as a member of a group otherwise traditionally underrepresented in the GLAM sector; priority will be given to such candidates in the selection process. SMA is committed to minimizing barriers to working in the heritage sector and making accommodations as needed to ensure the rich diversity of the sector.

Eligibility Criteria

As this is a position funded by the Young Canada Works in Heritage Organizations program, only applicants who meet the below eligibility criteria will be considered:

Are a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident, or have refugee status in Canada (non-Canadians holding temporary work visas or awaiting permanent resident status are not eligible);
Are legally entitled to work in Canada (have a valid social insurance number);
Are between 16 and 30 years of age inclusively at the start of employment; and
Are a currently enrolled high school, college, CEGEP, or university student

Note: Priority will be given to students who have not previously participated in the YCWHO employment program.

This position is considered a position of trust, and the successful candidate will be required to have a police information check as a condition of employment (Not required as part of the application process).

Please submit a cover letter and resume (in PDF format) to employment@sidneymuseum.ca by April 6, 2026.

We appreciate all applications, however, only short-listed candidates will be contacted.

Archives Assistant - Student

Tasks and Responsibilities
Reporting to the Assistant Director and Archives Manager, the Archives Assistant will be primarily responsible for improving accessibility of the Sidney Museum and Archives’ Oral History collection and ensuring its long-term preservation through the coordination of its digitization with external contractors. A significant portion of the successful candidate’s work will involve planning the digitization work, transcribing the digitized oral history recordings, and describing their contents in line with archival descriptive standards. The Archives Assistant will gain an in-depth understanding of the SMA’s Oral History collection and will have the opportunity to make a lasting impact on the accessibility of this collection for future researchers.

The Archives Assistant will additionally have the opportunity to work on a couple of smaller projects which include the transfer of deteriorating photo negatives to permanent cold storage and the digitization of photo negatives. The Archives Assistant will also assist in the daily operations of the Archives including: processing and describing new or backlog acquisitions, inventorying archival materials, and conducting preventive collections care.

Qualifications, Knowledge and Skills
The ideal candidate for this role will possess the following:

Currently enrolled in an accredited program of study, preferably in the fields of Library & Information Studies, Museum Studies, Art History, History, Anthropology, or a related field;
Good public relations and written/verbal communication skills;
Outstanding attention to detail and well-honed organizational and problem-solving skills;
Demonstrable time-management skills, particularly when balancing one or more ongoing projects;
The ability to efficiently and accurately input data and to have the capacity to learn to navigate new software;
A keen interest in history and audio/visual media management and preservation;
Experience identifying and summarizing key pieces of information from primary historical sources;
The ability to work independently as part of a team & with people of all ages, identities, and backgrounds;
Familiarity with archival standards and best practices including collections management, Rules for Archival Description, digitization processes, and database management considered an asset;
Strong IT skills are considered an asset.

Eligibility Criteria
As this is a position funded by the Young Canada Works in Heritage Organizations program, only applicants who meet the below eligibility criteria will be considered:

Are a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident, or have refugee status in Canada (non-Canadians holding temporary work visas or awaiting permanent resident status are not eligible);
Are legally entitled to work in Canada (have a valid social insurance number);
Are between 16 and 30 years of age inclusively at the start of employment; and
Are a currently enrolled high school, college, CEGEP, or university student.

Note: Priority will be given to students who have not previously participated in the YCWHO employment program.

This position is considered a position of trust, and the successful candidate will be required to have a police information check as a condition of employment (not required as part of the application process).

Please submit a cover letter and resume (in PDF format) to employment@sidneymuseum.ca by April 6, 2026.

We appreciate all applications, however, only short-listed candidates will be contacted.