How to hire a conservator

How to hire a conservator, step by step

Here's a step-by-step conservator hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a conservator job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new conservator
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the conservator you need to hire. Certain conservator roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a conservator to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire a conservator that fits the bill.

   The following list breaks down different types of conservators and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Conservator	Description	Hourly rate
   Conservator	Archivists appraise, process, catalog, and preserve permanent records and historically valuable documents. Curators oversee collections of artwork and historic items, and may conduct public service activities for an institution... Show more	$12-41
   Family Worker	A family worker's role is to provide an intervention with parents, children, and young persons to help improve outcomes for families and children. The job they do includes working with parents to help strengthen family relationships and their ability to provide support and be community involved closely... Show more	$13-23
   Museum Educator	Museum educators develop and carry out all the museum's education and public programs. They are in charge of the community outreach programs and writing curriculum around their museum's collection institution... Show more	$12-29

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Social Security
   • Condition Reports
   • Photographic Documentation
   • Condition Assessment
   • Conservation Lab
   • Conservation Treatments
   • Cataloging
   • Treatment Proposals
   • Historical Research
   • Conservation Practices
   • Court Hearings
   • Probate
   • Community Resources
   • Medical Care

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Create initial inventory of finances and physical items own by estate and submit to probate court.
   • Analyze prehistoric and historic cultural artifacts, including data entry for cataloging.
   • Design costumes and usher for mainstage productions.
   • Perform archeological field excavations and laboratory analysis.

   More conservator duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your conservator job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A conservator salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, conservators' average salary in idaho is 57% less than in district of columbia.
   • Seniority. Entry-level conservators earn 71% less than senior-level conservators.
   • Certifications. A conservator with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a conservator's salary.

   Average conservator salary

   $46,396yearly

   $22.31 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level conservator salary

   $25,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 6, 2025

   Average conservator salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Alaska	$69,900	$34
   2	District of Columbia	$69,231	$33
   3	Connecticut	$69,085	$33
   4	New York	$66,167	$32
   5	Maryland	$58,852	$28
   6	California	$56,729	$27
   7	Massachusetts	$55,609	$27
   8	West Virginia	$53,830	$26
   9	Ohio	$49,993	$24
   10	Pennsylvania	$47,974	$23
   11	Michigan	$47,302	$23
   12	Illinois	$47,026	$23
   13	Virginia	$45,662	$22
   14	Nebraska	$41,576	$20
   15	Texas	$41,537	$20
   16	New Mexico	$39,568	$19
   17	Florida	$39,298	$19
   18	Arizona	$39,153	$19
   19	North Carolina	$39,025	$19
   20	Oklahoma	$38,876	$19

   Average conservator salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	The Mariners' Museum and Park	$89,528	$43.04
   2	The Metropolitan Museum of Art	$88,437	$42.52	1
   3	Smithsonian Institution	$79,605	$38.27
   4	Yale University	$77,585	$37.30
   5	The Museum of Modern Art	$73,668	$35.42
   6	Seattle Art Museum	$68,882	$33.12
   7	The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston	$68,220	$32.80	2
   8	Student Conservation Association	$67,157	$32.29
   9	University System of Maryland	$62,612	$30.10
   10	Commonwealth	$52,105	$25.05
   11	Clemson University	$50,796	$24.42
   12	Univ. Of Texas Cancer Ctr.	$48,663	$23.40	2
   13	Evergreene Architectural Arts, Inc.	$47,897	$23.03
   14	Cleveland Museum Of Art	$47,744	$22.95
   15	University of Pennsylvania	$47,031	$22.61
   16	University Of South Dakota Foundation	$46,687	$22.45
   17	University of Michigan	$46,170	$22.20
   18	Colorado Outward Bound School	$45,829	$22.03
   19	Fine - Art	$44,712	$21.50
   20	Americorps	$42,139	$20.26	6

4. Writing a conservator job description

   A good conservator job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a conservator job description:

   Conservator job description example

   WCCC collaborates on projects that may include a variety of trail construction/maintenance, fence construction/removal, invasive species removal, fire fuels reduction, habitat restoration and/or historic preservation work. AmeriCorps members have the opportunity to earn up to $3,247.50, in addition to a bi-weekly stipend, from an AmeriCorps Education Award (restrictions apply). Members must not engage in any prohibited activities as listed in the AmeriCorps Member Service Agreement. As an AmeriCorps service-learning program and to prepare AmeriCorps Members for work in-the-field. WCCC provides orientation and technical skills training at the start of the program term in addition to region or project specific training throughout the service term. Focuses include outdoor leadership, Leave No Trace principles, technical skills for project work, tool use/maintenance, S-212 chainsaw safety training, first aid/CPR, herbicide application, trail building, fence construction, procedures surrounding risk management and best practices, and creating positive crew cultures with emphasis on diversity and inclusion. Further help on this page can be found by clicking here.
   
   Member Duties : • Mentor and lead a crew of 8-10 youth, 17-24 years old, in day-to-day service activities on the project site and at camp along with 2 Assistant Crew Leaders (ACL) to help. • Give guidance, leadership opportunities, and responsibilities to the Assistant Crew Leaders to facilitate their personal growth and development. • Submit written and digital reports on projects, and expenses on a weekly basis to field staff. • Transport crew safely in WCCC's vans or other vehicles while towing a trailer. • Perform duties expected of any corps member including service project completion, meal preparation, cleanup/setup, and other day-to-day duties. • Must adhere to and enforce the rules and regulations of WCCC and AmeriCorps, which includes abstaining from the use of drugs, alcohol, and tobacco as well as other rules, regulations, and risk management protocol.
   Program Benefits : Education award upon successful completion of service .
   
   Terms :
   
   Car recommended .
   
   Service Areas :
   
   None
   
   Skills :
   
   General Skills .

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find conservators for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any conservators they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level conservators with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your conservator job on Zippia to find and recruit conservator candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit conservators, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new conservator

   Once you've found the conservator candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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