Conservator (Chinese Painting / Paper), Hong Kong Palace Museum

The Hong Kong Palace Museum (HKPM) is a dedicated museum that showcases the exquisite artefacts from Palace Museum’s collections and collaborates with other museums in research, exhibitions, education and public programmes. The museum comprises 7 800 square metres of gallery space for standing and special exhibitions on Palace Museum’s collections of paintings, calligraphy, antiquities and historical objects, as well as thematic displays on world cultures and civilisations.

Reporting to the Senior Conservator, you will be responsible for:

• performing conservation work, including examination, conservation assessment, research, treatment, and documentation of artworks as well as preparation of artworks for exhibition, and ensuring the gallery and storage environment is well maintained all the time for the artworks;
• handling exhibition related conservation work, such as condition report and courier trip; advising on climate control, packing materials and methods, display duration and methods, mount-making, framing and matting, and issues related to display cases;
• conducting research, contributing to the field of conservation and scientific research;
• co-organising workshops, symposia and other scholarly projects;
• contributing to the public conservation education project in collaboration with the museum’s learning and engagement team;
• assisting in developing, maintaining, and regularly reviewing guidelines, policies, standards, and procedures for the conservation and care of the museum’s collections as well as incoming and outgoing loans; collaborating with relevant teams to develop and implement emergency plans and disaster preparedness protocols;
• maintaining conservation studio in the museum building, including the research and procurement of special equipment for conservation;
• assisting in co-developing conservation budget and monitor expenditures;
• working collaboratively with curators, collection managers, exhibition managers, designers, security and safety officers, facility managers, and external stakeholders ensure the proper care of the museum’s collection, loans, and the safety of the museum environment;
• providing advice and necessary training to other HKPM staff; developing collaborative relationship with the teams within HKPM, the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority, and outside service providers and users; and
• performing any duties from time to time as reasonably as assigned by HKPM.

You should:

• possess a recognised degree in conservation or conservation science or similar training programmes from a recognized college or university, or equivalent credentials such as certificates from a recognised conservation training programme.
• have at least 5 years of verifiable museum conservation experience (or equivalent) beyond the degree of certificate.
• possess a broad range of expert knowledge of and hands-on experience with the mounting techniques, materials, and equipment used in the conservation and scientific research of East Asian Paintings / Papers artworks.
• have knowledge of the procedures and best practices relating to the examination and preventative and remedial conservation of museum collections; the environmental and handling requirements for storage, exhibition and travel of collections;
• have extensive experience with exhibition related conservation matters;
• have proven track record of professional accomplishments in the field of conservation and scientific research that may include publication, conference papers, and research projects;
• have experience of acting as a trainer, or experience with public conservation education is a plus;
• have a good understanding of museum collection management and associated softwares, such as Collection Management System, The Museum System (TMS), is a plus;
• be a strong team-player with excellent organizational, and diplomatic/negotiation skills, meticulous attention to details and accuracy, as well as the ability to work under pressure to meet deadlines and manage multiple complex projects concurrently;
• have a local and international network in the field of conservation and scientific research. Experience with Hong Kong and/or Mainland Chinese, or International institutions and collections is a plus; and
• possess good communication skills and proficiency in English. Proficiency in Cantonese and/or Putonghua is a plus.

(Candidate with less experience will be considered for the post of Associate Conservator.)

02-09-2026