Barack Obama Presidential Museum Director, Chicago

http://jobs.aaslh.org/jobseeker/job/32163507/Barack%20Obama%20Presidential%20Museum%20Director/Obama%20Foundation/?str=1&max=25&long=1&vnet=0




THE POSITION

The Museum Director is expected to take advantage of the Barack Obama Presidential Museum’s unique opportunities embedded within an unusual interpretation of the traditional presidential library model.  Setting the professional bar commensurate with the Foundation’s institutional stature and ambitions, the Director of the Museum will assume management of the Museum.  S/He will position the Museum as the first point of entry to the OPC and ensure it is a welcoming and highly appealing space and experience.  To that end, the Director will provide a dynamic and authentic vision for the Museum, taking the curatorial lead in defining the scope and direction of the institution’s exhibitions and public programming.  The Director, in partnership with key volunteer leaders and staff, will be charged with developing and executing a strategic plan for the Museum that will capitalize on the strengths of the Foundation and the community as well as on what has already been achieved.  S/He will lead the marketing and audience development strategy on-site and online to introduce the Museum to local, regional, national and international audiences, and create a financial and fundraising plan that provides for financial stability.

This position will require close and collegial collaboration with the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA https://www.archives.gov/) and the Obama Library Director, who will oversee the collection accrued during the eight year presidential administration and the further acquisition and management of collections, the head of the Foundation and senior leadership across the Obama Presidential Center, as well as with the Obamas themselves when appropriate.  The position initially will report to the Executive Director of the Foundation.

The Foundation, working with its own team of advisors, will prepare a draft "Narrative" for the Museum and its exhibitions in preparation for the Director’s arrival.  The Narrative will describe the major chapters or "rooms" in the Museum, as well as the key themes and moments to be included in each.  Preliminary programming spaces are estimated to be between 25,000 - 30,000 sq. ft., within an approximately 200,000 sq. ft. Center.  Ultimately, the Museum Director will be responsible for this narrative, daily operations and managing a staff of between fifteen to twenty people, as initially envisioned.  S/He will lead and support an active exhibition and public programming schedule of the highest quality, designed to capture the interest of broader and more diverse audiences on site and online regionally, nationally and internationally, while providing innovative connections with the vibrant local community and external partners.

IMMEDIATE AND ONGOING RESPONSIBILITIES

The Museum Director will be an inspiring yet pragmatic museum professional, fundraiser and manager who can generate ideas as well as empower and support others to implement them.  S/He will have the following priorities:

Know the Obama’s story and administration thoroughly; learn their values, life lessons and aspirations as each informs the Foundation’s mission and objectives; translate this information into programming, exhibitions, support and advocates;


Forge strong and sustainable working relationships with critical partners, such as NARA, including an agreement as to how textual records and artifacts will be borrowed from NARA/the Obama Library for exhibit purposes; likewise, get to know and gain the trust of the Obamas, internal peers, museum staff and other stakeholders to ensure their support for the Museum;


Ensure vibrancy!  Develop, along with colleagues, staff and key volunteers a programmatic vision for the Museum that reflects a commitment to empowering the individual, to advocacy and to institutional excellence; develop through programming a unique experience that is accessible to a wide range of audiences; embrace advances in the field in order to meet audiences when and where they want to learn; ensure a vibrant interactive Foundation/museum website, digital presence, online content and programming appropriate for multi-generational and international constituents; help cultivate and support the next generation of change agents and leaders;


In partnership with the team charged with branding the Foundation identify avenues for introducing its mission and programs to the broadest audience possible; be an active participant and leader in the social justice arena and position the Museum as a convener and catalyst; develop and formalize appropriate roles for support organizations in the community and around the world to allow active collaboration; plan for and execute the opening of the Museum with the broadest possible audience participation; institute the means for sustained support once the novelty has subsided;


Understand the Museum’s proposed base of support; embrace the role of primary spokesperson and chief fundraiser for the Museum; in tandem with a centralized development department, proactively address development needs, including the building of a substantial endowment funds and cultivating existing as well as new patrons while ensuring that sound fundraising strategies are in place; identify and maximize opportunities for mutual support and integration between the Foundation and its constituents; works in partnership with NARA/Library Director to develop collaborative education and the educational offerings;


Understand and shape the financial dynamics of the organization; ensure, by effective leadership and management, that the day-to-day operations are efficiently administered in a fiscally responsible manner and according to AAM professional standards and best practices; develop short and long-range plans with metrics for progress and continually ensure that policies are evaluated, implemented and congruent with institutional goals and industry best practices;


Hire, manage, motivate, and evaluate staff and maintain a collegial staff structure; support staff’s desire for professional development and rigorous standards as needed.

Requirements

IDEAL QUALIFICATIONS AND CHARACTERISTICS



The ideal candidate will be passionate, creative, collaborative and deeply thoughtful about the potential for the Museum.  S/He will have or be the following:

A proven self-starter, at ease in her/his own skin; a strategic and confident leader who can set and implement industry guidelines as the Foundation’s top museum professional; roll-up-your-sleeves startup experience a plus; nonhierarchical can-do attitude a must;


Able to negotiate graciously yet remain clear, decisive, proactive and fair; someone who possesses an understanding of the subtleties of motivating, directing and working with a group of committed individuals;


An understanding of and commitment to social justice and advocacy; knowledge of the advocacy arena and its key players; an ability to translate this into meaningful collaborations and programs that speak to the Foundation’s mission and audiences;


Senior staff-level administrative experience in a museum known for excellence; a practitioner of best practices informed by direct experience and deep networks; recognized credentials in an appropriate discipline; knowledge of AAM standards and best practices;


Direct experience planning and implementing programming, ideally for a new space; familiarity and comfort around a major construction or capital project a plus;


Financial acumen commensurate with running a facility the size and stature of the Museum; able to interpret and articulate financial statements and performance;


Ability to build relationships with a wide range of individuals from activists to academics to citizens to business and civic leaders; proven fundraising ability from a variety of sources, including a track record cultivating and soliciting gifts from individuals; capital and endowment campaign experience is a plus;


Committed to fostering a welcoming and productive environment bringing transformational experiences to diverse professionals and lay public; conversant in the use of technology and digital media in promoting an institution, reaching audiences, and creating innovative and engaging exhibitions and programs;


Experience in the demanding social schedule of an organizational director; capacity to become a visible presence on site and beyond; excellent verbal and writing skills; demonstrated effectiveness as a spokesperson and ambassador for an institution or program;


Demonstrated experience working in and fostering a diverse staff, community and a commitment to do so; transparent and curious by nature; possessing the wits and wit to help a hardworking team of co-horts launch an important and high profile institution.