Opportunity to envision and create exhibitions at a top US natural history museum
The Carnegie Museum of Natural History (CMNH) seeks a Director of Exhibitions (DoE) to lead the department charged with creating, planning, developing and presenting innovative and engaging changing exhibitions, the permanent collection and traveling exhibitions. The DoE will oversee a motivated and energized team of exhibition professionals working across departments of the Museum to help ensure that the CMNH remains one of America’s leading institutions of natural science, research, collecting and visitor experience.
CMNH is one of the four Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh that also includes the Carnegie Museum of Art, Carnegie Science Center, and the Andy Warhol Museum. The Museum is guided by a vision to become the world’s most relevant natural history (or nature) museum. Core values include:
- Understanding the interdependence of all life, led by science, but using all ways of knowing the inherent worth of nature
- Life’s history, present and future manifest continual evolutionary change
- Inclusiveness through learning
- Inspiration driven by advocacy for a sustainable future
CMNH is dedicated to scientific research tied to the goal of telling “big stories” that guide inquiry, dialogue and critical thinking. The DoE will play a pivotal role in presenting the story of nature, interpreting the essential ideas of life, and finding creative ways to engage audiences.
CMNH encompasses 115,000 square feet (10,700 m2) organized into 20 galleries as well as research, library, and office space. It holds some 22 million specimens, of which about 10,000 are on view at any given time and over 1.5 million are cataloged in online databases. Annual attendance is 400,000 and includes 30,000 school children. The Museum’s scientific sections are Anthropocene, Anthropology, Birds, Botany, Conservation, Herpetology, Invertebrate Paleontology, Mammals, Minerals, Mollusks, Vertebrate Paleontology, and Invertebrate Zoology, plus the Powdermill Nature Reserve, its environmental research and education center. CMNH was founded in 1895 and today it holds the world’s largest collection of butterflies and moths, the largest collection of Jurassic dinosaurs and offers the third-largest collection of mounted, displayed dinosaurs in the United States (behind the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History and the American Museum of Natural History).
The Museum’s collections and scientific research are at the core of the Museum’s larger activities. Those activities are driven by the Museum’s vision of being the world’s most relevant nature museum. To reach that goal the Museum relies on a collaborative process across a broad range of in-house expertise including web and social media developers, videographers, science communication experts, program managers, and educators. The Museum also works closely with learning researchersand experts in diverse disciplines in the surrounding world-class university communities.
The DoE will work closely with an exhibits team of 8 as well as across multidisciplinary departments to ensure effective project development, design esthetics, and fresh perspectives. The annual department budget is $620K. In addition, individual exhibition projects range from a few thousand to a million dollars or more.
As a member of the CMNH senior staff and reporting to the Deputy Director, the DoE will provide vision and leadership for the department and advocacy at the senior-management level. The DoE will be a proven collaborator comfortable with distributed control, the importance of partnerships, and visitor-experience outcomes. The DoE will be a team builder who appreciates the rigor and passion scientists bring to the process and will have a record of developing exhibitions that are creative, exceptional interpretations with content that resonates with diverse audiences.
High-level planning along with delivery will be important and, therefore, the job includes strategic direction, master-calendar development, exhibits presentation and evaluation. Developing creative and compelling ideas that are ambitious but achievable will be an essential part of the job responsibilities.
Overview of Job Responsibilities
Exhibit Experience Strategy
- Collaborate with the CMNH leadership team to develop near- and long-term direction for exhibitions that meet the strategic goals of the Museum.
- Oversee the development of the exhibition schedule aligned to the core mission and goals.
- Ensure that master planning, content balancing and experience design are aligned to both scientific sections of the Museum and visitor-experience objectives.
- Oversee the development of all exhibitions including creative concept, budget development, contracting, design, fabrication, installation and maintenance.
- Ensure effective cross-department collaboration, input and content interpretation.
- Work collaboratively to develop strategies for assessing the effectiveness of exhibition experiences, visitor engagement and presentation of the science behind the exhibits.
Management and Administration
- Effectively lead an exhibition department responsible for securing the public visibility of the scientific research and the relevance of that work as it is experienced by visitors.
- Manage budgets and staff of the department.
- Lead with a guiding hand, with empathy and support of others, while adhering to high standards of performance.
- Serve on the senior-management team of the Museum on behalf of the Exhibits Department within a greater responsibility of serving the good of the Museum, its mission, scientific research and audiences.
- Facilitate cross-department teams, from concept project development to presentation and evaluation.
- Ensure properly prepared plans, reports, contracts, evaluations and assessments in order to achieve goals, and maintain accurate records and accountability within the department.
Qualifications, Knowledge, and Skills
- Minimum 5 years of professional experience, including senior-level experience in exhibition development, project management, budgeting, fabrication and installation.
- Bachelor’s degree in relevant field, Master’s degree preferred.
- Sufficient understanding of natural sciences to effectively lead and collaborate.
- Collaborative leader with a proven ability to work with a wide range of team members including scientists, educators, fabricators, vendors and other partners.
- Evidence of building consensus with other senior leaders, staff, donors and the community.
- Experience developing interpretation strategies translating to visitor experiences.
- Excellent written and oral communication skills; a storyteller who understands the big picture and is able to translate ideas into experiences.
- Grant proposal writing and fundraising experience working with development teams.
About Pittsburgh and the Region
Pittsburgh has a metropolitan population of 2.3 million residents. In 2015 it was named one of the most livable cities in the United States and consistently ranks as one of America’s safest big cities. Having transformed from a heavy industrialized city in the twentieth century, Pittsburgh today is a leading center for health care, education, and technology industries as well as energy and environmental design. Its outstanding cultural amenities, educational institutions, professional sports teams and outdoor recreation options add to its overall quality of life. Its many charming neighborhoods offer unique lifestyle, dining and shopping options. https://www.visitpittsburgh.com/neighborhoods/ The nearby Appalachian region has abundant year-round outdoor recreation opportunities.
Compensation
The Carnegie Museum of Natural History offers a competitive salary commensurate with experience, plus benefits. The Museum is an equal opportunity employer. Applicants must be eligible to work in the United States.
Nominations and applications are welcome. This is an exciting opportunity to lead the exhibits program at a leading museum in a thriving city.
How to Apply
Apply in confidence: Email cover letter, résumé (Word documents preferred), salary requirement, and names of 3 references and your professional relationship, with contact information by June 8, 2020 to: Dan Keegan, Senior Search Consultant, Museum Search & Reference, SearchandRef@museum-search.com. References will not be contacted without prior permission of the applicant. For details, visit: https://museum-search.com/all-searches/2020/5/5/carnegie-museum-of-natural-history