Requisition Number: 40811
Location: Boulder, Colorado
Employment Type: Faculty
Schedule: Full-Time
Date Originally Posted: 20-Jul-2022
Job Summary
The University of Colorado Boulder invites applications for the Director of the University of Colorado Museum of Natural History.
The Director is the administrative head of the Museum with primary responsibility for leadership by offering new ideas and strategies for the future, working with staff and faculty toward a shared vision for the Museum, and by overseeing its management and financial operations. Candidates will be expected to have a thorough understanding of how natural history museums work as a research facility, cultural heritage organization, and public interface to science. The Director also serves as a teaching faculty member in the Graduate Program in Museum and Field Studies which is housed in the Museum. The Director will have a tenure home in a relevant department, with associated research and education duties, and may also serve as Curator in an appropriate section of the Museum based on experience and desire.
The University expects applicants to have an outstanding record of scholarly achievement that demonstrates a commitment to and leadership in research, training, and outreach activities. This includes supporting research and translating research findings to practitioners, policy makers, and the broader public that address local, regional, national, or international challenges. Applicants also should have a strong commitment and a demonstrated record of advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts within and beyond the Museum.
The Museum Director is appointed by the Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs of the University of Colorado Boulder on the recommendation of the Vice Chancellor for Research & Innovation, with the advice of the Search Committee, Institute Directorate and faculty and staff of the Museum. The Director’s term will be for four years, with possibility of renewal. The position reports to the Vice Chancellor for Research & Innovation.
The University of Colorado Boulder is committed to building a culturally diverse community of faculty, staff, and students dedicated to contributing to an inclusive campus environment. We are an Equal Opportunity employer, including veterans and individuals with disabilities.
Key Responsibilities
Leads all elements of the Museum’s work: research, collections, exhibitions, and the graduate program in Museum and Field Studies. This includes:
- Providing budgetary oversight and allocating resources (funds, space, effort) among the various activities of the Museum.
- Staying abreast of the evolving museum professional landscape to best cultivate and amplify innovation in the Museum, leveraging new approaches and technologies where appropriate.
- Developing, promoting, and coordinating long-range planning for the Museum with special attention to innovation and technology for next generation museum infrastructure.
- Providing for the enduring stewardship, development of museum collections and cultural resources and their associated data and increasing access to these collections and resources across the state of Colorado, nationally and internationally.
- Fostering continuing cooperation with Indigenous peoples and adherence to the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA).
- Promoting collaborative exhibits of archaeological, historical or artistic collections of historically underrepresented groups in the US and the State of Colorado, including Indigenous groups and the Hispanic population (21% of the population of the state).
- Continuing to uphold the high-level museum standards that maintain the Museum’s accreditation by the American Alliance of Museums.
Leads, hires, supervises, motivates and mentors Museum faculty and staff, overseeing professional development and personal career growth with the aim of supporting and nurturing flexible, cohesive, and high-performing teams and individuals. This includes developing and implementing processes supporting inclusion, diversity and equity, with the aim of developing and sustaining an inclusive and equitable internal climate.
Effectively collaborates, coordinates and communicates with museum faculty and staff, as well as other museum stakeholders. This includes:
- Ensuring that museum policies and practices are equitable and transparently communicated and enacted.
- Convening and working with the University of Colorado Museum of Natural History’s Advisory Board to advance museum goals, further its impact, and improve operations.
- Representing the Museum at university meetings, including meetings of the Institutes Directors and meetings of Program Directors and Department Chairs.
- Working with chairs of departments where Museum faculty hold tenure to ensure high quality hiring practices, equitable research, teaching and service loads, and is the point of contact between the chairs of these departments and the Museum related to tenure and promotion.
Effectively promotes the Museum’s interests to a wide range of public constituencies (media, fundraising activities etc.). This includes:
- Working with appropriate donors, agencies, and other constituencies to raise external funds to enhance the activities of the Museum and serves as lead consultant on evaluating major gifts of in-kind artifacts from prospective donors.
- Working with museum faculty to develop culture and capacity for grant-seeking that furthers the museum’s reach and mission and contributes to faculty professional development and advancement.
Contributes to the research and education mission of the University of Colorado Boulder. As a tenured faculty member at the University of Colorado Boulder, the Director will maintain an active research program in their areas of expertise and interests and contribute to the educational mission of the University. Contributions to the educational mission include serving as teaching faculty in the Graduate Program in Museum and Field Studies and advising students in this program.
For complete details, and to apply, go to https://jobs.colorado.edu/jobs/JobDetail/Director-of-the-University-of-Colorado-Museum-of-Natural-History/40811