Job Description

COMMITMENT TO RACIAL EQUITY

The Missouri Historical Society commits to a process of listening attentively to one another and leveraging best practices and resources across our organization to promote a culture of inclusion where individuals from all racial and ethnic identities; ages; nationalities; social and economic statuses; sexual orientations; gender identities/expressions; religious, political, and ideological perspectives; and abilities are able to be engaged, feel valued, and thrive. click here for the full Commitment to Racial Equity

Description

The Missouri Historical Society is one of the oldest and biggest historical societies in the country and began building its collections in 1866. The collections now include more than 180,000 three dimensional objects, millions of photos, prints, and archival objects, and over 1,000 cubic feet of film. The collections feature people who have shaped St. Louis, the country, and the world – figures ranging from explores such as William Clark and Charles Lindbergh to groundbreaking entertainers such as Josephine Baker and Katherine Dunham. The collections feature moments that still make headlines – including the history that is happening today – and moments that have been lost to time. The collections, in all of their variety, have one thing in common – they deepen people’s understanding of and connection to our shared past.

MHS is committed to sharing more of our collections than we ever have before through a variety of efforts including our work to digitize more of our collections, a new 6,000 square feet artifact showcase called Collected, and our new Curated Collections website. Find out more by visiting www.mohistory.org.

MHS is excited to find new ways to share more of its collections and to continue building on the legacy that was begun in 1866 by finding new ways to grow and expand its audiences.

Position Summary:

The Managing Director of Collections is a member of MHS’s leadership team and supervises a team responsible for implementing the mission and managing the operations of a division focused on collections stewardship and accessibility both online and in person. The Managing Director of Collections collaborates with colleagues and divisions across the institution to leverage its resources to engage and educate diverse audiences at its three locations, in the community, and the region. The Managing Director of Collections will be one of the primary spokespeople speaking to the importance, relevance, and excitement of our collections.

Duties/Responsibilities:

The Managing Director for Collections is responsible for assuring that the Missouri Historical Society fulfills its mission and serves the needs of its three locations and the community. To serve these needs, the Managing Director of Collections is responsible for the following areas: Library and Collections including conservation, collections management, registration, library, and archives; Digital Initiatives including photographs and prints, sound and moving images, oral history, and object photography; and Curatorial Affairs.

Administrative Responsibilities

• Provide leadership to the internal infrastructure and external partnerships that support MHS’s mission, visions, values and goals.
• Ensure healthy financial sustainability through strategic budgeting and expense management.
• Promote collaboration and efficiency through best museum practices in collections stewardship, ongoing artifact acquisition, and collections accessibility.
• Serve as a collegial and productive member of MHS’s Leadership team.
• Supervises direct reports to ensure the smooth operation of all aspects of department programs.
• Recruit, train, mentor and evaluate direct reports with the goal of achieving a department that reflects MHS’s values of diversity, inclusion and accessibility.
• Collaborates with the Philanthropy department to identify and cultivate relationships with funders.
• Participate in institutional committees and task forces including the Curatorial Collections Committee and Acquisitions Committee as well as serving as the staff lead for the Collections & Exhibitions Committee of the MHS Board of Trustees

Departmental responsibilities

Library and Collections

• Oversees the Collections Management, Registration, Conservation, Library, and Archives departments.
• Operates a public, non-circulating library that provides access to the primary sources within the MHS collections as well as facilitation of educational programs.
• Responsible for collection stewardship of the MHS collections including but not limited to preservation and conservation, temperature/humidity requirements and pest management within artifact storerooms and galleries, inventory control, cataloging and processing procedures and priorities, loan and acquisition arrangements.

Digital Initiatives

• Oversees the Photographs and Prints, Sound and Moving Images, Oral History, Object Photography, and Lab departments.
• Promotes public engagement with museum collections through social networking sites, the museum’s online collections search, and collaborative linked data projects; conceptualizing, managing, and maintaining multimedia technology projects, including mobile/smartphone applications. This includes collaboration and development of partnerships with vendors, museum technologists, and other professionals in the field to help forward the museum’s digital strategy.
• Develops and implements collections access plans across all collecting areas including management of the cross collections search.
  Actively participates in establishing and implementing accessibility initiatives of the institution as a whole.

Curatorial Affairs

• Responsible for overseeing the acquisition, research, and interpretation of artifacts including establishment and implementation of collecting priorities.
• Create or contribute work to a rotating schedule of exhibitions and conduct research on the collection which results in enhanced collections access, publications (printed and online magazine, catalogues, blog posts, etc.), and programming for the public.
• Establish and maintain policies and procedures to further best practices around collections acquisition and stewardship.

Skills:

• A seasoned professional with collections management or curatorial experience.
• Experienced manager of people with the skills to successfully hire, train, and mentor staff members reflecting MHS’s values of diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility.
• Successful record of grant and project management including development, administration and reporting.
• Possess a collegial attitude and ability to work as a supportive member of the Leadership team.
• Demonstrate a broad range of interpersonal skills and abilities to effectively operate with all members of the organization and community collaborators.
• Ability to work with civic leaders, board members, elected officials and government administrators, and community members as needed and appropriate.
• Proven ability to create and manage a budget of approximately $3.5 million and prepare successful grant proposals and administer grant supported projects.

Education and Experience:

• A Master’s degree or PhD in relevant area such as history, education, museum studies, humanities or a related field.
• The candidate will have a minimum of four years of relevant administrative and supervisory level experience in a museum, historic site or historic park education program.
• Minimum of 5 years experience in collection stewardship best practices including collections access and engagement through active collecting, exhibition development, public programming, ongoing research and publications, and virtual experiences.
• Demonstrated experience in diversity, equity and inclusion work and in collaborations with diverse organizations and communities.

Deadline to Apply: Open until filled.

Please upload cover letter and resume when applying.

*External job boards: Please click this link, to apply.

An Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer

Services Provided On A Non-Discriminatory Basis

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