Exhibit Operations Manager at the Pacific Science Center
Job Title: Exhibit Operations Manager
Job Status: Full-time
Location: Seattle, WA
Salary: $66,000 – $75,000
Description
Position Summary
The Exhibit Operations Manager (EOM) is a full-time position that contributes to Pacific Science Center’s mission to spark curiosity and fuel a passion for discovery, experimentation and critical thinking by delighting guests with an exceptionally well-maintained, hands-on exhibit floor experience. The EOM leads the Exhibit Operations team and helps establish high-quality exhibit operations in a period of renewal after the COVID 19 dormancy, prioritizing: maintenance of existing exhibits, long-term planning for exhibit turnovers and refreshes, and quality control. This is an ideal position for someone who has a builder mind-set and loves to problem solve and plan. They will improve and maintain a guest-centric, performance-driven approach to exhibit operations that will include regular maintenance and repair, new fabrication and rebuilds for indoor and outdoor experiences, as well as collaborative contribution to thoughtful, integrated new exhibit experiences. The EOM mentors and motivates the Exhibit Operations (Ops) team with demonstrated practical knowledge of shop protocols including safety, fabrication techniques, tools and equipment, and project and client management. The EOM is a collaborator who works with an innovative team including exhibit designers and developers, educators, and Facilities and Events staff in addition to external partners to facilitate an excellent guest experience. The EOM prioritizes Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Access throughout this work as well as in colleague and community relationships.
Essential Duties & Responsibilities
- Leads a team in helping to maintain, fabricate, and ideate compelling hands-on exhibits throughout 60,000 sf of indoor and outdoor space.
- Hires, trains, schedules, and supervises Ops staff including timesheet management.
- Actively works to bring out the full potential of the Ops team, providing clear direction, compelling purpose and realistic expectations.
- Provides Ops team with regular feedback, mentoring, and team building.
- Cultivates curiosity and a bias for action, working to remove barriers that limit creativity and solution thinking.
- Is a trusted thought-partner
- Seeks opportunities to improve Exhibit Operations communications, systems, processes and policies in support of Pacific Science Center’s mission and guiding principles, with an emphasis on efficient, consistent, safe and sustainable practices.
- Models cross team collaborative engagement in development efforts from ideation to fabrication and implementation providing technical, practical and creative support throughout these processes
- Creates, implements and manages the project and fabrication request system; intra and inter team communication
- Is a safety steward.
- Oversees exhibit fabrication shops, e.g. wood, plastics, metals and electronics, ensuring safety standards are up to date, communicated to and followed by all ops staff, other internal partners and external partners
- Ensures all users receive appropriate training on equipment and understand and acknowledge safety procedures
- Ensures equipment is properly maintained, supplied and inventoried
- Creates and manages policies/procedures for the engaging and safe use of exhibit spaces for other teams (e.g. Events)
- Manages the logistics:
- Manages vendor interactions including sourcing, contracting and execution
- Plan, prepare and supervise the installation and de-installation for both internal and externally designed exhibit experiences which may include rental/traveling exhibits, including receiving and sending out exhibit shipments
- Ensure that Exhibit Operations contributes to PacSci operations as a Smart and Responsible Business by developing and actively managing the Exhibit Operations budget including monthly reconciliation. Ensure that any budget related contract requirements are met
- Other duties as assigned
Compensation
Pay is based on several factors, including market location, job-related knowledge, skills, and years of experience.
Starting Base Salary Range: $66,000-$75,000/yr
In addition to base salary, regular employees working 40 hrs/week can expect the following benefits:
- Medical, Dental, Vision, basic life insurance, and disability insurance
- 4 weeks of vacation, 12 floating holidays, and sick pay
- 403(b) Retirement Savings
- Commuter benefits
- Employee Assistance Program
- Employee PacSci Membership
Pacific Science Center stands with those who are courageously fighting against hate, racism, and injustice. We recognize that not being racist is not sufficient. We must be actively anti-racist, and we commit to doing so. We prioritize inclusion, diversity, equity, and access in everything we do. Curiosity and critical thinking are essential to the dialogue and changes that need to happen.
Requirements
Position Requirements: Knowledge, Skills, Abilities
Knowledge of:
- Personal bias and a desire to be an anti-racist leader
- Fabrication techniques across a range of materials including wood, metal, plastic, etc.
- Operational and maintenance needs of highly interactive spaces
- Project management in a highly-interdependent organizational structure
Skills:
- Proficient with tools and industrial shop equipment associated with fabrication and repair across wood, metal, plastic, etc.
- Creating and tracking budgets at a department level
- Staff supervisory experience; able to respond appropriately to the needs of individual staff
- CAD basic proficiency; capable of reading, understanding and analyzing technical drawings, specifications, elevations, etc.
- Medium level proficiency in Microsoft Office suite, and file sharing programs such as SharePoint
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills
- Excellent organization and attention to detail
- Excellent attention to safety
- Multitask and prioritize with sound judgment, including ability to organize around multiple projects.
Ability to:
- Be flexible, innovative and adaptive to rapid and regular adjustments to demands of tasks at-hand
- Work collaboratively
- Apply creative problem solving to operational challenges
- Primarily work 40 hours Monday-Friday with occasional evening or weekend shifts
- Work onsite
Qualifications
Required
- At least five years of relevant supervisory experience in operations for industries such as hands-on museums, fabrication shops, live theatre/production, theme parks, etc. and where the focus has been on repair, maintenance and fabrication
- Project Management experience with demonstrated ability to deliver work on time, on budget with quality levels in excess of client expectations
- Experience implementing continuous improvement strategies
- Valid Washington State driver’s license (or ability to obtain one upon hiring) and a good driving record with willingness and ability to drive a 15-passenger van
Preferred
- First Aid Certification, or ability to gain certification
- Electronics knowledge
- Experience with physical computing, open-source hardware and software, video and audio production, 3D printing programs, CNC, Arduino programming and circuitry, etc.
Pacific Science Center complies with federal and state disability laws and makes reasonable accommodations for applicants and employees with disabilities. If reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and/or to receive other benefits and privileges of employment, please contact our Human Resources Department.