Director of Exhibitions at the Chicago History Museum

The Director of Exhibitions leads, manages, and provides vision, guidance, and direction for all exhibition design and production with priority given to coordinating an effective intra-departmental exhibition planning, development, and implementation process. The Director is the chief advocate for the power of exhibitions to provide meaningful and memorable experiences with history and Chicago. The Director ensures that the exhibition program advances CHM’s mission to share Chicago stories. The Director provides direction and guidance in the development of exhibitions that are accessible both cognitively and physically for all audiences.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

• Provide leadership and guidance in the department and the Museum by supervising and mentoring professional staff; reviewing departmental work to ensure that it reflects best practices and standards; ensuring that staff generate the highest quality work and fulfill their responsibilities to both internal and external stakeholders, clients, contractors, and collaborators; working to ensure that CHM exhibitions attract and engage audiences by addressing their needs and interests.
• Develop and manage relationships both inside and outside the Museum by working with staff, department heads, and VPs to build strong bonds between the Exhibitions Department and the rest of the museum; reaching out and responding to local community organizations seeking support from the Museum or offering their help to CHM; and working with agencies, organizations, and individuals to draw their attention and resources to the Museum to support creative collaborations and positive exchanges
• Advocate for the Museum’s audiences by discovering and responding to the needs and expectations of all audiences, specifically children, families, and members, and bringing that knowledge and insight to bear on all departmental projects and products.
• Develop plans for the future of the Department by developing and overseeing an annual departmental budget that assures adequate resources, tools (including software) and materials to execute the annual operating plan; managing the budget by approving and monitoring departmental spending; identify needs not covered by the budget and assisting in securing additional funding; setting annual departmental goals and objectives in accordance with the institutional mission and strategic plan.
• Administer all aspects of the department by assigning appropriate resources to ensure that the department meets its goals; assisting in corporate, foundation, state, and federal grant writing; Implementing a set of policies and procedures that govern the planning and implementation of exhibitions, incorporating the roles of other departments in the development of exhibitions, and respecting the roles of all areas of the museum; assisting in the development and implementation of policies and procedures for the division and institution; developing budgets and schedules for each exhibition project and assigning appropriate resources to ensure that the Exhibition Department meets its goals
• Implement CHM personnel policy within the Department of Exhibitions by hiring professional staff; preparing reviewing, and revising job descriptions; conducting performance evaluations of department staff; assisting in setting goals and objectives for staff; assisting staff in identifying and pursuing professional and technical development; fostering a collaborative environment for the completion of projects. Overseeing training and supervising staff, consultants, and contractors involved in the development of exhibitions
• Develop experiences with history for existing and targeted audiences, including families, school groups, and members. Emphasize accessibility, cognitive as well as physical, as the primary objective; ensuring that innovative methods of interpretation and presentation are employed; and that new multimedia approaches are introduced into exhibitions. This work is done primarily with colleagues in the departments of Curatorial Affairs, Collections, Publications, and Education, but it is also the product of dialogues with colleagues and communities outside the organization.

The Museum expects all employees to contribute to and promote a positive culture and collegial atmosphere at CHM in three main ways.

1. Embracing the Museum’s mission to share Chicago’s stories, serving as a hub of scholarship and learning, inspiration and civic engagement.
2. Modeling the values that the Museum seeks in all of its staff including:
   • All-In: Taking and sharing responsibility for the Museum, its mission, and our future.
   • Welcoming: Demonstrating every day that the Museum is for everyone.
   • Forward-looking: Anticipating needs, spotting opportunities, and solving problems with determination and ingenuity.
3. Supporting the Museum’s institutional values of Service, Collaboration, Discovery, Creativity, Empathy, Authenticity, Integrity, and Stewardship.

OTHER DUTIES:

• Assist in related grant writing and appeals
• Assist in developing and carrying out policies and procedures for the Division of Interpretation and Education, and for the institution as requested
• Participate in institutional committee and task force work as needed.
• Other duties as assigned

REPORTS TO: Senior Vice President

WORKING RELATIONSHIPS:

The Director of Exhibitions works as part of a team which includes the Directors of Collections and Curatorial Affairs, Education, to ensure that CHM’s exhibition program serves designated target audiences, advances its educational mission, and earns a national reputation for its exhibition program.

To further ensure that exhibitions are implemented and maintained to the highest standards of public and collections safety and security, the Director of Exhibitions also works closely with the Directors of Properties, Visitor Services, and Collections. The Director will have regular interaction with visitor researchers, educators, exhibition and media developers and designers, and fabricators in order to complete special projects and stay abreast of new developments. The Director will work very closely with the Institutional Advancement and Accounting Departments and other appropriate staff to ensure that the planning and development of exhibitions reflect institutional goals and available resources; the Collections Department’s collections management and conservation staff to prepare collection materials for exhibitions. The Director will, where appropriate, represent the Chicago History Museum in national and international forums. As a supervisor the Director will have regularly scheduled meetings with staff, both individually and as a group. The Director will also work with individual scholars, university and college history departments, as well as community and neighborhood organizations, local history museums and historical societies to assess and develop exhibition content.

DIRECT REPORTS:

Production Supervisor, Graphic Designer, and 3-D Exhibition Designer

QUALIFICATIONS:

• MA or equivalent work experience in design, museum studies, American history or related field
• Five to ten years’ experience as a professional in exhibitions or a closely related field
• Experience working with diverse members of the public
• Experience directing and managing large projects
• Experience working in and managing teams
• Knowledge of museum exhibition methods, technologies, standards, practices and procedures, ADA compliance, and accessibility standards.
• Knowledge of audience- or market-sensitive approaches to product development
• Knowledge of American, urban, and/or Chicago history
• General knowledge of the range of American material culture
• Ability to interpret history for a diverse audience
• Ability to plan and manage budgets and schedules
• Ability to supervise people and to facilitate teamwork among members of working groups
• Ability to manage several projects simultaneously, and to manage a complex project schedule
• Ability to plan and implement new programs
• Ability to solve technical, administrative and personnel problems creatively
• Superior communication skills
• Ability to lift, pull, carry or otherwise move up to 25 lbs