Museum Director – San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles

Position Summary

Reporting to the Board of Directors, the Museum Director will lead the Museum through an exciting period of growth and stabilization. With board and staff, the Director will rebuild the visitor experience and programs by creating deeper and authentic connections with former and new community, school, and corporate partners. The Director will maximize new revenue streams while stewarding existing supporters of the Museum. The Director will oversee the local, national, and international reputation of the Museum and champion its mission, building trust and positive relationships with its diverse constituencies.

Roles and Responsibilities

Leadership

Work with the board and management staff to develop strategies for achieving mission goals and financial viability.
Maintain and utilize a working knowledge of significant developments and trends in the field (examples: museum education approaches, fashion design, and the environment).
Build respect and increase the visibility of the organization among its constituencies.
Establishes ambitious goals and initiates, maintains, and adapts programs to a high degree of excellence and impact.
Serve as an effective spokesperson, representing the organization well to its constituencies, including clients/members/patrons, other nonprofits, government agencies, elected officials, funders, and the public.

Financial Sustainability

Work with the staff, finance committee, and the board to prepare budgets, monitor progress, and initiate changes (to operations and/or to budgets), as appropriate.
Assure adequate control and accounting of all funds, including maintaining sound financial practices.
Retains official records and documents and complies with federal state and local regulations (examples: Form 990, payroll withholding).
Develop realistic, ambitious plans for acquiring funds and involve others in fundraising and earned income generation. Establish positive relationships with individual donors and institutional funders, such as foundations, government agencies, corporations, etc.

Community Engagement

Cultivate a welcoming space for all visitors across race, age, ethnicity, abilities, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, political affiliation, religion, geography, and culture.
Develop an active presence in the community, building positive connections and authentic relationships, and identifying opportunities for new initiatives and partnerships that support museum attendance and participation.
Represent the Museum in person and through public talks and communication, actively seeking opportunities to engage with the broader community and participating in events that inspire and cultivate increased support.
Engage board members, donors, and members as allies to support programs that focus on diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion, partnering with funders who prioritize and uphold these values.
Planning, Organization, and Operations

Ensure the development of exhibition programs that are consistent with the organization’s mission, a collection management program that supports the preservation and growth of the permanent collection, and that all programs and activities are developed, executed, modified, and dismantled to maximize mission impact.
Interview, hire, and manage staff, delegate, and provide performance appraisals on a regular basis in compliance with federal and state employment laws and American Alliance of Museum’s best practices.
Ensure that the necessary organizational and operational structure, policies, systems controls, and procedures are in place and regularly reviewed for effectiveness.
Develop and foster an internal culture that maintains the highest standards for customer service, excellence of visitor experience, and fiscal, operational, and organizational integrity.
Embrace other planning, organization and operations duties as required.
 

Board of Directors

With the Board Chair, decides when to involve board members in decisions.
Provide appropriate leadership to the board and its committees.
Informs board members in a timely way on the condition of the organization and important factors influencing it.
Ensures that board committees are appropriately supported.
Work with the board officers to ensure that the board is an effective body, and that recruitment, involvement, and departures of individual board members are effective.
Traits and Characteristics

The Director will be an assertive, decisive leader driven by experience and practical results which maximize resources and efficiency. An effective communicator, they are receptive to new ideas, concepts, and ways of approaching material. They can systemically analyze information, look at all aspects of a situation, and evaluate the consequences of their decisions.

Other key competencies include:

Personal Accountability, Decision Making, and Self Starting – The ability to answer for their decisions and actions, to make thorough decisions in a timely manner, and to demonstrate initiative.
Interpersonal Skills and Influencing Others – The facility to effectively communicate and build rapport with all kinds of people while being capable of affecting others’ actions and decisions.
Resiliency and Planning – The flexibility to quickly adapt to adversity and to develop courses of action that ensure work is completed effectively.
Qualifications

Qualified candidates must have demonstrated success in a leadership position, ideally in a cultural organization, and maintained a proven track record as an effective fundraiser. A minimum of five years of senior nonprofit management experience is required alongside a demonstrated commitment to community inclusion and social change. Museum leadership experience, an advanced degree in the fine arts or arts education, is a plus.

Compensation and Benefits

The Museum provides a competitive and equitable compensation package, with a salary range between $120,000 and $145,000, commensurate with experience. A comprehensive range of benefits includes paid vacation, sick leave, holidays, health insurance, and the quality of life that the San Jose Area has to offer.