ORGANIZATION: Museum of the City of New York POSITION: Robert A. and Elizabeth Rohn Jeffe Chief Curator & Content Officer REPORTS TO: Ronay Menschel Director and President LOCATION: 1220 5th Avenue, New York, NY WEBSITE: MCNY.orgTO APPLY: Please send cover letter and resume as one PDF to ...@pbrsearch.com with title format “Last Name First Name – Letter Resume.”
BACKGROUND The Museum of the City of New York (MCNY) is New York City's storyteller, exploring the city through the lenses ofhistory, art, popular culture, and civic engagement. For more than 100 years, the Museum has set the bar for interpreting the city's past, present, and future through exhibitions, programming, partnerships, and a collection of approximately 750,000 objects. It is also known for its robust programming for K-12 students and educators through its Frederick A.O. Schwarz Education Center. The Museum currently employs 80 full-time and 53 part-time staff and operates on an annual budget of $18 million.
POSITION Under the visionary leadership of director and president Stephanie Hill Wilchfort, and in partnership with a forward-thinking, energetic board, MCNY is in a period of transformation, with plans to reimagine the ways MCNY engages the public. To support this evolution, MCNY seeks a Chief Curator & Content Officer who will oversee all content areas, including exhibitions, public and educational programs, and collections, in support of the Museum's overall mission, strategy, and operations. The Chief Curator & Content Officer will be charged with developing a relevant, dynamic, immersive, interactive museum experience that attracts a wide range of audiences interested in exploring the rich history of New York City. They will directly supervise ~25 staff members in curatorial, collections, education, public programs, and exhibition installation.
RESPONSIBILITIES
Strategic Leadership
- In partnership with the president and the leadership team, create a vision and chart a strategic direction that builds upon the Museum's legacy and looks to the future, including exhibitions, new content, a collections strategy, and partnerships that broaden its reach, and engage new audiences.
- Develop productive relationships with Board members and engage the Exhibitions & Programs, Collections, and Executive Committees as appropriate in the development of exhibition and program calendars and in setting the vision for the collection.
- Serve as a key member of the Museum's executive management team and advise the director on organizational objectives, policies, and staffing. Work closely with the CFO to set and oversee the budgets for all content departments (curatorial/exhibitions, collections, education, and public programs).
Artistic and Programmatic Leadership
- Oversee the creation of all exhibitions, experiences, educational content, and publications; work closely with the curators to develop new project and exhibition ideas and mentor the team throughout the research, development, proposal, and design process.
- Guide the strategy and content of the Museum's collection, review potential acquisitions and deaccessions, and partner with the director of collections and staff to develop plans and policies that support the Museum's mission, including a long-term strategy for the collection's off-site storage facility.
- Oversee the public programs and education departments, ensuring that all programs amplify exhibition content, attract audiences, and maintain high quality and intellectual integrity.
Fundraising and External Relations
- Serve as an external representative of the museum in the media and to the scholarly community.
- Be a thought leader in the industry by contributing to print and online publications and appearing at national and international conferences.
- Support the director on all fundraising initiatives, donor cultivation, and relationship building for the museum's exhibitions and programs.
- In partnership with the president and the marketing team, steward the brand of the Museum, including its visual identity, audience experience, and organizational voice.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS The ideal person for this role is a visionary, collaborative, and experienced artistic leader and manager, with a strong reputation in the curatorial, arts/design, academic, or media fields, and a passion for developing innovative, interdisciplinary programming. Successful applicants will have:
- A proven track record leading, managing, developing, and implementing a creative strategy in a museum, academic, or media/entertainment setting. Experience developing engaging content that drives increased visitorship highly preferred.
- A high degree of emotional intelligence, the ability to synthesize and clearly present complex information and navigate a wide range of dynamics and relationships.
- Significant executive management experience overseeing complex projects and matrixed teams; proven success in building departments and structures to produce large-scale, multi-faceted experiences is required.
- Experience growing and appropriately scaling artistic programs and platforms in line with an organization's values and strategic vision; demonstrated work product connected with experience in design and development, including, but not limited to, exhibitions, immersive experiences, or film.
- An inclusive, collaborative mindset and the ability to inspire others; intellectual curiosity and a willingness to explore a wide array of practices, modalities, formats, and topics.
- Deep knowledge of and passion for New York City history, arts, popular culture, and/or urban planning strongly preferred.
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills; superior writing, editing, and public speaking abilities.
- A Ph.D. or other advanced degree in a field related to the mission of the Museum strongly preferred.
- An understanding of collections and collecting practices a plus.
COMPENSATION
- Anticipated salary of $250,000; commensurate with experience.
- Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision benefit package; pension plan.
Frequently cited statistics show that women and people from underrepresented groups apply to jobs only if they think they meet 100% of the criteria. If you meet many but not all the criteria and feel you may be a good fit for the role, MCNY encourages you to apply.
MCNY is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of age, color, national origin, ethnic origin, citizenship status, disability, race, religion, creed, gender, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, marital status, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law in its employment policies. In addition, MCNY will provide reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities.
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