Exhibitions Development Director

Position: Exhibition Development Director

FLSA Status: Exempt

Department: Exhibitions

Our Mission: Since the 1893 World Columbian Exposition, our organization has aimed to connect people to the natural environment and human history.

Join our team and enjoy a benefits package that truly supports your well-being and lifestyle:

• Comprehensive Health Coverage: Including medical, dental, vision plans, and even pet insurance.
• Financial Security: Life and disability benefits plus a 403(b) savings plan to help you plan for the future.
• Work-Life Balance: Generous paid time off, paid sick leave, and paid holidays to ensure you have time to recharge and spend with loved ones.
• Exclusive Perks: Enjoy great employee discounts and complimentary general admission to participating cultural institutions.

We're dedicated to enhancing your life both at work and beyond!

The Exhibition Development Director provides strategic leadership and oversees the work of Development staff within the Exhibitions Department. This includes establishing a theoretical basis and long-term vision for exhibition development; creating or refining standards, processes, and tools; executing managerial tasks such as project assignments, labor planning, approving discretionary expenses, etc.; working as part of the directors’ group for reviewing the visitor experience dimension of the department’s work; collaborate with any outside development firms for large projects; and assisting in the creation of documents such as grant proposals, marketing and visitor studies materials, concept documents, and any work performed by the department for other institutions as work-for-hire. Coordinate with the Education department on exhibition content and programming to ensure alignment with the museum's learning goals and institutional strategy.

Duties and Responsibilities

1. Guiding the theoretical framework and practical standards for exhibition development
   1. This includes drawing on existing literature and professional experience to create, articulate, and uphold a clear set of guiding principles and standards for all aspects and phases of development work.
   2. Also includes creating and refining policies and procedures, document formats and templates, and tools and methods for creating deliverables.
   3. This also includes acting as final editor for all interpretive text for exhibitions, using a review and editing system that distinguishes ideas, suggestions, requests for addressing issues, and directives for particular corrections. The Exhibition Development Director does not establish different goals, or impose particular solutions, but provides input that will help Developers arrive at their own solutions. This input also forms the basis for the on-the-job training the Director must provide to new hires, as very few staff members arrive at the museum with extensive exhibition development experience.
   4. Collaborate with design and production divisions to maintain and expand accessibility standards: apply universal design principals; and drive community engagement where appropriate
2. Serving as a resource and facilitator in helping Developers reach solutions for achieving visitor experience goals
   1. This includes frequent informal discussions, weekly division meetings, and bi-weekly individual meetings to discuss work in progress. For junior staff members, this might take the form of targeting potential trouble spots and helping them reach their own decisions on strategies for problem-solving. This also includes providing them with resources--- visitor studies, examples of past projects, team members to consult with, published research, or case studies from other museums—that they may find helpful in their work. For more senior staff, this may be acting as a sounding board, an ideator, or a fresh perspective. This also includes ensuring visitor testing and evaluation occurs iteratively throughout the development process.
3. Managing labor and resources
   1. This includes assigning project labor, taking into consideration current task loads, areas of strength and expertise, the overall departmental project calendar, team dynamics, and opportunities for skill building and professional growth.
   2. This also includes providing equipment, supplies, and service and software subscriptions using a Division discretionary budget.
4. Assisting in planning, research, project development, and consultation
   1. This includes writing, or contributing writing towards various documents and materials needed to get a project approved and launched, such as: grant proposals, walkthroughs, concept documents, marketing materials, visitor studies materials and reports, strategy documents, process development and documentation, presentations, and templates for development deliverables.
   2. Includes representing the department at professional conferences, review boards, symposiums, consortiums, and consultations, as organized by professional associations, funding agencies, academic associations, and external clients.
5. Mentoring and facilitating professional development, providing support, resolving conflict
   1. The Exhibition Developer’s job demands an unusual breadth and depth of skills, and is often stressful, requiring them to balance the competing needs of content advisors, team members, museum management, the visitor, and community members. The Exhibition Development Director helps Developers grow as professionals, provides assistance in support during periods of high stress, and works with other members of the Directors’ group to ensure that team members are collaborating with each other effectively, respectfully, and professionally.

Skills and Qualifications

1. At least 5 years of museum experience, working with large teams representing diverse departments, stakeholders, skills, areas of expertise, and beliefs.
2. Knowledge of museum exhibition theory and practice, including concept development, content organization, experience development, object database creation, scheduling, resource allotment.
3. Expert level proficiency in non-fiction writing and editing.
4. Ability to work with producers, artists, and other media professionals to communicate complex concepts through a wide variety of media, including written text, digital interactivity, atmospheric and narrative video, physical immersion, illustration and data visualization, music and atmospheric audio, replicated and touchable objects, dioramas, and other experience types.
5. A minimum of a bachelor’s degree in the arts or sciences, with a master’s degree in museum studies, anthropology, education, public humanities or a related discipline preferable.
6. Proficient in the use of Microsoft Office applications, Adobe Creative Suite, Google productivity apps, Asana, EMu, and GoProof.
7. A demonstrated ability to lead creative teams through long term projects, satisfying diverse internal and external stakeholders, on schedule, with proven successful results.
8. The integrity and leadership skill necessary to negotiate conflict and reach compromises that address the needs of diverse organizations, cultural communities, areas of academic expertise, and life experiences.

Supervision Received:

Receives general supervision by the Head of Exhibitions.

Supervision Exercised:

Provides general direction and task supervision to Exhibition Developers, Exhibition Development Coordinator, Academic and Professional Fellows, and Interns.

Work Hours and Shift:

35 hours per week, daytime shift

Hybrid Eligibility:

Eligible

Location:

1400 S DuSable Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, IL 60605

Union Representation:

Not Applicable.

Other working conditions:

Occasional need to travel to partner museums and institutions, potential collaborators, archaeological/research sites, cultural communities, and museum clients. May require international travel.

Pay Range: $90,000-95,000

PLEASE READ: *When you apply for multiple positions, please make sure to delete your previous resume and cover letter and upload the latest version of your resume and cover letter that is relevant to the job you are applying for, every time you apply. This will help our hiring managers access the correct documents. Please note that removing the resume and cover letter will not delete any previously submitted resumes and cover letters.

The Field Museum is an equal-opportunity employer. We are committed to providing a workplace free from discrimination, embracing diversity, and fostering mutual respect. We value the unique perspectives each team member brings, which empowers our ability to innovate and overcome challenges.

At the Field Museum, we are dedicated to making our career website and recruitment process accessible to everyone. If you encounter any difficulty when using or accessing our online application, or if you need a reasonable accommodation for completing your application, participating in interviews, or any other part of the selection process, please reach out to us at [email protected].