Job description
Requirements
MOS Code: None
THE CITY OF EL PASO, TEXAS IS SEEKING AN INNOVATIVE AND COMMITTED
MUSEUM DIRECTOR
Are you seeking an amazing career opportunity in the arts - a place where you can make a difference by engaging diverse audiences to visit an award-winning museum with a variety of high-quality collections? El Paso, with nearly 700,000 residents, along with Las Cruces, represents a thriving binational metro region of nearly 1.2 million. The City of El Paso is seeking an experienced, strategic, collaborative, and innovative leader to serve as its next Museum Director.
Located at the westernmost edge of Texas along the Rio Grande River, El Paso is recognized as the nation’s safest city with a population over 500,000. This dynamic and charming community is aptly referred to as “Sun City” - a moniker derived from the 300+ days of sunshine experienced annually. El Paso is a dynamic and vibrant community whose location on the US-Mexico border provides the City with a culturally diverse population and rich heritage that embraces the past while building for the future. El Paso is considered the “best of two nations,” and is a warm and friendly mosaic of cultures, traditions and ethnic groups. El Paso’s extraordinary growth has been credited to the development of an integrated international trade region universally known for its great climate, scenic landscapes, affordable cost of living, and a culturally blended and unique community.
The City of El Paso operates under a progressive and successful council-manager form of government with a general fund budget of $398 million helping to support a staff of 6,890 full-time equivalents. The City navigates the daily and weekly decisions that influence quality of life in El Paso by the actions of 26 City Departments and 58 boards, committees and commissions.
El Paso Museum of Art (EPMA) is a municipal museum with an encyclopedic permanent collection focused on art from Europe and the Americas. Particular strengths include the Samuel H. Kress Collection of works from the Renaissance and Baroque periods, works from Viceroyal Spain and Mexico, American Impressionism and contemporary art—particularly of Texas. EPMA annually serves 100,000 visitors with year-round programming, including workshops, lectures, festivals, and camps and classes through its Museum School.
EPMA is part of the City of El Paso Museums and Cultural Affairs Department (MCAD), with the Museum Director reporting to MCAD’s Managing Director of Cultural Affairs & Recreation. MCAD also includes the El Paso Museum of History, the El Paso Museum of Archaeology and the Cultural Affairs Office. The EPMA Director additionally works closely with the El Paso Museum of Art Foundation, a 501(c)3 organization dedicated to raising funds for programming. The El Paso Art Museum Director prepares and manages an annual operating budget of $1.2 million and leads a team of 17 full-time equivalent staff and an additional 2 grant-funded positions.
The successful candidate should have knowledge of best museum practices, including collections care, management, interpretation, and fundraising, be highly collaborative and proficient in creating and navigating successful programmatic and funding partnerships, and be passionate about attracting new audiences while engaging existing ones.
The ideal candidate will have a Master’s degree in museum studies, fine art, art history or related field, and six (6) years of museum exhibit development or design, or curatorial or museum education experience, including four (4) years of supervisory or managerial experience. The selected candidate will be comfortable working in a highly complex, binational region and continue to build upon the good community relationships that presently exist. Bilingual proficiency in English and Spanish is preferred but not required. The starting salary, based on the successful candidate’s qualifications and experience, will range from
$91,480 to $163,130 depending on qualifications and experience.
If you are looking for an extraordinary opportunity to make a difference in one of the best run and progressive Cities in the United States while enjoying an exceptional quality of life, the City of El Paso is the place for you!
Education and Experience: A Master’s degree or higher in museum studies, fine art, art history or related field, and six (6) years of museum exhibit development or design, or curatorial or museum education experience, including four (4) years of supervisory or managerial experience.
Licenses and Certificates: Valid Class “C” Driver License or equivalent from another state.
General Purpose
Under administrative direction, provide conceptual leadership through specialized knowledge, develop policy, acquire funding, plan, organize, staff and direct activities through the staff for assigned area. Oversee professional practices such as acquisitions, deaccessioning, preservation, research interpretation, and presentation.
Typical Duties
Plan, develop, organize and direct instructional and aesthetic programs and projects for museum visitors and facility users. Involves: Establish policies and methods to acquire, remove, display, conserve and safeguard permanent and on loan artwork. Present local and traveling exhibitions. Formulate short- and long-range strategic plans, goals, priorities and standards. Research and propose major initiatives to sustain and enhance appreciation of cultural heritage through pertinent artwork, exhibits and allied activities. Establish capital improvement projects, educational outreach and endowment campaigns.
Plan and direct or engage in fundraising solicitations, artwork acquisition negotiations, oversee communications and marketing of museum programs and services to general public. Involves: Oversee research, prepare and submit grant and endowment proposals. Implement, coordinate and evaluate functioning of departmental organizations and facilities within available resources. Network with other museums, galleries and collectors to arrange for authentication, exchanges, loans, donations and purchases of artwork or artifacts. Oversee, write or edit treatises, journal articles, collection catalogs, program brochures, press releases, advertising copy and correspondence. Represent City museum at professional conventions to participate in or conduct seminars and community social events.
Oversee museum administration. Involves: Supervise and prepare budgetary projections for resources to meet short and long term goals and objectives including personnel, facilities, capital improvement, programs and services. Prepare annual budget recommendation with justifications based on projections and analysis. Develop and implement administrative policies, and procedure performance and measures to improve operational and program services. Represent the City’s interests to ensure contract compliance with artists, educators and consultants. Oversee arrange and direct security, preservation, transportation and storage of collected and borrowed artwork and artifacts. Oversee operation and updating of collection documentation and required department record keeping such as payroll, employee files, purchase requisitions and other transactions.
Supervise assigned personnel and volunteers. Involves: Schedule, assign, and review of operational and procedural activities. Prioritize and coordinate departmental activities. Instruct, guide and check work. Appraise employee performance and reviews evaluations by subordinates. Provide training and development. Enforce personnel rules, regulations, and work standards. Counsel, motivate and maintain harmony. As appointing authority, interview applicants and hire, terminate, transfer, discipline, assign merit pay or other employee status changes.
General Information
How to Apply
Qualified professionals are encouraged to submit their application, cover letter, and resume by
Monday, December 5, 2022.
To be considered, candidates must click the following link and complete an online application: Click here to apply for the position of Art Museum DIrector! Candidates are encouraged to attach a cover letter and comprehensive résumé to their application. This is a confidential process and will be handled accordingly throughout the various stages of the process.
Baker Tilly US, LLP will evaluate all applications against the posted qualifications and may invite a select number of applicants to complete additional assignments. For more information, please contact Art Davis at Art.Davis@Bakertilly.com or call (816) 868-7042.
The starting salary, based on the successful candidate’s qualifications and experience, will range from $91,480 to $163,130 plus outstanding benefits.
For a detailed brochure click here.
This recruitment will incorporate existing rules and regulations that govern public sector recruitments in the State of Texas. Information presented to the City of El Paso for consideration may be made available to the public, in accordance with public disclosure/open records laws.
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