Organizational Overview:  DuPage Children’s Museum is nationally acclaimed for its interactive, hands-on experiences, carefully designed to ignite the potential of all children to learn through hands-on exploration.   With over 300,000 annual visitors, we partner with 38 school districts as well as approximately 60 social service agencies through our Community Access Network.  We work directly with corporate and foundation supporters and rely on the work of more than 800 volunteers each year.   We provide high-quality early learning resources for parents and offer professional development opportunities to caregivers and teachers.  DuPage Children’s Museum is more than a Museum… it’s a force for early learning!
Job Summary: The Exhibits Manager requires a highly dynamic, collaborative, hands-on person to engage in creative, multi-disciplinary work with a cross-departmental team of staff, volunteers, and community members. The Exhibits Manager develops, designs, fabricates, maintains, and installs exhibits and related exhibit media/graphics. The Exhibits Manager will build exhibits in-house and work with outside contractors to fabricate components as well as install traveling exhibits all in accordance with the strategic plan and mission and goals of the institution.
Essential Responsibilities:
  1. Monitors the condition and functionality of DCM exhibits to ensure their availability to visitors. Develops a master plan to ensure excellent condition, maintenance, and repair of all museum exhibits; maintains a database and other files that collect and organize information about exhibit condition, warrantees, fabrication, and maintenance/repair.
  2. Provides regular, user-friendly transparent information about the status of exhibits to a cross-departmental lead team.
  3. Coordinates exhibit maintenance and performs exhibit maintenance and repairs as necessary.
  4. Fabricates exhibit components and signage.
  5. Coordinates with Exhibit Experience Team to ensure museum exhibits meet DCM’s high standard of excellence in terms of experience and functionality.
  6. Ensures the development of exhibit components and signage.  This may include creating models; researching, ordering and/or developing devices; testing materials; building prototypes; and providing production support for necessary exhibit components and signage.
  7. Manages and supervises exhibit installations for in-house builds, contracted services, and traveling exhibitions.
  8. Acts as liaison with contract fabricators and vendors.
  9. Oversees the educational functionality of permanent, traveling, and temporary exhibit components.
  10. Manages the Museum’s fabrication and maintenance shop including safety procedures, museum tool and equipment maintenance, exhibit storage areas, and other resource materials in an appropriate and professional manner.
  11. Researches appropriate materials, specifications, and methods for potential fabrication.
  12. Responsible for inventory, ordering, maintaining, and storing of exhibit preparation supplies, equipment, and components.
  13. With department director, drafts annual exhibits budget for approval; administers and monitors the approved budget.
  14. Works collaboratively with all museum staff to support the Museum’s annual strategic goals and core values.
Secondary Responsibilities:
  1. Other duties as assigned.
Job Relationships:
  • Reports to Director of Exhibits and Operations
  • Supervises Exhibit Maintenance staff and volunteers.
  • Establishes and maintains productive relationships with vendors and fabricators.
  • Coordinates extensively with Facility Maintenance staff, the Sr. Public Programs Manager, the Arts Specialist, the Sr. Graphics Manager and other staff to maintain the effectiveness of DCM floor and traveling exhibits.
  • Behaves appropriately around children and works well with diverse museum visitors.
Education and Experience:
  • High school or trade school degree required; college degree, technical training and/or certification preferred.
  • Five years of experience in museum, trade show, or other production shop required.
Skills and Abilities:
  • Must have demonstrated skill in hand and bench work including cabinet-making, electrical wiring, painting and finishing, metalwork and other skilled tasks.
  • Demonstrated knowledge of methods and materials used in museum exhibit fabrication.
  • Skilled in the safe use of power tools, machine tools, and hand power tools.  Knowledge of audio-visual equipment.
  • Project management skills. Superior skills in organizing, determining priorities and taking initiative; willingness and ability to work toward objectives, shifting priorities when needed.
  • Reads and interprets drawings and design sketches/details.
  • Good organizational and communication skills.
  • Ability to communicate fabrication ideas and techniques with sketches.
  • Experience in cost estimating.
  • Works well in a collaborative environment.
  • Ability to produce computer generated detail and fabrication drawings.
  • Basic knowledge of Word, Excel, Google Sketch Up, a must.
The following abilities are required for the position:  (a) Heavy physical exertion and activity will be required; (b) Bend, reach, kneel, squat, walk and climb stairs and ladders; (c) Lift and carry large/bulky items weighing up to 75 pounds; (d) Display the dexterity and motor skills necessary to perform mechanical repairs and work on a variety of machinery; (e) Work outdoors for short periods of time in hot and cold weather; (f) Communicate appropriately, clearly and verbally with museum visitors and co-workers; Comprehend and speak English with the general public and co-workers; (g) Use a keyboard and mouse to enter, retrieve or transfer words or data; (h) Tolerate dust, paint, cleaning solutions and plastic/latex.
Other:
Must have current driver’s license, own transportation and appropriate liability insurance.
Send resume and cover letter to jobs2016@dupagechildrensmuseum.org.
No phone calls.
DuPage Children’s Museum is an Equal Opportunity Employer (EOE).