The Wright Museum of WW II History seeks an experienced and enthusiastic Executive Director who can take this young niche museum to the next stage in its evolution. The goal is to increase the Museum’s visibility, expand its audience, and grow its financial resources. The Museum has transitioned from a founder-supported organization to a broader base of support since the founder’s death ten years ago.  The Wright is now poised for stabilization and advancement with new programs, continued professionalization, and enhanced public and donor engagement.

The Wright Museum is dedicated to educating present and future generations about the impact and continuing relevance of the contributions of the American people on the home front and on the fields of battle during World War II.  The Museum’s late founder, David Wright, opened the 36,000- square-foot museum in 1994. The Museum is governed by a Board that includes area residents, business people, active museum volunteers, and two members of the Wright family. Close to 12,000 people visited the museum in 2012.

Responsibilities:

The E.D. will have:

 

  • Leadership skills to work with the Board and others to create a new strategic plan for the Museum;

  • Communication skills to share the Museum’s vision with the public and stakeholders;

  • Fundraising skills to obtain the necessary resources to provide a secure future for the Museum;

  • Financial management skills to oversee an operating budget of approximately $400,000;

  • Human resource skills to inspire and direct a strong professional year-round staff of 2 FT and 1 PT, a seasonal staff, about 50 active volunteers, including several who serve in staff roles, and to guide a dedicated Board that is starting the transition from a working model to an advice-and-consent model.

 

Required:

 

  • 3-5 years of management experience, preferably at a museum or related nonprofit

  • Ability to lead a young, still-evolving museum and do a variety of jobs

  • Outgoing, sociable personality; enjoys meeting people, being the public face of the Museum, marketing it, and expanding its audiences

  • Ability to find and cultivate donors, organize fundraising campaigns, and make fundraising calls

  • Acumen for nonprofit institutional finances

  • Strategic planning experience

  • Experience and ability to collaborate with and continue to develop a devoted hands-on Board

  • Ability to lead, inspire and motivate paid and volunteer staff

  • Enthusiasm for history and willingness to learn about WW II-era history, especially social history of the home-front

  • B.A. in history, museum studies, or related field

Desired:

 

  • M.A. or expertise in American history, particularly military or social history or history of the WW II era

  • Experience in successfully transitioning a new or small museum to enhanced stature and stability

  • Experience developing and/or directing museum education programs

  • An understanding of and commitment to maintaining professional standards in the museum field, including interpretation, education, programming, collection management, exhibition development, and volunteer management

  • Experience with planned giving and/or endowment campaigns

  • Desire to work in a scenic New England resort town that is bursting with vacationers and seasonal residents in summer and fall and quieter in winter

 

About the Wright Museum:

 

  • The Wright Museum is one of only two museums in the US dedicated to the World War II home front and the military between the years 1939 and 1945.

  • The Museum contains three distinct sections: a home front gallery, a military wing, and a time tunnel that physically and interpretively links the two spaces.

  • Highlights of the collection include the popular large array of operational military vehicles, a collection documenting the contributions of uniformed women during WWII, original artwork by some of the leading magazine illustrators of the day, and the flag that flew over the American headquarters in Paris on V-E Day.

  • Open May 1 – October 31 for public visitation, and by appointment in the off-season for school groups. The museum also offers “Traveling Trunk” outreach kits for teachers to use in their classrooms.  The research library is open by appointment year round.

  • Programs and events for adults and families are scheduled year-round.  In December the Museum hosts the Wolfeboro Festival of Trees.  In July, the Family Day attracts hundreds of visitors with activities including rides in the military vehicles.

About Wolfeboro, NH:

 

  • Nestled on the eastern shore of Lake Winnipesaukee and surrounded by forests and mountains, Wolfeboro is a quintessential New England community.

  • The town is known as “America’s Oldest Summer Resort,” but there are things to do year-round including hiking, skiing, snowshoeing, boating, swimming, biking and fishing, summer theatre and concerts.

  • Wolfeboro is also home to Brewster Academy, a private school for grades 9-12, and 2 other museums, the NH Boat Museum and the town’s Libby Museum, a museum of natural history.

  • Wolfeboro is two hours from Boston and an hour from Portsmouth and NH’s seacoast, White Mountains, and state capital, Concord.

Visit: www.wrightmuseum.org, www.wolfeborochamber.com or www.wolfeboronh.us

How to apply:  Nominations welcome.  EOE.  Apply in confidence: Email resume, cover letter, list of 3 references with contact info, and salary requirement to search firm: Gail Nessell Colglazier, Museum Search & Reference at SearchandRef@museum-search.com  by April 22.

For more information, visit www.museum-search.com