The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County seeks a Director of Evaluation to lead all aspects of our institution-wide visitor research and evaluation program. The NHM’s institutional focus is on providing unparalleled visitor experiences with deep content in service of our mission of “inspiring wonder, discovery and responsibility for our natural and cultural worlds.” The Director, Evaluation is responsible for managing and implementing evaluation and visitor feedback at all levels in order to help us maintain and deepen our focus on our diverse audiences. This includes responsibility for ongoing visitor intercept surveys of overall satisfaction and visitor experience, for front-end research to help guide programmatic and exhibit development for front-end, formative and summative evaluation of exhibits and programs and for developing new, longer term and more comprehensive research to assess the impact and effectiveness of major initiatives over time.

Reporting directly to the Vice President, Education and Exhibits, the Director, Evaluation collaborates and interacts with staff at all levels including serving as a leading member of the Institutional Metrics team. The Director, Evaluation works with staff and outside contractors to develop appropriate tools for visitor research and evaluation that can help guide and assess major institutional initiatives, as well as specific programs and activities, and to produce actionable data for immediate as well as long term use in improving all aspects of the visitor experience. Key peer collaborators include the Directors of Exhibits, Education and Programs, Marketing, Creative Services, Guest Experience, and Nature Gardens as well as Project Managers of major exhibits and other initiatives.

The NHM has recently expanded to become an indoor-outdoor museum of nature, natural and cultural history. In addition to traditional natural and cultural history programs and activities, we have an ambitious and multifaceted new initiative on local nature and biodiversity, environmental education and citizen science. We are in the early stages of development of major new exhibit initiatives including framing our temporary exhibits program. Evaluation is woven into all of our important initiatives and we aspire to embed meaningful audience feedback and evaluation into all of our programs and activities. The Director, Evaluation will play a key role in facilitating the future of the NHM by creating and implementing some of the tools that help us keep moving the visitor experience forward.

The ideal candidate will be a strategic thinker with the proven ability and interest in playing an important role in a fast paced, highly collaborative, project oriented environment. He or she will have an advanced degree (M.A. or Ph.D.) in a relevant field (or equivalent experience) and at least five years experience in the evaluation of visitor experience, exhibits, programs and/or a related field. The position requires the ability to see the big picture, think strategically and collaboratively as well as to provide ongoing and at times very detailed and specific focus to smaller but critical details. Outstanding verbal and written communication skills and the ability to work successfully with diverse audiences and a wide variety of professional backgrounds are critical skills. The position also requires the ability to manage multiple large and small projects at once, creative collaborations and delegation, including training and oversight of the work of staff, volunteers and outside contractors. Proficiency in evaluation design and implementation including data management and analysis are also required.

Salary is commensurate with experience plus excellent benefits. This is a full time, regular, exempt position.

The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County is an Equal Opportunity Employer.Please, No Phone Calls, No Fax.