Director of Exhibits [The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, CA]

The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County (NHM) seeks an accomplished and creative Director of Exhibits as we embark on the next phase of innovation and transformation of exhibits and related spaces at the Natural History Museum in Exposition Park and at the La Brea Tar Pits.  The NHM recently completed a major capital project that expanded our scope and our footprint, transforming us into an indoor-outdoor museum of nature, natural and cultural history.  As the project was completed, museum leadership developed an ambitious strategic intent for the next decade, to be the best in the world at communicating how our planet and life on it changes over time and why it matters and identified major topics that will form the core of our future permanent installations.  We are now poised to begin the next phase of exhibit and overall visitor experience development.

Our mission is to inspire wonder, discovery and responsibility for our natural and cultural worlds and our vision is to inspire the widest possible audiences to become stewards of the living earth.  In service of this mission, we developed a visitor centered exhibits philosophy that uses design as a strategic tool to create great visitor experiences with the content.  We feature and highlight our vast collections as the way into each story.  Our deeply collaborative exhibit design and development process holds mission, vision, strategic intent and our motto “where our research and collections meets the visitor experience” firmly in mind throughout.  The NHM brand is our mission, and our institution-wide approach to look and feel emphases clarity, with a visual, textual and verbal voice that is fun, aesthetically appealing and carefully designed for each function.  We approach each exhibit project as a unique problem to solve and we aspire to have each one experienced as a “little world” that exemplifies our mission, vision and strategic intent.

The successful candidate will embrace and help move us forward into the next phase of visitor experience/exhibit creation, embodying and developing these philosophies as we build on our successes and develop innovative experiences in our next suite of projects.  Core responsibilities include leading and managing an extraordinary team of in-house creative and technical staff; proactive maintenance and continual improvements to the existing exhibits and experiences on the museum floor; in-house development and production of small exhibits; oversight and project management of larger projects that may involve multiple contractors as well as in-house staff.  In house exhibits staff currently includes exhibit development, design and production, multi-media and lighting, project management and administrative functions.

Reporting to the Vice President, Education and Exhibits, this is a key, senior position with institution-wide responsibilities.  The Director of Exhibits has a critical role in strategic and tactical development and implementation of exhibit and related strategies and experiences.  The position requires active museum-wide collaboration at all levels, especially with Research and Collections, Marketing and Communications, Education, Visitor research and evaluation, Web/digital developers, Guest Relations, Advancement (fundraising), Operations and Executive functions.  The Director of Exhibits must be adept at and committed to working with professionals from diverse professional backgrounds and perspectives – including scholars and scientists – and to working with and leading diverse teams created for each project. S/he must be committed to using design as a strategic tool to create deep, wonderful experiences for and with visitors.

The successful candidate will be an accomplished professional with a strong track record of success in museum exhibits or a related and relevant field.  He or she must have a record of progressive organizational responsibilities and demonstrated record of leadership.  We seek a candidate with a sophisticated understanding of organizations and how to operate successfully at a senior level within an institution or company.  S/he will be a creative problem solver with a track record of creating outstanding visitor experiences, of leading and managing successful teams, and of managing projects that achieve their goals on time and within budget.  S/he will have an educational and professional background and career in a relevant field, and a demonstrated ability to collaborate deeply with scientists, scholars and artists as well as designers, educators and exhibit developers and others.

This is a full -time position with a salary commensurate with experience, plus excellent benefits. Review of applications will begin November 20, 2015 and will continue until the position has been filled.

Application: Submit letter of interest describing your career path, your skills and your interests and a detailed resume or curriculum vitae, along with a portfolio of projects with clear description of your precise role in each one to Christel Bitoon, Administrative Assistant, Director of Exhibits Search, Education & Exhibits, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County 900 Exposition Blvd., Los Angeles CA  90007 USA, or through email (or similar) at cbitoon@nhm.org. 

Important:  Please note that any items sent as consideration for this position will not be returned to the sender.  Additionally, any items sent must be printable on nothing larger than 11×17.

The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County is an Equal Opportunity Employer.  Inquiries should be directed to Christel Bitoon, Administrative Assistant, at (213) 763-3251 or at cbitoon@nhm.org.