Executive Director [NC Dept of Cultural Resources/Tryon Palace]

Position Number: 60083590

Link To apply for this position, http://agency.governmentjobs.com/northcarolina/job_bulletin.cfm?JobID=1126065.

***This Position has been Designated as Managerial-Exempt and serves at the pleasure of the Secretary of the Department of Cultural Resources ***    (Pending Final Approval) Salary may be supplemented privately by the Commission.

A part of the Department of Cultural Resources’ Office of Archives and History, Tryon Palace is an educational institution and heritage tourism attraction of statewide significance with museum, historic site, archives, and garden components. Tryon Palace’s mission is to engage present and future generations in the history of North Carolina from early settlement and development of statehood through the mid-twentieth century by collecting, interpreting and preserving objects, buildings, landscapes and events that enrich understanding of the making of our state and nation.
Primary Purpose of Position 
The Executive Director is the leader of Tryon Palace. This leader provides the unified vision that coordinates both the long-term, strategic course and daily activities of the institution. The Executive Director of the Palace is dedicated to public service and demonstrates daily a belief in the value of history and its role in the better understanding of self and community. The Executive Director maintains a strong work ethic and, by example, encourages high quality customer service, positive outlook, creativity, and innovation among Tryon Palace staff and supporters. The director is specifically responsible for the effective recruitment, development, and use of human capital and the accurate management of the financial and physical resources of the institution. The executive director is the primary manager of all of the Palace’s external relationships and is the public face and lead spokesperson of the institution. Diplomatically coordinating the advice and guidance provided by multiple stakeholder individuals and groups, the Director is responsible for the performance of all staff and volunteers in meeting the goals and objectives driven by the mission of the institution. This position is also the institution’s lead fundraiser, collaborating and networking with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders to generate essential funding for the institution. The executive director is responsible for ensuring that the Palace is in compliance with all state and federal laws and regulations, departmental policies, and museum professional ethics. The executive director of Tryon Palace serves as a division director in the Office of Archives and History and takes part in the development and execution of departmental policies and cross-divisional activities as directed by the department’s senior leadership. The Executive Director engages with leadership discussions with the North Carolina Symphony, North Carolina Museum of Art, North Carolina Arts Council, State Library, Historic Preservation office, Office of State Archaeology, the Division of History and Maritime Museums, the Division of State Historic Sites and Properties, the State Archives, and the Department of Cultural Resources administrative offices of Finance, Marketing, Human Resources, Audit, Legal and Legislative Affairs.

Organizational Relationship:

Responding to legislative mandates, this position now places a greater emphasis on fundraising, receipts generation, and external relations than it has in the past. To make this change possible, a greater amount of professional museum activities (curation, education, etc.) has been shifted to the assistant director who reports to the director.

• Reports to the Secretary of Cultural Resources through the Deputy Secretary/Director of Office of Archives and History and maintains active communications with DCR.
• All staff employed by Tryon Palace report to the Department of Cultural Resources through the Executive Director.
• Coordinates with the Tryon Palace Commission who acts as an advisory body to the staff while fulfilling certain statutory responsibilities, including the governance and oversight required to maintain the facilities and the collections associated with the Palace. These responsibilities include decisions with regards to the preservation and use of historic structures and the accessioning, deaccessioning and loan of artifacts (powers vested in the North Carolina Historical Commission for other Office of Archives and History institutions).
• Coordinates with the Tryon Palace Foundation which is the private, non-profit fundraising arm of the Palace. The Foundation has its own separate board. The state employees (reporting to the Department of Cultural Resources), Commission, and Foundation all work together to achieve Tryon Palace’s mission.
• Serves on the Tryon Palace Foundation Committee.
• Coordinates with and attends Tryon Palace Commission Meetings.

Description of Roles and Responsibilities:

The Executive Director is the public face and chief spokesperson of Tryon Palace. The responsibilities include:

• Manages Tryon Palace’s overall brand by managing all of the Tryon Palace’s public relations and marketing activities;
• Inspires current and future engagement in supporting Tryon Palace through relationship building
• Collaborates with the Foundation and provides leadership in all development and fundraising activities, including membership development; and
• Communicates effectively (both in writing and orally) with a broad range of stakeholders and potential stakeholders about the needs, opportunities, and successes of the Palace; especially
  • visitors and potential visitors to the Palace;
  • donors and potential donors;
  • members of the New Bern community, especially local elected leaders (within the framework of North Carolina General Statutes, The Administrative Code, and applicable professional and ethical guidelines);
  • community leaders from across the state;
  • non-profit educational, heritage, and preservation organizations;
  • members of the Tryon Palace Commission;
  • leadership of the Department of Cultural Resources; and
  • leadership of the Tryon Palace Foundation.

The Executive Director provides overall leadership and management of Tryon Palace. He/She is ultimately responsible for the activities of more than 50 FTE employees, all temporary staff members, and more than 300 volunteers. Internal management duties include oversight of preservation of artifacts, archives, and historic structures; safety of staff, volunteers, and visitors; exhibit development, interpretation, and programming; special event planning, contracted services, and other receipt-generating activities; operational oversight of museum store(s); accounting services, forecasting, and reporting; and all human resources activities.

The Executive Director of Tryon Palace

• Coordinates with the Tryon Palace Commission, the leadership of the Department of Cultural Resources and the Tryon Palace Foundation to develop an ever-evolving strategic plan designed to meet the mission of the institution;
• Leads the staff in executing the continuously developing strategic plan while measuring its efficiency and effectiveness in pursuit of continual improvements; and
• Communicates the plan and the success of its implementation with a wide range of stakeholders.

Management prefers a candidate with:

Experience as a leader in a museum or non-profit educational or cultural organization that has 1) collaborated with multiple organizations and 2) was successful in revenue generating activities (earned income) – concert series, tours, facilities rentals, and profit-making public programming.