Staff Historian [Levine Museum of the New South]

The Role:  Seeking a confident, enthusiastic relationship builder who can creatively expand upon existing contacts in the community and museum field.   The successful candidate will have interest and proven experience in working with the public and/or community partners to bring scholarship to broad audiences.

Responsibilities will include:

Supports the Museum’s exhibitions

• Conducts research and planning for major exhibits
• Reviews materials in other exhibits for historical accuracy
• Develops topics and interpretive themes and writes scripts for exhibits
• Prepares publications to accompany exhibits
• Orients staff to new exhibits, highlighting significant stories and objects
• Advises director of exhibits in hiring of outside curators for exhibits
• Assists outside curators in development of exhibits
• Hires and directs researchers
• Along with director of exhibits, recommends updating of permanent exhibit
• Coordinates review and comment by subject matter experts when appropriate
• Assists in education of interpreters/docents

Supports the Museum’s Public Programming

• Advises and assists in development and delivery of educational programs and community events

Supports the Museum’s Communications, Media and Community Relations Efforts

• Provides information for newsletters, website, and media releases
• Serves as a media resource
• Speaks to community groups and leads tours on-site and off-site

Other Duties

• Advises and assists in evaluation of exhibits and programs
• Along with directors of exhibits and programming, provides staff support to Exhibits and Programming Committee and Collections Committee
• Participates with Board, executive director and management team on formulation and implementation of strategic priorities
• Assists the Development officer in creating funding pitches and writing grant requests
• Recommends acceptance or refusal of objects for inclusion in collections
• Prepares interpretive texts for multimedia scripts and merchandised products in museum store

Requirements:

• Doctoral degree in history or closely related field
• Excellent written and verbal communications skills
• Understanding and passion for the Museum’s mission
• Familiarity with oral history, material culture, and community story-sharing
• Experience in doing history with community partners for public audiences
• Proficient with Microsoft Office suite and ability to self-support administratively

Personal Qualifications:

• Excellent interpersonal, public speaking, written communication and presentation skills
• High level of professionalism, collegiality, self-motivation, and organization
• Highly collaborative and comfortable with co-creating exhibits and programs