AVP, Exhibition Design

Royal Ontario Museum • Toronto, ON

33d • Onsite

About The Position

At Royal Ontario Museum (ROM), we are reimagining how audiences experience art, culture, and nature. As AVP, Exhibition Design, you will shape the creative direction of exhibitions and gallery spaces seen by over 1.3 million visitors each year, translating ideas into immersive, inclusive, and impactful experiences at scale.

We are seeking a strategic and visionary leader to join ROM as our AVP Exhibition Design, a role that sits at the intersection of creative excellence, operational leadership, and institutional impact.

Reporting to the Chief, Exhibitions and Galleries, the AVP, Exhibition Design is the senior design authority responsible for shaping how millions of visitors experience ROM’s exhibitions, galleries, and public spaces. This role provides both creative direction and strategic oversight across the full exhibition lifecycle, ensuring that design outcomes are innovative, inclusive, and aligned with ROM’s mission and audience-first approach.

As a leader, you will guide and inspire a multidisciplinary design team while working in close partnership with curatorial, interpretation, collections, marketing, and external collaborators. You will play a critical role in translating complex ideas into compelling, accessible, and engaging visitor experiences, balancing creativity with feasibility, and vision with execution.

This is a highly collaborative and influential role that requires both strong design sensibility and the ability to operate at an enterprise level. You will contribute to institutional planning, establish design standards and practices, and ensure that exhibitions are delivered on time, on budget, and to the highest level of quality.

The ideal candidate brings a unique blend of creative leadership, strategic thinking, and operational discipline, with a demonstrated ability to lead teams, manage complexity, and deliver impactful, visitor-centred design at scale.

As the AVP, Exhibition Design, you will shape the creative and experiential direction of ROM’s exhibitions and galleries, ensuring design excellence across all visitor-facing environments. Your impact will span strategy, execution, and leadership across the institution.

Requirements

• Significant experience (10+ years) leading exhibition, gallery, or experiential design within a museum, cultural institution, or similarly complex environment
• Demonstrated success in leading and developing high-performing, multidisciplinary teams
• Experience operating at a senior level, influencing stakeholders and contributing to organizational strategy
• Deep knowledge of exhibition design principles, including spatial design, storytelling, accessibility, lighting, and multimedia integration
• Proven ability to translate complex curatorial and interpretive content into compelling, visitor-centred experiences
• Strong understanding of current and emerging trends in exhibition design, immersive environments, and audience engagement
• Demonstrated experience overseeing multiple concurrent projects, with accountability for timelines, budgets, and resource planning
• Experience working with external vendors, consultants, and fabricators, including procurement and contract processes
• Familiarity with building codes, accessibility standards, and technical requirements related to exhibition development
• Exceptional communication and presentation skills, with the ability to engage diverse stakeholders, including senior leadership, internal teams, and external partners
• Proven ability to work cross-functionally in a highly collaborative, matrixed environment
• Post-secondary education in exhibition design, architecture, industrial design, graphic design, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and experience
• Proficiency in design and visualization tools (e.g., AutoCAD, SketchUp, Adobe Creative Suite, 3D modelling software) and standard office applications

Nice To Haves

• Experience integrating sustainability principles into design practices
• Exposure to international or travelling exhibitions and/or global cultural partnerships
• French language skills are considered an asset

Responsibilities

• Define and lead the overall design vision for exhibitions and gallery spaces, ensuring experiences are innovative, engaging, and aligned with ROM’s mission.
• Champion visitor-centred, inclusive, and accessible design, integrating emerging technologies, multimedia, and immersive approaches to elevate how audiences experience art, culture, and nature.
• Oversee the end-to-end design process across multiple concurrent exhibition projects, ensuring alignment with institutional priorities, timelines, and budgets.
• Establish and evolve design standards, processes, and best practices to ensure consistency, quality, and efficiency across all projects.
• Serve as a key partner to curatorial, interpretation, collections, marketing, learning, and fundraising teams, translating complex content into compelling physical and digital experiences.
• Contribute to institutional planning and represent the design function in strategic initiatives, committees, and decision-making forums.
• Lead, mentor, and grow a high-performing design team, fostering a culture of creativity, accountability, and continuous learning.
• Oversee resource planning, team structure, and delivery models, ensuring the team is equipped to meet evolving exhibition demands.
• Provide oversight of design budgets, schedules, and resource allocation, ensuring projects are delivered on time and within budget.
• Collaborate on procurement strategies, manage vendor relationships, and ensure compliance with relevant standards, including accessibility requirements and building codes.
• Stay at the forefront of exhibition design trends and technologies, advancing innovative and sustainable design practices across the Museum.
• Build and maintain strong relationships within the cultural sector, contributing to ROM’s reputation as a leader in exhibition design and visitor experience.

Benefits

• Comprehensive benefits coverage: For permanent and full-time contract positions (conditions apply), enjoy paid benefits for individuals and families, a health spending account, and an Employee Assistance Program.
• Worry-free retirement savings: With our pension plan, you benefit from an employer-matched Defined Benefit contribution plan, which provides predictable lifetime retirement income, survivor benefits, and early retirement options without the stress of investment decisions.
• Support for new parents: Enjoy a parental leave top-up to 95 percent of your salary for 17 weeks, helping you balance work and family life.
• Perks: Free ROM membership for permanent full-time and part-time staff, plus discounts to over 200 attractions through Attractions Ontario.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Executive
• Education Level: No Education Listed