Deputy Community Museum Officer / Director of Center for Colorado Women's History

State of Colorado • Denver, CO

7d • Onsite

About The Position

The Deputy Community Museum Officer provides strategic leadership, operational support, and organizational coordination for History Colorado’s Division of Community Museums, which includes seven museums and historic sites across Colorado. Reporting to the Chief Community Museum Officer, the Deputy works with museum directors and staff to advance strategic priorities, strengthen operations, steward resources, and build relationships that support the division’s long-term success. The role also serves as Director of the Center for Colorado Women’s History (CCWH), a History Colorado Community Museum in Denver, leading its programs, operations, facilities, partnerships, and strategic initiatives. CCWH advances scholarship, research, exhibitions, tours, and adult and youth programs about women’s history in Colorado and its connections to national and global history. The position works across History Colorado to align community museum priorities with organizational strategy, develop collaboration and resource opportunities, and deliver mission-driven programs and services. It builds relationships with communities, partners, funders, and stakeholders throughout Colorado.

The Deputy supports division-wide strategic planning and operations; leads budgeting, financial planning, resource allocation, fundraising, and grant activity; and supervises the Community Museum Philanthropy Coordinator. As CCWH Director, the role leads staff and volunteers and oversees programs, exhibitions, tours, events, visitor services, the gift shop, and rental operations. The role also stewards the Center’s historic house, grounds, and facilities, coordinating preservation, maintenance, risk management, disaster preparedness, and collections care with relevant History Colorado teams. The position represents the division and CCWH, stewards the CCWH Advisory Committee, and commits to History Colorado’s Anti-Racism Grounding Virtues.

The role requires statewide travel, a valid Colorado driver’s license, on-call availability for historic property security and emergencies, and work outside regular business hours for events, symposiums, and community meetings. The incumbent must live and work in Colorado. Applications are open to Colorado residents and non-residents; the position is not part of the classified personnel system.

Requirements

• Six years of full-time professional experience primarily focused on museum administration, historic preservation, cultural facility management, public history leadership, or program/operations management in a cultural or historical institution; part-time experience is prorated.
• A bachelor's degree from an accredited institution in History, Historic Preservation, Museum Studies, Business Administration, Public Administration, or a closely related field may substitute for two years of required experience.
• A master's degree from an accredited institution in a relevant field may substitute for four years of required experience.
• Valid Colorado driver’s license maintained for required statewide travel.
• Successful completion of a pre-employment Criminal Background Check.
• Ability to be on call for historic property security, fire/burglar alarms, and emergency response.
• Ability to work outside regular business hours, including evenings and weekends, for special events, symposiums, and community meetings.
• Clear understanding and experience in museum administration, strategic management, and fiscal stewardship.
• Excellent interpersonal, oral, and written communication skills for diverse public and professional audiences.
• Project management skills, including multitasking, problem-solving, prioritizing, creating systems, and engaging stakeholders.
• Commitment to History Colorado’s Anti-Racism Grounding Virtues, including co-creation, shared authority, humility, and working in community.
• Ability to work effectively independently and as a resourceful team player.
• Incumbent must live in and complete work for History Colorado within Colorado.

Nice To Haves

• Strong background in history, with general knowledge of Colorado history and women’s history.
• Experience in multi-site cultural facility operations, strategic planning, and program evaluation.
• Experience in fundraising, grant writing, grant administration, and restricted budget management.
• Familiarity with historic preservation standards, including the Secretary of the Interior Standards, and collections management databases such as Argus.
• Track record supervising professional staff, fellows, and volunteer teams.
• Enthusiasm for exploring ideas, amplifying diverse voices, and cultivating relationships across Colorado communities.

Responsibilities

• Partner with the Chief Community Museum Officer to provide strategic leadership for the Division of Community Museums and support division-wide goals.
• Collaborate with museum directors and teams across seven Community Museums to develop, implement, and evaluate strategic plans, annual priorities, and initiatives.
• Provide guidance and problem-solving support on organizational, operational, programmatic, and strategic matters.
• Facilitate communication and collaboration across Community Museums and History Colorado divisions, identify shared opportunities, and address operational challenges.
• Establish systems, practices, and measures that support effective operations, program quality, community impact, and accountability.
• Represent the Community Museums division in organizational planning, cross-divisional initiatives, and external relationships.
• Partner with the Chief Community Museum Officer, museum directors, Finance, and Philanthropy on financial strategies, budgeting, planning, resource allocation, and monitoring.
• Identify and pursue philanthropic opportunities with Community Museums and Philanthropy; supervise the Community Museum Philanthropy Coordinator and guide fundraising strategies and funder and partner relationships.
• Work with Community Museums to secure, implement, manage, and reconcile state, federal, and foundation grant programs.
• Serve as chief administrator and Director of the Center for Colorado Women’s History, directing day-to-day operations and long-term development.
• Lead staff and volunteers in planning and delivering programs, exhibitions, tours, events, and visitor services.
• Develop adult and youth educational programming with the CCWH educator and History Colorado staff.
• Lead History Colorado’s Bold Women. Change History. initiative, including its annual speaker series, summit, and Rocky Mountain Women's History Symposium.
• Oversee gift shop and rental program operations, including revenue generation, inventory management, customer service, and coordination with Finance.
• Steward the Center’s historic house, grounds, and facilities, ensuring safe operation and that on-site work meets Secretary of the Interior Standards for Preservation.
• Plan capital projects and maintenance with Facilities, IT, Collections, and Security; monitor facility needs and coordinate operational and risk-management responses and disaster preparedness.
• Work with Collections to plan exhibition and educational use of artifacts while ensuring climate control and collections care.
• Build relationships with diverse communities, cultural institutions, educational partners, funders, and government agencies throughout Colorado.
• Serve as spokesperson and ambassador for the Community Museums division and CCWH, and steward the CCWH Advisory Committee.
• Apply History Colorado’s Anti-Racism Grounding Virtues and ensure programs are guided by, for, and of the communities served.

Benefits

• PERA Defined Benefit Plan or PERA Defined Contribution Plan, plus 401K and 457 plans.
• Medical and dental health plans.
• Employer-supplemented Health Savings Account.
• Paid life insurance, with additional optional life insurance options.
• Short- and long-term disability coverage.
• 11 paid holidays per year, plus vacation and sick leave accruals.
• State employee discount program through BenefitHub.
• State of Health employee wellness program.
• Work-life programs, including flexible schedules.

What This Job Offers

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