Exhibitions Development Director

Field Museum•Chicago, IL

13d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Exhibition Development Director provides strategic leadership and oversees Development staff within the Exhibitions Department. The role establishes the theoretical basis and long-term vision for exhibition development; creates and refines standards, processes, and tools; and manages project assignments, labor planning, and discretionary expenses. The Director participates in the directors’ group in reviewing the visitor-experience dimension of departmental work, collaborates with outside development firms on large projects, and contributes to grant proposals, marketing and visitor-studies materials, concept documents, and work-for-hire projects for other institutions. The Director also coordinates with the Education department on exhibition content and programming to align with the museum’s learning goals and institutional strategy. The Director develops and upholds guiding principles and practical standards for exhibition development, including policies, procedures, templates, and methods for creating deliverables. The position serves as final editor for exhibition interpretive text, providing feedback that helps Developers reach their own solutions rather than imposing particular goals or answers. The Director also provides on-the-job training, facilitates Developers’ work toward visitor-experience goals, and ensures visitor testing and evaluation occur iteratively throughout development. The role manages staffing and resources by assigning project labor in consideration of workloads, expertise, project schedules, team dynamics, and professional-growth opportunities, as well as providing equipment, supplies, and service and software subscriptions through a Division discretionary budget. The Director contributes to project planning, research, development, and consultation; represents the department at professional events and external consultations; and mentors Developers, supports them during stressful periods, and helps promote effective, respectful, and professional collaboration. The position receives general supervision from the Head of Exhibitions and provides general direction and task supervision to Exhibition Developers, the Exhibition Development Coordinator, Academic and Professional Fellows, and Interns. It is a 35-hour-per-week, daytime-shift role, eligible for hybrid work. The position is based at 1400 S DuSable Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, Illinois, and may require occasional travel to partner institutions, collaborators, research sites, cultural communities, and museum clients, including possible international travel.

Requirements

At least 5 years of museum experience working with large teams representing diverse departments, stakeholders, skills, areas of expertise, and beliefs.
Knowledge of museum exhibition theory and practice, including concept development, content organization, experience development, object database creation, scheduling, and resource allotment.
Expert-level proficiency in nonfiction writing and editing.
Ability to work with producers, artists, and other media professionals to communicate complex concepts through a wide variety of media and experience types.
At least a bachelor’s degree in the arts or sciences.
Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications, Adobe Creative Suite, Google productivity apps, Asana, EMu, and GoProof.
Demonstrated ability to lead creative teams through long-term projects, satisfy diverse internal and external stakeholders, meet schedules, and achieve successful results.
Integrity and leadership skills to negotiate conflict and reach compromises that address the needs of diverse organizations, cultural communities, academic disciplines, and life experiences.

Nice To Haves

A master’s degree in museum studies, anthropology, education, public humanities, or a related discipline.

Responsibilities

Establish and uphold the theoretical framework, long-term vision, guiding principles, and practical standards for exhibition development.
Create and refine exhibition-development policies, procedures, document formats, templates, tools, and methods for producing deliverables.
Serve as final editor for exhibition interpretive text, using a review system that distinguishes ideas, suggestions, issue-related requests, and directives for corrections.
Train and mentor Developers, helping them identify and solve problems and providing support during periods of high stress.
Facilitate Developers’ progress toward visitor-experience goals through discussions, division meetings, individual meetings, and access to relevant resources.
Ensure visitor testing and evaluation are conducted iteratively throughout the development process.
Collaborate with design and production divisions to maintain and expand accessibility standards, apply universal design principles, and support community engagement where appropriate.
Assign project labor based on workloads, strengths and expertise, departmental schedules, team dynamics, and professional-growth opportunities.
Manage resources, including equipment, supplies, and service and software subscriptions through a Division discretionary budget; approve discretionary expenses.
Contribute to planning, research, project development, and consultation, including writing or contributing to grant proposals, walkthroughs, concept documents, marketing materials, visitor-studies materials and reports, strategy documents, process documentation, presentations, and templates.
Represent the department at professional conferences, review boards, symposiums, consortiums, and consultations with associations, funding agencies, academic organizations, and external clients.
Work with the directors’ group to support effective, respectful, and professional collaboration among team members and review the visitor-experience dimension of departmental work.
Collaborate with outside development firms on large projects.
Coordinate with the Education department on exhibition content and programming to align with museum learning goals and institutional strategy.