Exhibitions, Publications, and Special Projects Manager (Internal Employment Opportunity)

OSU Rec Sports - Sport. Leadership. Wellness. • Corvallis, OR

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About The Position

The College of Liberal Arts, Patricia Valian Reser Center for the Creative Arts (PRAx), is seeking an Exhibitions, Publications, and Special Projects Manager. This is a full-time (1.00 FTE), 12-month, professional faculty position. The manager coordinates PRAx projects related to exhibitions, print publications, merchandise, vendor relationships, and special initiatives. The position acts as a central project coordinator, working with artists, curators, designers, vendors, marketing staff, front-of-house staff, university partners, and external collaborators to ensure projects are planned, communicated, budgeted, documented, and completed effectively.

The role manages operational details for exhibitions and installations, including artwork loan documentation, artist and vendor coordination, timelines, installation and de-installation logistics, exhibition-related events, and budget tracking. It also coordinates print and publication projects, including content gathering, editorial and production workflows, designer and printer coordination, and support for donor, sponsor, and public-facing materials.

The manager oversees merchandise presentation and inventory strategy, supports special projects, maintains vendor relationships, and processes related contracts and invoices as assigned. The position requires strong project management, communication, organizational, and problem-solving skills, along with the ability to manage competing priorities and support high-quality public-facing work that advances PRAx’s artistic, operational, and university goals.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in arts, project management, business administration, marketing, communications, fine arts, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education, training, or experience.
• Five years of professional experience coordinating complex projects, programs, client services, exhibitions, events, production work, marketing or communications projects, vendor services, or comparable operational work.
• Five years of experience in a field involving printing, design, merchandise, display, or comparable public-facing materials.
• Three years of experience serving as a primary project, client, artist, vendor, or partner contact, including clarifying needs, coordinating details, resolving issues, and communicating with internal and external stakeholders.
• Demonstrated experience coordinating timelines, budgets or estimates, schedules, documentation, work orders, purchasing or procurement details, and deliverables for projects involving multiple contributors or deadlines.
• Demonstrated ability to provide excellent client service, exercise sound judgment, identify needs and constraints, recommend practical solutions, and manage competing priorities with accuracy and attention to detail.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Proficiency with common office and project coordination tools such as Microsoft Office, Teams, or comparable systems.
• Successful completion of a criminal history check and determination of position qualification, as this is a critical or security-sensitive position.
• Incumbents must self-report convictions; employees in youth programs may have additional criminal history checks every 24 months.

Nice To Haves

• Experience in a museum, gallery, performing arts center, university arts program, cultural organization, creative services, marketing services, print production, or comparable client-service environment.
• Experience in a print shop, design firm or function, or related area.
• Experience managing or coordinating varied, complex, and often non-recurring projects from concept through completion, including project intake, estimating, scheduling, vendor coordination, production coordination, delivery, and follow-up.
• Experience working with artists, curators, designers, creative directors, faculty, staff, marketing teams, vendors, contractors, or external partners on creative, exhibition, event, promotional, print, mailing, or production-related projects.
• Experience developing budgets, estimates, cost analyses, or project plans and maintaining budget awareness through collaboration with internal teams and external vendors.
• Experience using project management, production, design, or administrative software such as Basecamp, Avanti, Microsoft Office Suite, Adobe Creative Suite, or comparable tools.
• Demonstrated commitment to promoting and enhancing inclusive excellence in work with colleagues, partners, artists, clients, or the public.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate exhibitions, print projects, merchandise and display management, special projects, and other assigned duties.
• Coordinate exhibition and installation operations, including artwork loan documentation, artist and vendor coordination, implementation timelines, installation and de-installation logistics, exhibition-related events, and budget tracking.
• Coordinate print and publication projects by gathering content, managing editorial and production workflows, working with designers and printers, and supporting donor, sponsor, and public-facing materials.
• Oversee PRAx merchandise presentation and inventory strategy.
• Maintain vendor relationships and process related contracts and invoices as assigned.
• Coordinate projects with artists, curators, designers, vendors, marketing staff, front-of-house staff, university partners, and external collaborators.
• Plan, communicate, budget, document, and complete projects effectively.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level