Senior Project Manager, Exhibitions

Museum of Fine Arts•Boston, MA

3d•$85,000 - $90,000

About The Position

The Senior Project Manager, Exhibitions is a key leader in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston Exhibitions Department. Under the direction of and in close partnership with the Senior Director of Exhibitions and Publications, this role strategically plans, manages, and executes a portfolio of complex exhibitions across their full lifecycle, from project approval through installation, deinstallation, and close-out. The position ensures alignment with institutional priorities, Museum standards, visitor experience goals, and budgetary objectives, and leads major, large-scale, multi-year, attendance-driving, and high-priority projects, including exhibitions in the Gund and Torf galleries. The Senior Project Manager serves as the primary project lead and cross-departmental liaison, provides on-site leadership during installation and deinstallation, and coordinates project schedules, milestones, risks, communications, documentation, budgets, contracts, vendors, and financial requirements. The role also advances exhibition planning processes, project management tools, data consistency, templates, training, and institutional coordination; mentors project management colleagues; and represents Exhibitions in institutional initiatives and committees as requested. The position may include serving as an art courier for collection loans.

Requirements

7–10 years of museum or project management experience.
Bachelor’s degree in Arts Administration, Art History, Museum Studies, or equivalent knowledge in the planning and production of art exhibitions.
Exceptional analytical, planning, time-management, and follow-through skills.
Outstanding organizational and communication skills.
Strong relationship-building, diplomacy, and cross-departmental collaboration skills.
Quantitative skills to develop, monitor, and track budgets.
Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously while navigating competing priorities.
Ability to lead major exhibition projects, cross-functional teams, and institution-wide processes.
Demonstrated initiative, strategic thinking, and proactive problem-solving in complex situations.
Ability to handle confidential information with care and discretion.
Proficiency in Microsoft programs.
Ability to remain stationary for up to six hours a day.
Travel duties may include serving as an art courier via commercial flights and truck transport, requiring strict oversight, navigation, and visual inspection of valuable assets; this does not involve physical freight handling or heavy lifting.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree.
PMP certification.
Experience with SmartSheet, Trello, TMS, and other project management tools.

Responsibilities

Lead comprehensive planning and execution of assigned exhibitions from approval through close-out, including complex, large-scale, multi-year, attendance-driving, and high-priority projects.
Serve as primary project lead and liaison across Museum departments and, for co-organized exhibitions, between the MFA and partner museums.
Coordinate installation and deinstallation, providing on-site leadership and decision-making to resolve administrative, logistical, and production issues in galleries.
Develop, refine, and oversee multi-phase project schedules, and set and enforce deadlines for critical milestones and deliverables.
Identify risks, capacity challenges, and scheduling conflicts; resolve or escalate issues to maintain project momentum and Museum standards.
Implement accountability structures and promote transparent communication and shared responsibility when deadlines or deliverables are at risk.
Collaborate with the Senior Director of Exhibitions and Publications to improve exhibition planning processes, workflow tools, and cross-departmental coordination systems, including producing and enforcing the post-approval exhibition process document.
Facilitate and monitor use of project management platforms, including Trello, SmartSheet, and Microsoft Planner, and strengthen data consistency and reporting across the Exhibitions Department.
Oversee updates to the Exhibitions page on the MFA intranet and the Exhibitions Module in TMS, ensuring information is current, accurate, and accessible to internal stakeholders.
Develop templates, processes, training materials, and documentation to strengthen project management capacity Museum-wide.
Mentor, guide, and support other project management staff and colleagues contributing to project workflows.
Lead internal project meetings, prepare agendas and notes, establish next steps, and ensure follow-through; run project review meetings with the Director and Leadership Team.
Serve as the central information hub for assigned projects and communicate milestones, issues, updates, and decisions to stakeholders.
Represent Exhibitions in institutional initiatives, capital planning conversations, and cross-functional committees as requested.
Lead the annual exhibition budgeting process with the Senior Director of Exhibitions and Publications; forecast costs, approve and track expenditures, reconcile shared costs, and monitor financial and contractual requirements.
Manage payment schedules, contractual obligations, and vendor relationships; prepare invoices and payment documentation with Finance.
Provide financial insight for institutional planning, grant proposals, and donor stewardship as needed.
Create contracts for artists and contractors and contribute to writing, reviewing, and editing contracts for MFA co-organized exhibitions with the Senior Director of Exhibitions and Publications.
Maintain and archive digital project files and records on the Museum's server, TMS, and internal systems.
Oversee creation, maintenance, and distribution of project documentation, including schedules, reports, installation plans, and meeting summaries.
Identify workflow improvements and opportunities to integrate cross-departmental practices.
Stay current on museum industry practices in exhibition planning, visitor experience, sustainability, accessibility, and project management.
Complete additional projects as assigned by the Senior Director of Exhibitions and Publications.
Serve as courier for collection loans as needed.