The San José Museum of Art (SJMA) has an exciting opportunity for an entrepreneurial Deputy Director to join the senior management team and help lead SJMA into its next chapter, re-imagining the Museum for the audience of the future.
The Deputy Director will work closely with the creative and empowered staff and executive director to build a culture of innovation, inclusion, collaboration, and teamwork. Working with the program staff, the Deputy Director will manage a dynamic exhibition program that advances SJMA’s artistic mission, achieving high standards for scholarship, creativity, and audience engagement. Further, the Deputy Director’s creative vision and managerial style must bolster the museum’s Strategic Plan, currently in development. The plan will have significant focus on positive internal and organizational culture, and on reaching far beyond SJMA’s walls—in Silicon Valley and beyond—to redefine its diverse community’s relationship with art and creativity.
Founded in 1969 by artists, SJMA presents modern and contemporary art exhibitions and programs; international in scope, it celebrates the cutting-edge vision of California and Pacific Rim artists. Given its location in the heart of Silicon Valley, the Museum has a substantial commitment to showing and nurturing visionary work in new media: initiatives include an experimental gallery-as-laboratory for artists called Beta Space, and the “New Stories from the Edge of Asia” exhibition series.
SJMA supports the art of our time through active acquisition of works by pivotal artists very early in their careers, longstanding support of California artists, and commitment to the work of groundbreaking, independent thinkers. SJMA’s permanent collection contains more than 2,500 works of art, including paintings, sculpture, installations, new media, photography, drawings, prints, and artist’s books. In order to advance its goals for both collections and collaborations, the Museum recently embarked on a program of co-acquisitions with other museums.
SJMA is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums and is located on the Plaza de César Chavez in downtown San José. The Museum serves 100,000 people a year, including some 40,000 school children, and is the largest provider of arts education in Santa Clara County. Initiatives such as the award-winning school programs “Let’s Look at Art” and the integrated visual arts residency “Sowing Creativity” further distinguish the Museum as a leader in museum education.
Duties and Responsibilities
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Strategize across departments with the executive director and senior staff to implement organizational and program innovation in service of the mission and new strategic directions
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Develop, manage, and implement robust and ambitious multi-year plans, schedules, and concurrent timelines for exhibitions, publications, and programs that reach a growing and diverse constituency of 100,000+ visitors and audience members annually
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Develop, monitor, and authorize expenditures within complex project and program budget of $3 million
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Manage an innovative publication plan that embraces the digital present and future and develop, negotiate, administer, and implement exhibition and publication contracts
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Provide ongoing day-to-day and long-term direction, supervision, and guidance to operational teams: registration, design and installation, and security departments in their operations, policies, and procedures
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Collaborate with senior team on fund development, grant funding opportunities, and donor cultivation
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Serve as a key external liaison to local, national, and international museum officials; cultural institutions; publishers; designers; distributors; etc. for exhibition, publication, and program matters
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Supervise additional administrative duties museum-wide, including cross-departmental collaboration and relations with operations, City of San José, trustees, donors and members, and community stakeholders
Qualifications
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Bachelor of Arts (MA preferred) in Art, Art History, Museum Studies, Museum Administration,or related field, and five or more years related experience at the senior museum management level required, or equivalent combination of education/experience
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Proven leadership and strength in institutional strategy, planning, project management, and organization. Entrepreneurial experience and demonstrated ability to innovate and take risks across disciplines
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Extensive experience in fund development, including grant and foundation relationships and project support
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Engaging public speaking skills and experience with media relations
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Thorough knowledge of professional museum standards and practices for all aspects of exhibitions, publication and programming. Working knowledge of legal and ethical aspects of fine arts collecting, maintaining, borrowing, and exhibiting, and familiarity with exhibition design and installation
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Experience managing and developing a broad spectrum of cultural programming, including experimental public programs that reach beyond physical spaces
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Enthusiasm for all areas of visual art education
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Familiarity with digital platforms for organizational strategy and innovative publishing and working knowledge of the printing industry as it relates to the publication of exhibition catalogues
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Skill in project management software, PC in Windows environment using Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook and presentation software (PowerPoint, Keynote, etc.). Integrated technology systems knowledge including Blackbaud/Altru, web development, content and data management preferred
SJMA offers a competitive benefits plan including medical, dental, vision, and paid sick and vacation time. The museum also offers a generous retirement program.
We are an equal opportunity employer. At SJMA, we value and actively seek the diversity of individuals and the ideas, perspectives, insights, and values they bring to the workplace.
The position requires a background check and the ability to work weekends and evenings as required.
To Apply
Please send a resume and cover letter to HRexecteam@sjmusart.org by Tuesday, May 15, 2018.
Due to the high volume of interest, regrettably, we cannot respond to individual applicants. If you are selected as a potential candidate, SJMA will contact you to schedule an interview. No phone calls, please.