Current Opportunities

The Morris Museum is seeking an Executive Director with the vision and ability to lead and guide its growth. In partnership with an engaged Board of Trustees, the Executive Director will create a strategic plan including but not limited to: conceiving dynamic permanent and special exhibitions (18 last year); reinvigorating the Museum’s important and historic core collection; creating engaging education and public programs; implementing a holistic fundraising strategy to increase revenue streams across multiple channels; and securing the Museum’s position as a leading arts institution and cultural resource in New Jersey and beyond. The Executive Director will assist in recruiting new board members as engaging current board members. The Executive Director will also advocate for the Museum in the broader community while generating public interest and participation from a wide and diverse range of constituents.  In addition, the Executive Director will be responsible for supervising, coordinating, and inspiring a staff of 30 professionals, as well as volunteer groups. 

Founded in 1913 in Morristown, NJ, the Museum serves both a local and international constituency through its wide variety of collections, exhibitions and theatrical productions.  It also provides extensive educational programs for both children and adults at the Museum and through a long-standing outreach program to area schools.  In 2003, the Museum was selected to curate and permanently exhibit the Murtogh D. Guinness Collection of Mechanical Musical Instruments and Automata, arguably one of the finest of its kind in the world.  This collection, combined with the Morris Museum’s excellent physical plant (multiple exhibition spaces and 312-seat theater) and long-standing tradition of serving its local communities’ cultural and educational needs, provides an enterprising and visionary Executive Director an opportunity to enhance the Museum’s exciting future.

Qualifications

Professional Qualifications

·         10 plus years’ experience in a management role in a complex museum, cultural institution or related non-profit

·         MA in art history, fine art, history, museum administration, or related field (PhD preferred)

·         Ability to understand and refine the Museum’s curatorial point of view

·         Knowledge of and experience in all aspects of curatorial endeavors from conceptualizing an exhibition to seeing it through to completion

·         Practice in partnering with guest curators

·         Capacity to develop and communicate a cohesive vision for the Museum that inspires and excites an engaged Board, dedicated staff and diverse community

·         Demonstrated commitment to a visitor-centered experience

·         Ability to work in collaboration with the Museum’s many different constituencies – board, donors, volunteers, staff,  cultural organizations, businesses and government entities

Personal Values

·         Honest and ethical behavior

·         Openness to new ideas, information and methods

·         Seeking out diverse points of view when making decisions

·         Open and direct communication

·         Passion for his/her job which is communicated to others

·         Belief in the institutional mission

·         Accountability

We actively seek a diverse pool of candidates in this search. The finalist will be required to successfully pass a background check. Compensation will be competitive and commensurate with experience.

Please submit applications to cread@morrismuseum.org with the subject line Executive Director. Applications should include all of the following: cover letter; resume; salary requirements; 3 professional references; and list of curated exhibitions and publications.

For more information about the Museum, please visit http://www.morrismuseum.org/