About the Academy

The Academy of Natural Sciences was founded in 1812 for "the encouragement and cultivation of the sciences". Since then, it has sponsored global expeditions, conducted pioneering environmental and systematics research, and amassed remarkable collections containing more than 18 million specimens from around the world and a peerless library and archive. Since 2011 its academic enterprise has been further strengthened through its affiliation with nearby Drexel University – a leading private non-profit research institution that focusses on innovation and entrepreneurship and provides a unique cooperative education program for its undergraduate and graduate degree students.

Today the Academy is one of the most important natural science institutions in the world. However, the world is changing fast and the Academy – directed by its Strategic Plan 2019-24 - is changing with it. Over the next five years the Academy will become a “force for nature” and advance its mission: “to understand the natural world and inspire everyone to care for it”. In so doing the Academy will build on its fundamental belief that diversity and inclusion generates better ideas, inspires creativity, and is essential to building a positive workplace so that in time it can become an institution that is of, by and for all Philadelphians.

Job Summary

The Senior Director of Exhibition Design and Production is responsible for the production, design, and installation of a dynamic temporary exhibition program in the Academy’s Spotlight, Dietrich, and Temporary Exhibition Galleries as well as the maintenance, repair, restoration and renewal of the Academy’s signature galleries and public environment.

The work of the Senior Director is guided by the Academy’s Strategic Plan (2019-24) and Experiential Masterplan (2019) and informed by the Casson Mann concept designs (2022) for the renewal of its signature galleries.

The role – which is central to the effective delivery of the Academy’s strategic plan - requires a collaborative and purposeful leader with a passion for: natural sciences, collections-based storytelling; a commitment to design thinking: an ability to prioritize resources; a proven track record of project management; and a natural bias for action. The Senior Director is comfortable with collaborative development processes and skilled at balancing creative excellence against deadline delivery.

Reporting to the Vice President of Experience and Engagement and working closely with both the Senior Director of Creative Development and Partnerships and the Experience and Engagement Manager, the Senior Director engages staff from across the institution in advancing the Academy’s values, shaping a positive culture, and leading a department whose success resides to a great extent in the agency of others.

Essential Functions

• Lead, manage and mentor the Exhibition Design and Production team in developing and delivering an ongoing temporary exhibition program and phased signature gallery and public space improvements that support the Academy’s Strategic Plan and Experiential Master Plan.
• Manage all support staff, consultants, contractors, and associated delivery partners as appropriate.
• Work closely with the Senior Management and the Cross Functional Team to establish, maintain, and communicate a robust three-year exhibition schedule that targets and builds key audiences and drives earned and contributed revenues.
• Oversee the Academy’s temporary exhibitions program, including interpretive planning, design delivery, fabrication, installation and deinstallation, budgets, and associated documentation (including RFPs, MOUs, contracts, insurance, etc.) ensuring adequate time for appropriate review and approval processes.
• Oversee the phased renewal of signature galleries in accordance with the Casson Mann concept designs.
• Establish and maintain productive working relationships with the VP of Experience and Engagement, the Senior Director of Creative Development and Partnerships, and the Experience and Engagement Manager ensuring design and production milestones and deliverables are agreed and met, and that risk management and contingency plans are always maintained.
• Build, manage, and mentor the Exhibition Design and Production team including staff members, interns, Co-ops, and volunteers in ways that create a positive, can-do culture as measured by the Academy’s biannual staff engagement survey.
• Collaborate on joint programming initiatives with Drexel faculty, staff, and students.
• Collaborate with Academy colleagues in the creation and production of promotional and interpretive materials, the development of grant and sponsorship proposals, and the cultivation of relationships with existing and potential donors and sponsors.
• Represent the Academy across the city and beyond, serving as a spokesperson for press and media, institutional partners and more.
• Embody, amplify, and acculturate all the Academy’s values.
• Perform other duties as required.

Required Qualifications

• Minimum of Bachelors degree or Equivalent
• Minimum of 5 years' in exhibition development and delivery, with deep understanding of museum administration, collections management, curatorial principles and artistic practices, and proven success in creating complex and cutting-edge exhibits.
• Collaborative, creative, and decisive team leader with experience of design-thinking strategies and practices and a proven track record of guiding and/or building an effective team.
• Highly organized individual who promotes transparency, models accountability, and is comfortable holding sensitive conversations with reports, peers, and leaders.
• Proven self-starter with a demonstrated ability to handle multiple projects in various stages of development and demonstrated capacity to prioritize and manage time, juggle competing duties and tasks, and meet deadlines. Experience in a process-based approach to project management (such as PRINCE2 or equivalent) is highly desirable.
• Ability to create and successfully manage multiple annual budgets.
• Ensures that market testing informs the selection of all rented exhibitions, and that formative and summative audience evaluation is undertaken, distributed and acted on as appropriate both for temporary exhibitions (rented and in-house) and the renewal of signature galleries.
• Exemplary written, verbal, and listening communication skills and a demonstrated ability to communicate clearly and professionally.
• Understanding of and ability to maintain the highest ethical standards, related to organizational responsibilities and public accountability.

Preferred Qualifications

• Proficient in Microsoft Suite
• Proficiency in project management software highly desirable
• Experience of Adobe Creative Suite and/or computer-aided design programs such as Vectorworks / Google Sketch Up

Physical Demands

• Typically sitting at a desk/table
• Typically standing, walking.
• Lifting demands<25lbs
• Lifting demands >50lbs
• Typically bending, crouching, stooping.

Location

Center City, Philadelphia, PA

Additional Information

This position is classified as Exempt with a salary grade of L. For more information regarding Drexel’s Professional Staff salary structure, https://drexel.edu/hr/career/ducomp/salstructure/

Please review the Benefits Brochure for some information on our benefits offerings.

Special Instructions to the Applicant

Please make sure you upload your CV/resume and cover letter when submitting your application.

Additional Required Documents

• List other required documents

Review of applicants will begin once a suitable candidate pool is identified.