Position Overview:
 

The Director of Exhibitions is a senior member of the Museum Leadership Team with direct responsibility for oversight of the planning, design and production of new exhibitions (including permanent, temporary and traveling) and the management of all gallery rotations. This includes the Museum’s flagship location at 314 Main Street., and the Hart Nautical Gallery (55 Mass. Ave.) and the on-campus displays at the MIT Museum Studio and Compton Gallery (77 Mass. Ave.).

Principal Duties and Responsibilities:

The MIT Museum seeks a Director of Exhibitions, who will report to the Museum Director, to lead the planning, design and production of the Museum’s exhibitions program in close collaboration with the curators and cross-divisional theme teams. This role oversees all aspects of exhibition planning, design, production, installation, and evaluation. The role will manage interdisciplinary teams, collaborate across departments, support and advise other MIT entities developing exhibitions and/or displays, and ensure exhibitions deliver high-quality, inclusive, visitor-centered experiences that align with the MIT Museum’s mission and goals.

Strategic Partnership

• Develop and implement long-term plans for the exhibitions program and gallery rotations that support the Museum’s mission, vision and institutional priorities, including the goals of the active 5-year strategic plan, Becoming MIT’s Public Lab.
• Evaluate exhibitions using visitor feedback and data analytics to improve future experiences.
• Engage directly with audiences as appropriate to gain insights and inform program development.
• Represent the Museum in professional forums, peer institutions, and external partnerships.

Exhibition Planning, Development & Evaluation

• Work with colleagues across the Museum and across the Institute to facilitate approved curatorial proposals for new galleries, exhibitions, and themes.
• Collaborate with curatorial, education, collections, and other teams to ensure alignment with themes, content, educational objectives, and storytelling goals.
• Develop detailed yearly schedule of exhibitions and budgets for individual galleries and exhibitions and ensure delivery of these plans on time and budget.
• Develop and support opportunities to travel the Museum’s special exhibitions to other venues, and to bring in loan exhibitions from elsewhere as appropriate in consultation with the curatorial team and Museum Director.
• Work closely with Marketing and Communications on pre-established timelines for exhibition promotion.
• Oversee exhibition evaluation and documentation.
• Assist Museum Director and Development team in fundraising for exhibitions.

Project & Operational Management

• Create, adjust, and adhere to annual and individual exhibition budgets, with a focus on financial and environmental sustainability.
• Direct project management processes, including timelines, milestones, and quality assurance.
• Work with external consultants and temporary staff (guest curators, content developers, designers, fabricators, installers, etc.), as necessary, to ensure successful delivery of galleries and exhibitions.
• Ensure that exhibition design and interpretation is consistent with the Museum’s mission.
• Other duties as needed or required.

Supervision Received:

Reports to the Mark R. Epstein MIT Museum Director.

Supervision Exercised:

Supervises the Exhibitions team.

Qualifications & Skills:

REQUIRED:

Bachelor's degree in design or a related field, and 7 – 10 years of nationally and internationally recognized exhibition experience in museums, galleries or theatre.

Mastery of exhibition design, artistic display and visual presentation methods used in a museum, combined with a thorough knowledge of museum exhibition concepts, standards, applications, procedures, and terminology sufficient to work closely with professionals in the development of exhibits and special art projects, to ascertain requirements and assist in the development of installations

Proven exhibition design and installation experience, especially film, video, and multimedia exhibitions.

Proven track record managing complex projects, teams, budgets, and cross-department collaborations; Demonstrated experience in leading teams of specialist contributors to enable production of exhibits; Ability to communicate effectively and diplomatically with MIT faculty and staff; Ability to take intellectual ownership of a portfolio of exhibitions across a wide range of scientifically and technologically complex subjects; Ability to work in a multi-media environment that includes artifacts, hands-on and electronic interactives, graphics, and online elements

Must show a considerable degree of initiative and have excellent interpersonal and networking skills; Availability to work occasional evenings or weekends during the final phase of project installations; Willingness and ability to travel, nationally and internationally approximately 10% of the time.

PREFERRED:

Interest in working with undergraduate and graduate students on exhibitions-related projects

Experience managing large teams of employees and contractors on projects with >$1m budgets.

Experience with exhibitions connecting science/art/design and with a high degree of technical complexity

Candidate must have the ability to work in the United States.

Applicants must apply online through the MIT Human Resources website (http://jobs.mit.edu).