Executive Director, Jewish Museum of Maryland
15 Lloyd St, Baltimore, MD 21202, USA
Req #319
Monday, June 8, 2020
The Opportunity
The Jewish Museum of Maryland (JMM) seeks an Executive Director (ED) to build upon the Museum’s strong history and guide it as it adapts to a changing landscape. The next Executive Director of the JMM will spearhead opportunities to further leverage the Museum’s physical and online presence, to take its innovative programming to a new level, to engage more diverse segments of the community and participate in advancing social justice in our society.
About the Jewish Museum of Maryland
For more than 40 years, the JMM has sought to fulfill its mission to connect people to Jewish experiences and the Maryland Jewish community to its roots. Through unique collections, artifacts, exhibits, and programs, the Museum is one of America’s leading museums of regional Jewish history, culture and community.
Located in downtown Baltimore just blocks from the Inner Harbor, the JMM explores and celebrates Jewish history, culture, and experiences in Maryland and beyond. The Museum was founded in 1960, initially to restore the historic Lloyd Street Synagogue and has become a cultural center for the Jewish community and for the downtown neighborhood of Jonestown. It includes three galleries that host exhibits of local and national interest. It is the only museum in America with two historic synagogues, preserved and interpreted for the public. More recently the JMM has expanded its on-line presence providing extensive digital content.
The Museum has an experienced and professional staff of more than a dozen full-time and part-time employees that serve the organization with distinction. The Museum operates on an annual budget of just over $1.8 million and is proud to be part of the network of agencies of The Associated: Jewish Federation of Baltimore (Associated), along with more than 25 other agencies. As such, the Museum closely collaborates with the Associated and is the beneficiary of significant federation resources, while still maintaining its independent status.
Position Overview
The JMM is seeking an Executive Director (ED) who will be a strategic thinker, who will oversee the Museum’s operations, and will be the primary driver of its mission. The recent pandemic has brought new and unexpected challenges for the JMM. The ED will need to ensure the short- and long-term health of the JMM, scanning the continually changing landscape, and positioning the Museum to adapt and thrive. The ED will recognize strengths and opportunities, demonstrate an ability to shift resources as needed, and think innovatively in executing revised strategies.
The ED will oversee all fundraising and be responsible for securing the necessary resources for the Museum’s exhibits, programs, and endowments. In the long term, the ED will spearhead the Museum’s Evolution Plan, a major capital expansion and concurrent campaign. This initiative is an investment in the Museum’s future and will expand its ability to deliver exhibits, education, and community programming, while serving as an anchor cultural institution in downtown Baltimore.
The ED will oversee the Museum’s campus and serve as the principal spokesperson for the institution. The ED must have the experience and skills to develop and leverage a range of relationships locally and nationally, while continuing to nurture the Museum’s strong existing partnerships within the community. Vital to this role is ensuring the continued evolution of the Museum as a force for change in Baltimore City while elevating the institution as a premier museum and downtown hub for Jewish life.
Key Areas of Responsibility
Leadership:
● Provide strategic leadership
● Collaborate with the Board of Directors to define the organization’s short and long-term goals
● Work with the Board and the Development Director to execute all fundraising for the Museum
● Work with the Board and the Development Director to execute all fundraising for the Museum
● Foster a culture of excellence, openness, positivity and teamwork among staff, volunteers, and the Board so that each may be informed and enhance the other’s work
● Articulate the value of diversity and continue to cultivate an environment of respect as a core Museum value
Partnerships:
● Nurture relationships, steward current donors and forge new partnerships that will build on the Museum’s visibility, and secure funding and stability for operations and programs
● Work closely with The Associated to develop the Museum’s development strategy and coordinate fundraising efforts
● Work closely with the Board to fulfill its governance function and energize the Board to ensure it continues to attract, retain and motivate members to be engaged and fulfill their responsibilities
● Model, support and encourage relationship building with community partners on projects and efforts that aim to advance the Museum's commitment to the community
Financial & Personnel Management:
● Develop, implement, and monitor an annual operating plan and budget for the organization
● Ensure effective financial reporting to the Board
● Work with members of the Museum’s management team to evaluate the day-to-day operational effectiveness of the organization
● Ensure a positive working environment, strong staff morale, and a culture of teamwork and mutual support among all staff
● Implement ongoing professional development to ensure a highly functioning team
Programs:
● Ensure that both on-site and online programs, exhibits, and events provide a meaningful visitor experience for existing and new, diverse audiences
● Maintain best practices for evaluating the effectiveness of programs and projects and ensuring processes and systems are in place for developing and implementing those assessments
Qualifications & Experience
● Five to eight years of experience working in a museum or related field preferred, including supervisory experience
● Experience and demonstrated success in nonprofit management and fundraising, including identifying and securing public and private grants
● Demonstrated ability to be principal spokesperson with external stakeholders
● Strong knowledge of and commitment to Jewish culture, values, traditions and celebrations
● An established record of successful coalition-building with community stakeholders
● Evidence of success in developing and managing an annual operating budget
● Experience working effectively with a Board to carry out the mission of an organization and develop strategic direction
● Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree preferred
Desired Competencies & Skills
● Passion for the mission
● Outstanding skills in building, cultivating and stewarding relationships
● Able to connect with people, build coalitions, maintain a positive attitude and enjoy working with a diverse and wide range of stakeholders
● Flexible thinker, nimble with innovative approaches to solving problems and overcoming challenges
● Ability to leverage digital operating systems
● Superior written, spoken, and organizational skills
● Skilled in the tools of 21st Century communication
Compensation & Benefits
The Jewish Museum of Maryland offers a competitive package, including health insurance, 401k employer match, employer-paid life insurance and long-term disability, flexible spending plan, and a complimentary membership to the Jewish Community Center. We make work/life balance a priority offering generous paid holidays, vacation/sick time and parental leave.
Application Process
Electronic submissions are preferred. Please submit cover letters to resume@associated.org in addition to your online application.
This job ad is not intended to be all-inclusive, but to describe the general nature and level of work to be performed.
The Associated: Jewish Community Federation of Baltimore and its Agencies are equal opportunity employers, dedicated to a policy of non-discrimination in employment on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, marital status, citizenship, veteran's status, physical or mental disability that does not prohibit the performance of essential job functions (with or without reasonable accommodation) or any other basis protected by federal, or applicable, state or local law.
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- 15 Lloyd St, Baltimore, MD 21202, USA