Are YOU Our Next Executive Director?
The Riverside Art Museum (RAM) is engaged in a nation-wide search for a dynamic, experienced, and visionary leader who will take us to the next level.
Core Mission:
To promote an appreciation of the arts by presenting quality exhibitions and community art education programs for the cultural enrichment of the region.
Organization Profile:
Housed in a National Historic 1929 building designed by Hearst Castle architect Julia Morgan, the Riverside Art Museum is a 50+ year-old, private, not-for-profit, cultural arts museum that welcomes nearly 50,000 visitors a year. The museum’s Spanish Revival two-story building has: six exhibition spaces, a printmaking center, a classroom and adjoining youth gallery, a permanent collection of 900 objects, an art library, a conference room, administrative offices, a museum store, an operational full kitchen for catering and a rooftop courtyard that is used for special-event rentals, as well as a summer Rooftop Club (an outdoor nightclub).
The museum has an operating budget of $800,000 and is governed by a volunteer 25-member Board of Trustees supported by a staff of eight. Operational and programming funds are raised privately through individual and corporate memberships, donations, grants, and community fundraisers. The Art Alliance, a volunteer support group, also contributes through significant fundraising activities.
The museum operates from a five-year, renewing strategic plan that envisions a phased building restoration and expansion. The museum serves a fast growing and demographically diverse region of over 3.5 million people that includes the City of Riverside’s population of 355,000.
The Riverside Art Museum’s objective is to exhibit, educate, collect, and provide scholarship in the visual arts. RAM is the largest visual arts museum serving the Inland Empire region of Southern California. Its year-round exhibit schedule offers a wide and diverse range of art with an emphasis on American, Californian, and prominent Inland Empire artists. Additionally, RAM provides educational programs for all ages, with a special focus on youth. The art museum is a distinguished yet accessible and welcoming institution that serves as a cultural, collaborative, and educational focal point for the community.
Reporting Relationships:
The Executive Director (ED) serves at the will of the Board of Trustees and reports to the President of the Board. Reporting to the Executive Director is a Chief Financial officer, a Director of Development, a Director of Educational Programs, an Exhibition and Permanent Collections Liaison, a Communications Manager, and part-time managers of Facility Rentals and Custodial/Facility Maintenance.
Position Summary:
The Executive Director will work closely with the President, the Vice President, and the Board of Trustees to ensure that the strategic direction set by the Board is implemented and the vision and mission is accomplished. The ED will manage the museum’s operations, maintain financial controls, supervise the administrative departments, and provide governance of all curatorial, external relations, and development, as well as educational and facility maintenance, rentals, and the marketing staff. It is imperative that the ED develop a comprehensive knowledge of the museum’s history, culture, and the historical heritage of its building.
Additionally, the Executive Director will be expected to:
- provide artistic oversight, strategic leadership, and management expertise;
- define the scope and direction of exhibition programming, set interpretive goals, and articulate objectives for educational and outreach initiatives;
- implement and track the strategic plan;
- tightly administer all financial aspects of the museum to include budgeting, accounting, financial reporting, treasury, and banking;
- drive development/fundraising operations to secure the resources needed to support ongoing operations and new initiatives;
- manage, motivate, inspire, and evaluate staff;
- serve as the primary spokesperson for RAM; and
- develop compelling ways to promote the museum’s activities and respond to and increase membership.
Qualification Requirements:
The ideal candidate will have demonstrated an ability to be the leader and advocate for the museum, as well as arts and culture in the city and region. The new Executive Director will display a strong sense of the improving and expanding the capacity and opportunities at RAM.
Critical requirements include:
- success at building an established non-profit institution into a leader in its region;
- demonstrated management and leadership responsibility in a museum or associated institution;
- proven success managing people, resources, and organizational operations with an ability to attract, motivate, mentor, and retain efficient staff;
- an ability to forge effective relationships with members of the Board of Trustees, cultural leaders, city officials, and people at all levels;
- a proven track record as a team builder who can delegate and empower others;
- a demonstrated capability for raising funds by identifying, cultivating, and soliciting major donors and other sources of revenue;
- competence, ease, and experience handling multiple revenue streams and budgets;
- success and creativity in fostering earned-income opportunities;
- experience in monitoring and strengthening financial controls and effective budgeting procedures;
- a demonstrated knowledge of planning and strategic operations;
- an ability to move from planning to active implementation of a strategic plan;
- the interest and ability to engage and focus a volunteer Board of Trustees in planning, clarifying goals, and implementing plans;
- experience creating successful exhibitions and programming that further establish RAM’s reputation for quality programming; and
- a commitment to arts education and an enthusiasm for cultivating converts to the fine arts.
How to Apply:
Individuals interested in being considered for the position of Executive Director must email to Sperry MacNaughton of MacNaughton Associates (sperrym@pacbell.net), the following items:
- a cover letter summarizing your interest and qualifications for the ED position;
- a current resume;
- the names, addresses, telephone numbers, and email addresses of five (5) professional references; and
- your salary history for the last three years (2009/2010/2011).
While an email submittal of your application is preferred, you may mail the above items to:
Sperry MacNaughton, President of MacNaughton Associates
1155 Via Vallarta
Riverside, CA 92506
Application deadline is January 31, 2012.
Good luck and thank you for your interest!
