Job Openings
The Taft Museum of Art is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes qualified applicants.
Title: Director/CEO, Taft Museum of Art
Supervisor: Board of Directors
Status: Full time, exempt
Summary of Position: The director is the Chief Executive Officer of the Museum. The director reports to the Taft Board of Directors. The director is the public face of the Museum as well as its chief administrator, responsible for overseeing all operations of the Taft Museum of Art. While the Taft Museum of Art is not a collecting institution, this position will be responsible for the intellectual and programming direction of the institution. He/she will also be its chief fundraiser, determining what projects/activities require substantial additional funding, and developing the strategy to secure those funds. In addition, the director will oversee and be an integral part of all marketing and public relations activities and is responsible for protecting and advancing the Museum’s reputation and standing in the community. He/she must become a trusted and well-known member of the community—someone who will work with community, business, and political leaders, as well as the community at large. In addition, this person will provide the vision for the Museum, crafting a strategic direction for its exhibition and its educational programs, continuing the Taft’s reputation as one of the nation’s finest small museums.
Major Areas of Responsibilities:
Administration and Operations
Fundraising
Curatorial Affairs and Permanent Collections
Education and Interpretation
Community
Qualifications and Experience: The new director must have an infectious enthusiasm for the history and art that is the Taft Museum of Art. He/she has the ability to convey excitement and appreciation for this historic cultural institution to all segments of the public, from art historians to those with little or no education.
The successful candidate must have a genuine understanding of and appreciation for the Museum’s mission and history and the strengths of its reputation and its current educational programs. He/she must have the ability to secure appropriate temporary exhibitions as well as the ability to nurture an outstanding staff and build and enhance the programs that are the hallmarks of the Taft. He/she must be committed to excellence and to maintaining the Taft’s preeminent position among its peer institutions.
The new director must be a seasoned and gifted leader and manager, someone with a proven record of successful and creative management. This person is highly collegial, eager to develop strong working relationships and cooperative efforts with colleagues at other Cincinnati institutions. He/she also should possess exceptional marketing and branding skills to help build the reputation of the Museum locally and nationally.
Personal characteristics: The successful candidate is a dynamic and outgoing leader; an exceptional manager and nurturer of top-notch staff; a passionate and visionary leader who understands and values the synergies that exist in the Museum’s history, buildings, library, garden, and permanent collection; an articulate, persuasive leader committed to continuing and enhancing the Taft’s standing in the community and as a national historic cultural and educational asset; a personable extrovert and relationship builder who creates and takes advantage of all opportunities to advance the Museum’s reputation and call attention to its value in the local and national communities; a consensus builder among peer institutions; a creative leader with the ability to develop exciting programming appropriate to the institution and to leverage that programming to advance the Taft’s reputation locally and nationally as an historic and cultural asset.
Compensation is competitive with similar institutions on a national scale. Nominations and/or applications, accompanied by a letter of interest, and current curriculum vitae or resume, should be submitted to:
Christine Miller
Taft Museum of Art
316 Pike Street
Cincinnati, OH 45202
email: cmiller@taftmuseum.org
The Taft Museum of Art is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer.
Grant Writing Internship—Unpaid
The Taft Museum of Art seeks a reliable, positive, and personable intern, who is available for 8 to 16 regularly scheduled hours per week, to assist the Manager of Development with fundraising functions.
The intern’s primary responsibility will be writing grants for submission to foundation and corporate donors, who have already been identified and who do not already have existing donor relationships with the Museum. This project is expected to generate new sources of contributed income for the Taft and will provide the successful candidate excellent grant writing experience with measurable outcomes to present to future employers.
Career aspirations in non-profit fundraising and/or arts or museum management are strongly preferred. Additional responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following:
• Writing acknowledgment letters
• Administrative tasks, including occasional filing
The successful candidate will gain experience with the following:
This is an excellent opportunity for an arts administration or non-profit management student to gain experience working in one of the nation’s most respected art museums. College credit may be available.
Please send resume and cover letter to nmathis@taftmuseum.org. Include availability in cover letter.
Marketing & Communications Intern—Unpaid
The Taft Museum of Art seeks an enthusiastic, smart, and dependable communications intern, able to work 15+ hours per week. The ideal candidate will be a fast learner and be able to multi-task. Candidate must work efficiently in a team environment, meet deadlines while juggling multiple priorities, be thorough and detail oriented, have strong interpersonal, written and verbal skills.
The intern will work in the Development and Marketing office, reporting to the Marketing & Communications Manager, and work closely with the designer, and those in development and membership.
