Assistant Director, Center for the Future of Museums

Description

Help the museum sector navigate the cultural, technological, and economic challenges facing
society and shape a better tomorrow by joining the staff of AAM’s Center for the Future of
Museums. Launched in 2008, CFM is a think tank and idea lab for fostering creativity, helping
museums transcend traditional boundaries to serve society in new ways and pioneer new horizons
of practice. We are looking for someone passionate about the ability of museums to create better
futures to help advance this work through collaborative projects, research and analysis, training,
and engagement with the museum community.

About the position: Under the direction of the Vice President for Strategic Foresight and
Founding Director, Center for the Future of Museums, the assistant director will be responsible
for the week-to-week operations of the Center and manage the logistics and budget for CFM
activities. The AD will have primary responsibility for developing the CFM newsletter and blog;
support research and production of CFM’s intellectual resources, products and services;
contribute to public content (written and presentations); generate ideas for new CFM
experiments; and help foster relationships with outside groups.

The AD position is a steppingstone for potential advancement as director of CFM. As such, the
AD will be expected to engage in continuing education as well as on the job training, supported
by AAM, to acquire any skills and knowledge related to foresight, or to the museum sector,
necessary to complementing their existing knowledge base and experience.

Requirements

Skills and qualifications: The successful candidate will demonstrate that they have:
• The ability to quickly find, assess and summarize relevant and authoritative information.
• An aptitude for writing clear, concise, engaging prose, and producing engaging media.
• Comfort with making presentations in front of groups.
• High degree of facility with web search tools, common word processing and data
management platforms, and ability to master new platforms and tools as needed.
• Ability to sequence and manage multiple tasks and resources.
• Ability to work well with colleagues, and to find and work with external partners suited to
help accomplish specific goals.
• Creativity—ability to generate ideas, projects, solutions.
• Entrepreneurship—the ability to take responsible risks and fail productively in order to
test ideas and improve pilot projects through iteration.

AAM is particularly interested in candidates who are enthusiastic about contributing to a
workplace environment that values diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion (DEAI) and can
complement our DEAI work by offering unique perspectives and understanding of issues
impacting groups that have been traditionally under-represented in the museum field.
How to apply: In order to encourage a broad pool of candidates with various backgrounds to
apply and to mitigate any potential implicit bias during our review of applications, we are
applying some principles of “blind hiring.” Please follow the directions below when submitting
your application materials.

• Submit a cover letter and resume to: hr@aam-us.org, using “Assistant Director,
CFM” in the subject line. Please do not include your name or address on either
document. Please include education but omit school names. Include your email
address as the only personal identifier on these documents.
• As part of your cover letter:
o Provide an example of your work that demonstrates your ability to find,
synthesize, and analyze information, and/or apply that analysis to
thinking about the future. (Attachments or links welcome.)
o As AAM works to embed DEAI practices into our Excellence programs, please
share how your lived experience connects to or enhances your ability to
contribute to AAM’s DEAI work.
o Explain why you are interested in this job.
• Limit your cover letter to no more than two pages.

Applications must be received by March 18, 2024. Submissions will be reviewed by our hiring
team and candidates who are selected for further screening will be contacted by email within
two weeks of this deadline. Due to the large number of applications AAM receives, we can only
contact those candidates selected for further screening.

Don’t meet every single requirement? Studies have shown that women and people of color
are less likely to apply for jobs unless they meet every single qualification. We do ask that you
have some familiarity of the arts and culture sector. AAM values a diverse and inclusive
workplace, so if you are excited about this role but your experience doesn’t align perfectly with
all of the qualifications, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate
for this or other opportunities.

About the Alliance: The American Alliance of Museums, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, is
a trusted leader, partner, and advocate for museums, representing art, history, and science
museums, as well as aquariums, zoos, and botanical gardens. With a budget of $10M and staff
of 40, the Alliance provides leadership, advocacy, and service to its membership and the
museum field. Headquartered in Arlington, VA, the Alliance is an equal opportunity employer
and values a diverse workplace. For more information, please visit www.aam-us.or