- Museums Alaska: The Statewide Museums Association : Jobs

CURRENT JOB LISTINGS:

• Director of Libraries, Archives and Museums / Alaska State Librarian (posted 8/18/08)

• Executive Director, Ahtna Heritage Foundation (posted 8/17/08)

• Museum Administrative Assistant, Juneau-Douglas City Museum (posted 8/16/08)

• Development Director, Pratt Museum, Homer, Alaska (posted 8/5/08)

• Curator of Collections, Pratt Museum, Homer, Alaska (posted 8/5/08)

• Director, University of Alaska Museum of the North (posted 5/08)

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Director of Libraries, Archives and Museums / Alaska State Librarian

The Alaska Department of Education and Early Development is seeking a creative administrator with a positive vision of future library, archives, and museum services, and the energy, enthusiasm and leadership ability to work in concert with the State’s libraries, museums, archives, and related cultural and education organizations to meet Alaska’s needs in the 21st century.

This job is open to all applicants, not just Alaska residents, and closes on September 18. Full job description available on the Workplace Alaska web site.

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Executive Director, Ahtna Heritage Foundation

Ahtna Heritage Foundation is seeking an Executive Director to provide leadership in developing and carrying out programs, plans, policies authorized by the Board. 2-4 years successful non-profit management & fundraising required. Experience in cultural preservation/education strongly preferred. FT position in Glennallen, AK. Call (907)822-5778 or email ahtnaheritage1@cvinternet.net for information. Open until filled.

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Museum Administrative Assistant, Juneau-Douglas City Museum

View job description in .pdf format or see www.juneau.org job listings for more information.

 

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Development Director, Pratt Museum, Homer, Alaska

JOB TITLE: Development Director

REPORTS TO: Museum Director

SUPERVISES: Development Volunteers

GENERAL FUNCTION: The Development Director works with the Museum Director and Capital Campaign Director to develop and meet operational, endowment, and capital campaign fundraising goals. This position strategically plans and coordinates development activities of the Museum with special emphasis on cultivating new, diverse funding sources. The Development Director works with the Board of Directors, program staff, and volunteers to raise funds through a variety of sources including donors, grants, earned income, and events.

MAJOR ACTIVITIES:

  1. Develop and administer comprehensive program including but not limited to annual giving; planned giving; membership; endowment; underwriting; solicitation of capital gifts; and government, corporate, and foundation support.
  2. Identify and cultivate prospective funding sources; write grant proposals and reports.
  3. Carry out ongoing cultivation of donors through prospect research, personal contacts, and solicitations.
  4. Develop and manage individual and business membership programs.
  5. Supervise the event coordinator for the annual RITZ fundraising auction event; coordinate other events with staff.
  6. Serve with the Director on the Development Committee of the Board of Directors; develop annual fundraising goals for Board members, and work with Board and other volunteers in meeting fundraising goals.
  7. Increase awareness of the Museum by planning and coordinating museum marketing and outreach efforts; maintain positive relationships with relevant chambers of commerce, tourism associations, and other entities.
  8. Develop and administer departmental annual plan and budget.
  9. Work with other staff as a team in fulfilling the mission of the Museum.
  10. Other development duties as needed.

REQUIREMENTS:

Education: Bachelors degree in a business or museum-related field; fundraising and grantsmanship training highly desirable

Work Experience: Two years of experience in fundraising on a scale consistent with the needs of the Museum. Experience in a museum is desirable.

Skills/Abilities: Ability to organize, implement and supervise an effective fundraising campaign; strong written and oral communication skills, especially funding requests and grant proposals; knowledge of
corporate and foundation funding sources; ability to recruit, train, and motivate volunteers in fundraising activities; strong computer skills required.

Ability to multi-task effectively to meet deadlines and creatively address challenges in a positive manner.

TO APPLY:

Send cover letter, resume, names and contact information of three references, and a writing sample to Heather Beggs, Museum Director, Pratt Museum, 3779 Bartlett Street, Homer, AK 99603. Position open until filled.

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Curator of Collections, Pratt Museum, Homer, Alaska

The Pratt Museum in Homer, Alaska, is a vibrant museum of art, science and culture with strong community and national partnerships. IMLS recognized the Pratt's devotion to community engagement with the 2005 National Award for Museum Service.

The Pratt Museum seeks an experienced and energetic curator who excels in a highly creative, collaborative, multi-disciplinary environment. The applicant must have at least three years of experience as a curator and preferably an advanced degree in biology, environmental science, or museum studies.

Submit cover letter, resume and three references by August 31, 2008 to Museum Director, Pratt Museum, 3779 Bartlett St., Homer, AK 99603 or to . Position begins November 10, 2008. Full-time with benefits. Salary DOE.

The Curator of Collections administers the Collections Department, with responsibility to manage all aspects of collections management and care, collections-based information services, research and publications, project grantwriting, and actively contributes to program and exhibit development.

Areas of institutional emphasis are natural science and cultural collections in anthropology, history, contemporary art, earth sciences and biology of the Kachemak Bay region. The museum's research collections include approximately 30,000 objects plus library, media collection and archives.

The Curator of Collections will play a vital team role in planning and development of a museum expansion, renovation of permanent exhibits, and expansion of outdoor exhibits. Priorities will include designing new collections storage space, upgrading the ARGUS collections database system, and increasing public access through new media.

Homer, situated on Kachemak Bay in southcentral Alaska, is an unusual juxtaposition of culture and wilderness. Learn more about the Pratt Museum at www.prattmuseum.org and the Homer community at www.homeralaska.org .

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DIRECTOR, UNIVERSITY OF ALASKA MUSEUM OF THE NORTH

The University of Alaska Fairbanks is searching for a Director of the University of Alaska Museum of the North. The Museum, an AAM-accredited museum of natural and cultural history, is a center for the collection and preservation of objects from and related to Alaska and for research and education pertaining to the North. The Museum is the largest natural history museum in Alaska, and it is unique in maintaining research collections in: Life Sciences (botany, entomology, ichthyology, mammalogy, and ornithology), Earth Sciences (geology and paleontology), Anthropology (archeology and ethnology), Fine Arts, History, and the Alaska Center for Documentary Film. There are over 2 million objects and specimens in the Museum, including collections from the circumpolar north and Pacific rim. The Museum also serves as the official state repository for scientific specimens collected on State, Native, and Federal lands.

The Museum's collections provide key information critical to questions of past and present biodiversity and include key indicators of local and global environmental and cultural change and sustainability. Through its collections-based research, teaching, and public learning programs, the museum shares its collections and knowledge with local, national, and international audiences of all ages and backgrounds. The Museum staff and collections comprise an integral part of instruction at the University. The collections support undergraduate and graduate courses and provide material for undergraduate projects, graduate theses, and professional research projects in many disciplines and for interdisciplinary studies. Objects in the collections are also used for traveling and in-house exhibitions. The permanent exhibit galleries and the changing exhibits are viewed by over 100,000 visitors annually. The Museum Store is a popular component of the Museum with visitors and the community. Museum public programs include the docent and volunteer programs and special lectures and events. The Museum enjoys widespread support from the community.

The Museum holds a prominently visible location on the West Ridge of the University of Alaska Fairbanks campus and has a spectacular view of the Tanana Valley and the Alaska Range. The award-winning recently expanded Museum is a distinct, modern, climate-controlled, high-security building totaling 84,611 sq. ft. on three levels. The Museum employs 37 permanent staff and 60-70 student assistants. In addition, there are 64 Museum Associates or Affiliates (40 Ph.D. and 24 M.A.), 20 docents and several volunteers. The Museum receives approximately $1.4 million from the State Legislature for its annual operating budget, which represents ~22% of its annual operating budget. About 52% of the annual operating budget comes from gifts, grants, and contracts. The Museum’s popularity as a tourist attraction is reflected in its ability to generate annually earned revenues of approximately $1.4 million from the Museum Store and admissions.

The University of Alaska Fairbanks is a Land, Sea, and Space Grant Institution with the main campus in Fairbanks and branch campuses in five rural locations, with six additional community centers throughout much of the state. UAF offers a full complement of undergraduate courses and degrees as well as 51 Master's and 16 Ph.D. programs. UAF is the state’s major research center and the only Ph.D.-granting institution in Alaska. The Director is hierarchically equivalent to deans and directors in other units and reports directly to the Provost.

Fairbanks is located in Alaska’s Interior, with ready access to incredible outdoor opportunities. Being the second largest population center in the State, it has important cultural, artistic, and recreational opportunities not often available in a community of its size. Fairbanks’ geographic location provides its citizens with opportunities to participate in many international ventures.

RESPONSIBILITIES

The Director of the University of Alaska Museum of the North will be responsible for its leadership and will have primary responsibility and authority for organizing, managing, and facilitating multidisciplinary research; fundraising; budget planning and management; and personnel and public relations. The Director is spokesperson and advocate for the Museum within and outside the University, is hierarchically equivalent to deans and directors of other units within the University, and reports directly to the Provost.

QUALIFICATIONS

Minimum qualifications are an advanced degree in a discipline appropriate to the Museum and for tenure in a UAF academic department; a substantial record of accomplishment in research, publication, and instruction in a field of natural and/or cultural history; experience in progressively responsible museum administration; and a track record of excellent management skills with evidence of effective leadership.

View printable job description in .pdf format here.

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