Exhibits Manager

POSITION TITLE

Exhibits Manager

REPORTS TO

Chief Collections + Exhibitions Officer

DEPARTMENT

Exhibits

SUPERVISES

5 team members

UPDATED

May 2024

SALARY

$83,012.80 - $88,528.80

Position Summary

The Exhibits Manager oversees MoPOP’s Exhibits team (Exhibit Fabricators) and is responsible for managing, planning, and staging the sourcing, fabrication, installation, upkeep, travel, and deinstallation of exhibits. Acting in collaboration with Curatorial, Collections, Exhibit Design, Project Management, Museum Technology, A/V Operations, and Facilities teams, this position provides primary exhibits management, project management, onsite management, logistical coordination, and calendar and budget management for the implementation of exhibits.   

Work Schedule: On-site, Monday-Friday, 9 to 5 PM. This role requires flexibility to accommodate installations and some travel may be required to support traveling exhibitions.

Department Structure:

The Exhibits Manager position sits within the Curatorial, Collections, and Exhibits department. Curatorial includes all aspects of content development, exhibition graphic and 3D design, interactive development, and video production. Collections manages MoPOP’s permanent collection and objects loaned for exhibition, and includes collections care, registration, artifact mount making, preparation, and object installation/deinstallation. Exhibits leads exhibition fabrication and exhibit installation and deinstallation. Curatorial, Collections, and Exhibits work in tight collaboration together and interdepartmentally on exhibition development and other content opportunities at MoPOP.

Essential Job Duties (other duties as assigned)

• Directly supervise a core fabrication team, fostering an environment for team and individual achievement; as needed, provide oversight for broader group of individuals involved in exhibits. 
• Working with the Curatorial, Collections, Museum Technology, A/V Operations, Finance and Facilities teams, facilitate exhibits build process and final execution of exhibits.
• Provide interdepartmental support and communication regarding exhibit development.
• Create and chart Exhibits budgets, working with Chief Collections + Exhibitions Officer.
• Collaborate on exhibit development calendar and timelines with the Exhibitions Project Manager.
• Serve as Exhibits creation project manager in the areas of fabrication and installation.
• Review fabrication needs for projects, including submitting and securing approvals on technical details for fabrication. Manage all these activities within the project schedule.
• Create documentation for all fabrication decisions, circulating materials to all members of the team in a timely manner.
• Working with the Senior Fabricator, develop drawing sets for fabrication of exhibit elements.
• Document existing casework and exhibit components to ensure long-term maintenance and replacement.
• Work with internal and contract designers to ensure efficient construction of all casework and exhibit components.
• The exhibit responsibilities described above also apply to design, build, and travel planning of exhibits for any traveling exhibits.
• Work directly in the shop and galleries with the Exhibits Team to fabricate, install and de-install exhibits, as needed.
• Facilitate other design and build projects at MoPOP. 
• Responsible for conducting regular shop safety checks and provide ongoing safety/wellness needs of the team in collaboration with the People + Culture team.
• Responsible for procurement and ordering of supplies and materials for the Exhibits Department.
• Hire, contract, and manage the activities of subcontractors for work on site.
• Source, vet, and hire vendors for outsourced fabrication as needed.

MoPOP Community

• Support our internal culture which inspires and empowers our staff to live our mission to its highest standards.
• Contribute to a consistent customer service standard across all departments.
• Work to ensure customer service is ingrained at the core of the team and is reflected outward to our guests and other staff.
• Commitment to participating in anti-racism work, learning about the ways institutional racism impacts the workplace, and supporting teammates in operationalizing DEIA strategies in the department.

Preferred/Desired Qualifications:

• 5+ years of professional experience in exhibit development, project management and execution, including demonstrated experience in staff supervision and department management. 
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively in a collaborative team environment with a dynamic range of people. 
• Experience with budget development and oversight.
• Onsite management and assistance with fabrication and installation processes.
• Previous success managing details of purchasing.
• Computer skills, including MS Office Suite, Sketchup, and/or AutoCAD.
• Excellent communication skills required.
• Proven ability to provide effective customer service for internal and external client groups. 
• Must be detail-oriented, with strong organizational skills to manage a continuous workflow in a high volume, multi-tasking environment. 
• Knowledge of preventive conservation practices and art/artifact handling.

Benefits

This regular full-time position includes Medical/Vision insurance, Dental insurance, Life/AD&D/LTD insurance, 3.08 hours of accrued Vacation per bi-weekly pay period, Seattle Sick/Safe, 2-7 Floating Holidays dependent on hire date, 8 Company Holidays paid throughout the year, EAP, 401k plan with vested match schedule once eligible, and subsidized transportation benefits for Orca Pass or parking.

Why MoPOP

We’re really glad you’re thinking about joining the team at MoPOP! We believe pop culture is a universal language capable of building connections across a range of people, no matter our differences in race, religion, gender, age, sexual orientation, ability, education, socio-economic status, ethnicity, country of origin, or any other characteristic that makes us who we are. For more than twenty years, we have been showcasing how music, film, fashion, video games, sports, and more spark those connections and create a lasting cultural impact.

MoPOP provides both a physical space and an emotional and intellectual opportunity for people from any background to explore, find and build community, and recognize their own creative potential. This applies not only to our guests, but also to our staff — be it in designing an educational program to engage the next generation of creators, trying to reach a new audience with a marketing initiative, preserving an artifact in our collection, or providing excellent customer service to a visitor. If this sounds like something you’d be into, we’d love to hear from you!

MoPOP’s Mission and Commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility 

Our mission is to make creative expression a life-changing force by offering experiences that inspire and connect our communities. A nonprofit grounded in five core values — open arms, creative exchanges, light bulb moments, pursuing excellence, and excitement — MoPOP is actively committed to ongoing learning in the areas of diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA). In partnership with our community, we hope to also develop safe spaces for their application. This includes taking steps to continue increasing our awareness of institutional “-isms,” as well as uncovering and undoing the ways they show up in museum culture. We recognize this is a process that requires intentionality, energy, and resources, and we are developing a DEIA framework that can cultivate a work environment and museum experience that is truly welcoming for all.

We are committed to creating an inclusive and equitable workplace, and we are proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We believe that having staff, interns, and volunteers with diverse backgrounds enables us to better meet our mission and encourage BIPOC, women, and LGBTQIA+ individuals to apply. We acknowledge that our work to build safe spaces and better systems for traditionally marginalized groups is ongoing and will require constant vigilance and expect all MoPOP employees to be part of our DEIA journey.

Please email jobs@MoPOP.org if you need reasonable accommodations during the application or hiring process.

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