Position: Director of Mount Prospect Historical Society
Status: Part-Time, 20 hours per week
Schedule: Day hours. TWTH. Ability to work additional hours if requested. Flexibility to work evenings and weekends as needed. Schedule subject to change to meet needs of Society.
Reports to: Board of Directors
Purpose: Director is passionate about museum work and demonstrates a strong appreciation of preservation and promotion of local history. This position serves as the liaison between public and Society Board; develops and manages the collections; develops and presents educational programs for the public and the schools; develops and creates exhibits for the public; recruits and manages interns; and works with the Society Board on developing policies, goals, fundraising strategies and special projects.
The job involves working closely with Board officers, directors and volunteers.
Requires professional knowledge of museum management, preservation, teamwork, leadership, and ability to work effectively with community leaders, groups, organizations and residents.
The position requires excellent computer skills, flexibility, writing, public speaking, communication and interpersonal skills.
Must work well in fast paced and fluid environment.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities:
- Annual and monthly reports
- Attend and assist at Society events and fundraisers
- Attend community events representing the Society
- Attend monthly board meeting
- Promote community engagement opportunities
- Develop and create public exhibits
- Develop and present educational programs for the public, community groups and schools
- Develop and present program at Society annual meeting
- Directs and manages collections
- Writes and designs newsletter
Duties and responsibilities
Collection
- Catalogs and processes acquisitions with assistance of volunteers
- Develop and implement promotion opportunities
- Develop and implement digital preservation of artifacts
- Ensures collection policies meet Society’s goals in relating to focus, content, and quality.
- Ensures proper storage of museum artifacts
- Recommends accessioning and de-accessioning of acquisitions
- Monitors and ensures proper environmental controls for the collection
Community and Programming
- Attends community events and meetings representing MPHS
- Develops and creates public exhibits
- Develops and presents educational programs for the public, community groups and schools
- Provides tours
- Represents Society in the community
- Researches and responds to queries for information
- Work collaboratively with other Mount Prospect organizations
- Works closely with Living History committee
Society Administration
- Attend and assist at fund raising events
- Attends and reports at monthly Board meetings
- Attends committee meetings when requested
- Attends continuing education, seminars, workshops and conferences when funds allow
- Attends Village board meetings when appropriate
- Attends workshops, seminars and conferences when funding allows
- Collects statistics and prepares reports when requested
- Designs graphics and written materials as needed
- Implements grants including monitoring expenditure of funds and proper documentation
- Monitors content website
- Posts social media
- Provides input into budget as prepared by executive board
- Researches information for the board when requested
- Researches and writes grant proposals
- Supervises and directs interns and volunteers
- Works with Board on fundraising plans for operations and special projects
- Write policies and procedures for Board approval as appropriate
- Writes and designs newsletter
ESSENTIAL ABILITIES, KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS
- Ability to organize, manage and prioritize work effectively
- Ability to take initiative
- Collaborative
- Diplomatic
- Enthusiastic and passionate about history
- Excellent interpersonal skills
- Excellent knowledge of professional practices, procedures, and techniques of museum management
- Excellent public speaking skills
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills
- Flexible and adaptable
- Professional demeanor
- Proficient MS Office
- Teamplayer
- Thorough knowledge of Mount Prospect history
Additional Abilities, Knowledge and Skills
- Ability to access, input and retrieve data from the computer
- Ability to act with diplomacy
- Ability to innovate
- Ability to delegate
- Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with Board, volunteers and residents
- Ability to establish standards for collection management
- Ability to exercise independent judgment
- Ability to listen effectively
- Ability to maintain confidences
- Ability to multi-task
- Ability to meet deadlines
- Ability to perform light to moderate work
- Ability to problem solve
- Ability to reach and stoop
- Ability to train individuals
- Ability to work independently
- Ability to work with volunteers effectively
- Ability to utilize diverse skill sets within groups of volunteers
- Creative
- Excellent computer skills
- Excellent time management skills
- Excellent written and verbal communication
- Knowledge of community needs and interests as they pertain to the Society
- Knowledge of current technology and application to museum operations
- Knowledge of grant resources for museums
- Knowledge of standard fundraising techniques and standards and the application to museums
- Knowledge of volunteer management
- Professional demeanor
- Proficient in Microsoft Office applications including: WORD, EXCEL, PUBLISHER, OUTLOOK and POWERPOINT
- Public Service oriented
- Self-directed
- Skill and knowledge of PastPerfect
- Skill and knowledge with Adobe and WordPress
Education and Training
Bachelor Degree in history, museum studies or related field. Specialized certificates a plus. Minimum two – five years of experience in field.