Deputy Director

Deputy Director – National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC), Smithsonian Institution

Washington, DC

About National Museum of African American History and Culture
The Smithsonian Institution (SI) is the world’s largest museum, education, and research complex, with 21 museums and the National Zoo. The Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) is the only national museum devoted exclusively to the documentation of African American life, history, and culture. NMAAHC was established by an Act of Congress in 2003, following decades of efforts to promote and highlight the contributions of African Americans.

Role Summary
Reporting to the Museum’s Director, Kevin Young, the Deputy Director will be responsible for assisting and collaborating in overall planning, development, and management of all the activities of the Museum, including leading the offices of Education and Publications. The Education department currently has a budget of $3.8 million, which is anticipated to trend closer to $4.5-5 million in fiscal year 2023.

Candidate Profile
The ideal candidate will possess the following professional and personal attributes, skills, and characteristics:

1. Advanced degree, or commensurate experience with a cultural organization preferred.
2. Familiarity or working knowledge of best practices in one or more of the areas of division responsibility (Education, Publications, Digital Experience, Archive and Library, Fine Art Curation, Collections Care, Conservation) a plus.

Passion for the Mission
The Deputy Director must be someone anchored in history with an understanding of how historic collections intersect with our contemporary world. This individual must be committed to partnering and collaborating with the Director, staff, donors, and others to advance the mission of the Museum.

Strategic Leadership and Management Acumen
Minimum five to seven years of management experience in an art museum, art-related organization, archive/library, or institution of higher learning. The Deputy Director will need to be skilled at building and leading high-performing, diverse teams.

Relationships and Ability to Influence
This individual will bring demonstrated experience with project management related to presentation and interpretation of objects and issues in a museum setting. The successful candidate must build rapport and cultivate relationships across all levels of the Museum.

Contact
The search committee is being assisted by Denielle Pemberton-Heard of the Diversified Search Group. To contact the committee, please send an email with any supporting materials to smilbauer@koyapartners.com

The Smithsonian is an equal opportunity employer and strongly encourages individuals of all backgrounds, cultures, and nationalities to consider this leadership position.