The Contemporary Jewish Museum (CJM) seeks an ambitious and inspiring Chief Curator who is drawn to the exciting work of building and implementing new and innovative exhibition strategies for a 25-year old institution that has just begun a new phase in its history. In June 2008, the CJM opened a new expanded cultural institution located in the heart of San Francisco's exciting Yerba Buena Center arts district. As a museum devoted to serving broad and diverse audiences, the CJM's goal is to create a dynamic environment in which to explore contemporary perspectives on Jewish culture, history, art, and ideas. A Jewish institution that seeks to engage the broader public, the CJM is looking for someone whose intellectual passions reach across boundaries; someone able to mine the richness of cultural specificity while going well beyond traditional patterns and expectations.

The CJM is a non-collecting institution. The Chief Curator will lead the efforts to organize exhibitions, collaborate with other institutions to mount exhibitions, work with guest curators on developing exhibitions, recommend and manage traveling exhibitions, and work with artists on commissions. The efforts of presenting the range of exhibitions will include managing substantial budgets, leading CJM-wide project teams, overseeing installation designs and acting as an advocate for the CJM. The successful candidate will also contribute texts and editorial supervision to a range of publications and didactic materials in conjunction with the exhibition program. S/he will work collaboratively with other departments of the Museum to maximize the outreach and impact of the Museum and its exhibitions; and to build mutually beneficial relationships between the CJM and the wider local, national and international cultural communities. The Chief Curator also will help lead in fund-raising efforts for the exhibition programs; partner with CJM departments on public-relations and outreach strategies related to exhibitions; and develop and maintain relationships with a broad group of collectors, donors, dealers, and scholars.

Reporting to the Director/CEO, the Chief Curator will supervise the curatorial and exhibitions staff, guest curators and consultants. S/he will work with the Director/CEO and curatorial team to finalize the annual exhibition schedule and then manage and implement the exhibition program. In addition, the Chief Curator will prepare and oversee budgets and fiscal management of all aspects of the exhibitions programs. S/he will also negotiate, prepare, and administer legal, national, and international exhibition contracts, consultant contracts, and agreements for traveling exhibitions.

The candidate must demonstrate strong leadership and team building skills; possess the ability to think strategically while showing the highest level of excellence and tact. The candidate should be entrepreneurial-minded, with energy and enthusiasm to reach ambitious growth goals while creatively applying skills and techniques to solve problems. In addition, s/he also must have the highest standards of integrity, must be outgoing, self-starting, well-organized, tactful, detailoriented, innovative and capable of working under pressure and meeting deadlines.

Qualifications for Chief Curator

• B.A or B.S. degree required; graduate degree preferred


• Minimum 5-7 years experience managing related museum functions in accordance with museum standards.


• Experience in leading the development and implementation of innovative and dynamic exhibitions.


• Experience in creating business and pro-forma budget plans.


• Demonstrated success with fundraising for exhibitions.


• Ability to think strategically and yet execute tactically, at the highest level of excellence


• Ability to prioritize, set and achieve goals, meet deadlines, work independently while showing initiative with a high degree of accuracy and excellence.


• Outstanding planning and organization skills, excellent writing skills and oral presentation skills


• Intellectual depth, moral integrity, creativity, and a sense of humor are vital; a talent for highly collaborative teamwork a must.


• Demonstrated success in leadership and collaboration with other museum professionals and in establishing and implementing policies and procedures to achieve objectives.


• Solid knowledge of museum best practices, particularly with respect to fine art or cultural heritage exhibitions.


• Computer skills in email, word processing, spreadsheets, etc.

Compensation
A competitive compensation and benefits package will be discussed in detail with qualified and seriously interested candidates.