MoSH, Executive Director

Located in Memphis, Tennessee, the Memphis Museums of Science & History (MoSH) is a well-established, AAM-accredited institution that seeks to create a community of people who share a richer understanding of one another and the world around them. MoSH is a complex of five engaging properties, the Pink Palace Museum, the Lichterman Nature Center, the Coon Creek Science Center, the Mallory-Neely House, and the Magevney historical home. Through these sites, MoSH inspires discovery through collecting, preserving, and interpreting the cultural histories and natural sciences that shape the region.

 

The Pink Palace Museum originated as the unfinished dream home of Clarence Saunders, the founder of the Piggly Wiggly grocery chain. The City of Memphis acquired the pink marble estate in the late 1920s and opened it as a public museum in March 1930. The Pink Palace Museum transitioned to an independent nonprofit in 2021. Within the walls of the Pink Palace, a 130-seat Planetarium hosts live and recorded multisensory musical experiences, using the latest planetarium technology to project star fields, visual images and patterns on a domed ceiling. The Giant Screen Theater, one of only three in the world with a moveable screen, allowing its use for lectures and other large-scale presentations, is programmed year-round by MoSH and community partners. 

                 

A natural oasis in the heart of metropolitan Memphis, the Lichterman Nature Center brings nature to life with exciting exhibits, native wildflowers, and a tradition of excellence in environmental education. Additionally, the Coon Creek Science Center, a 240-acre field site located two hours south of the University of Tennessee-Martin campus, is one of the most important fossil sites in the U.S, featuring a 70-plus million-year-old exposed seafloor deposit that’s home to almost 700 preserved marine species.

 

The Mallory-Neely House, a 25-room mansion built in 1852, sits in the heart of the Victorian Village neighborhood of Memphis. This stately home features hand-painted murals, stained-glass windows purchased at the 1893 Chicago World's Fair and is one of the only historic properties in Memphis that still contains most of its original furnishings. The house was gifted to the city of Memphis in 1985 and is operated as a historic house museum by MoSH.

 

The Magevney House was built in the 1830s by Eugene Magevney as a clapboard cottage. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Opportunity

 

The Board of Trustees seeks an Executive Director who will provide visionary leadership and overall management of the MoSH properties, ensuring excellence in exhibitions, collections stewardship, education, public engagement, and financial sustainability. The Executive Director will serve as the chief executive and primary ambassador of MoSH, advancing its mission, strategic goals, and community impact. For MoSH to achieve its strategic goals, the Executive Director must be able to work closely with external partners to find funding for future programs and exhibits through both the cultivation of potential new donors and engagement in various grant programs. The Executive Director will provide administration and management of all facilities that comprise MoSH: the Pink Palace Museum, Lichterman Nature Center, the Coon Creek Science Center, and the Mallory-Neely and Magevney historical homes. The successful candidate will be a strategic thinker and have museum acumen that produces results through informed decision making and knowledge gained through experience.

 

The Executive Director will lead the team as they embark on an exciting phase to execute a new vision reflecting the region’s history and culture. The Museum is committed to authenticity, illuminating a variety of perspectives and upholding accurate interpretation; magnifying belonging by building active audiences through outreach, co-creation, and participatory inclusion; embodying holistic stories by incorporating context, and presenting lesser-known stories to portray a complete picture of the region and its history.  MoSH seeks to construct intersection by creating welcoming common spaces that encourage serendipitous and unstructured engagement and fostering meaningful interactions between diverse groups of people.

 

Key Responsibilities of the Executive Director

 

Leadership Strategy:

• Provide strategic vision and leadership aligned with the Museum’s mission and long-term goals.
• Develop and implement strategic plans in collaboration with the Board of Trustees.
• Ensure that Museum exhibitions, acquisitions, educational programming, and outreach are designed with relevance and excellence.
• Foster a culture of professionalism and creativity.

 

Operations & Administration:

• Oversee day-to-day operations, policies, and procedures.
• Ensure compliance with professional and ethical standards.
• Supervise senior and support staff and their development and performance.
• Enjoy managing people and creating an effective team; have the ability to coach, mentor, and guide performance toward goals.
• Manage multiple properties, security, and risk management.

 

Collections & Exhibitions:

• Ensure proper stewardship, conservation, documentation, and interpretation of collections.
• Oversee exhibition planning, curatorial programs, and scholarly research.
• Support acquisitions, loans, and deaccessioning in accordance with best practices.

 

Financial Management:

• Develop and manage a complex annual budget and long-term financial plans.
• Ensure fiscal responsibility and transparent financial reporting.
• Oversee earned revenue streams (admissions, retail, programs, rentals).

 

Fundraising & Development

• With Development staff, lead fundraising efforts, including grants, sponsorships, memberships, and major gifts.
• Cultivate relationships with new and existing donors, foundations, and funding agencies.
• Work with the Board of Trustees on capital campaigns and endowment growth.
• Serve as the public face and spokesperson for the Museum.

 

Community Engagement and Public Programs

• Oversee community engagement and public programs.
• Build partnerships and collaborative relationships with educational institutions, cultural organizations, and community groups.
• Ensure accessible, inclusive, and engaging programming for diverse audiences.

 

Marketing & Communications

• With the Senior team, oversee marketing, branding, and public-relations strategies.
• Promote the Museum locally, nationally, and internationally.
• Support digital engagement and audience-development initiatives.

 

Governance & Board Relations:

• Work closely with the Board of Trustees to support governance responsibilities.
• Prepare reports, attend regular board meetings, and support committees.
• Advise the Board on policy, strategy, and industry trends.

 

Experience, Skills, and Attributes Desired

• Minimum of seven years of museum or nonprofit experience, preferably in a museum, history, or science organization, with at least three years in a leadership position.
• Advanced degree in art, science, history, or museum studies, related fields, or equivalent experience.
• Successful supervisory experience, along with organizational, communication, and team-building skills.
• Resilient, with emotional intelligence; personal skills of self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship management.
• Experience and comfort engaging with the local community and its constituencies.
• Demonstrated enthusiasm for managing people and creating an effective team, with an ability to coach, mentor, and manage performance toward goals.
• Persuasive skills, both oral and written.
• Ability to develop a network of museum professional contacts.

Research shows that women and individuals from under-represented backgrounds often apply to jobs only if they meet 100% of the qualifications. We recognize that it is highly unlikely that an applicant meets 100% of the qualifications for a given role. Therefore, if much of this job description describes you, then you are highly encouraged to apply for this role.