VIMA - Executive Director

The Virgin Islands Museum of Art (VIMA) seeks an accomplished, entrepreneurial leader to serve as its founding Executive Director. Located in the heart of historic Charlotte Amalie on St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, VIMA represents one of the Caribbean's most ambitious new cultural initiatives. Supported by the nonprofit Charles M. Kim Virgin Islands Foundation, the new museum is being created as a dynamic center for art, education, and community engagement that will celebrate the creativity and cultural heritage of the Virgin Islands while connecting the islands to the broader artistic world.

The Executive Director will have the rare opportunity to guide every aspect of the institution's development, from refining its vision and completing a landmark capital project to building an outstanding staff, cultivating philanthropic support, and establishing a museum that will enrich the lives of residents and visitors for generations to come.

Priorities for the Executive Director

VIMA is entering a transformative period in its development. While the CMKVI Foundation has established a compelling vision, committed significant financial resources, and advanced planning for the Museum's future home, the Executive Director will have the rare opportunity to help build a major cultural institution from the ground up. Working closely with the Foundation's leadership and community stakeholders, the Executive Director's early priorities will include:

• Lead the Museum from concept through opening. Provide overall leadership for the successful development of the Museum leading to its anticipated opening in 2030. Working collaboratively with architects, exhibit designers, consultants, and contractors, help ensure that the Museum's new facility supports its mission, provides an exceptional visitor experience, and is fully prepared for successful public opening and long-term operation.
• Shape the Museum's future through strategic planning. Working with Foundation leadership and community stakeholders, lead a comprehensive strategic planning process that establishes a shared vision and roadmap for the Museum's successful opening and longer-term future.
• Establish VIMA as an indispensable community resource. Serve as the Museum's chief ambassador by building meaningful partnerships with artists, educators, cultural organizations, government agencies, tourism and cruise ship leaders, businesses, and community groups throughout the Virgin Islands. Help establish VIMA as a welcoming cultural resource that enriches community life while becoming an important destination for visitors to the Territory.
• Build a sustainable organization. Recruit and develop the Museum's professional staff, establish sound administrative and financial systems, implement organizational policies and procedures, and foster a collaborative, mission-driven organizational culture. Working with the CMKVI Foundation, help guide the Museum's long-term governance as it evolves into a mature and enduring institution.
• Develop a compelling exhibition and education program. Working with curatorial and education staff, collectors consultants, artists, and lending institutions, establish a dynamic program of changing exhibitions of historical, modern, and contemporary art, plus educational initiatives, and public programs that celebrate the artistic and cultural heritage of the Virgin Islands while connecting audiences to the broader artistic traditions of the Caribbean and the world.
• Build philanthropic support and long-term financial sustainability. Develop a comprehensive fundraising program that includes individual giving, foundation and government grants, corporate partnerships, memberships, and special events while strengthening earned revenue opportunities and cultivating the relationships necessary to sustain the Museum well beyond its opening.
• Create a lasting cultural legacy. Few museum leaders have the opportunity to shape an institution from its earliest stages. The Executive Director will help create a museum that enriches the cultural life of the Virgin Islands, contributes to the continued revitalization of historic Charlotte Amalie, and serves as a source of inspiration and pride for generations to come.

Experience, Skills, and Attributes

VIMA seeks an accomplished, entrepreneurial leader with the experience, judgment, and execution skills to build a new cultural institution from the ground up. While no one candidate is expected to possess every qualification listed below, the successful candidate will bring many of the following experiences, skills, and personal attributes:

• Executive Leadership. Significant senior leadership experience in a museum, cultural institution, nonprofit organization, or similarly mission-driven organization with responsibility for strategic leadership, organizational management, financial oversight, and governance.
• Institution Building. Demonstrated success building, growing, or transforming an organization, major initiative, or cultural program. Experience launching new initiatives, managing organizational change, or helping guide an institution through a significant period of growth will be highly valued. The ideal candidate will be comfortable partnering with entrepreneurial founders and philanthropic leaders.
• Capital Project Experience. Experience overseeing the planning, design, construction, or major renovation of a museum or comparable public facility. The successful candidate should be comfortable working collaboratively with architects, designers, contractors, and project consultants while ensuring that the completed facility supports the institution's mission and visitor experience.
• Fundraising, Community Engagement & External Relations. A successful record of building relationships with donors, foundations, corporations, government agencies, and community partners. The Executive Director should be an effective ambassador eager to work with the Islands’ diverse population and who enjoys cultivating philanthropic support while developing meaningful partnerships with artists, educators, civic leaders, tourism organizations, and diverse community stakeholders. An engaging public presence, excellent communication skills, and a genuine commitment to community collaboration will be essential to the Museum's long-term success.
• Museum Expertise and Program Development. Experience developing compelling exhibitions, educational initiatives, public programs, or other cultural experiences that engage diverse audiences. Experience working with traveling exhibitions, loans, or collaborative exhibition partnerships will be particularly valuable. Familiarity with Caribbean and global art is desirable.
• Financial and Administrative Management. Strong business and organizational management skills, including budgeting, long-range financial planning, policy development, and the ability to establish effective administrative systems that support organizational excellence and accountability.
• Leadership Style. An approachable, collaborative, and emotionally intelligent leader who inspires confidence, develops talented staff, welcomes new ideas, and fosters a culture of respect, inclusion, accountability, and shared purpose.
• Personal Attributes. An entrepreneurial spirit, sound judgment, resilience, intellectual curiosity, and a genuine passion for the arts, culture, and VIMA’s mission. The successful candidate will embrace the opportunity to become an active member of the Virgin Islands community and appreciate the unique opportunities and rewards of island living.