Associate Director for Exhibitions & Education, The Harry Ransom Center

About the role

The Associate Director for Exhibitions & Education provides strategic leadership for the Ransom Center’s exhibitions program and other educational activities. Reporting to the Director, this role oversees a portfolio of interpretive initiatives including exhibitions, public programs and symposia, classroom instruction, and fellowships. The position plans, coordinates, and manages the Center’s active schedule of public exhibitions and associated public programs, and collaborates with senior leadership to set institution-wide priorities and strategic directions.

Responsibilities

• Plan and manage the Center’s rotating exhibitions (2 to 4 per year), and with the support of the Registrar, oversee a national and international program of collection loans to peer research libraries and museums.
• Develop an engaging series of readings, lectures, and other program offerings that amplify exhibition themes or engage public audiences with the Center’s collections.
• Offer rich engagement opportunities for all ages of learners in collaboration with the Head of Education & Public Programs and Visitors Services team.
• Provide rich instructional opportunities for the UT undergraduate and graduate student community in collaboration with the Head of Instruction & Archival Engagement.
• Manage a campus-focused works-in-progress series, the Flair Symposium, and other occasional symposia in collaboration with the Head of Fellowships & Scholarly Programs.
• Coordinate around exhibition opening member events and scheduling of 6 – 8 membership events annually with the Membership Manager.
• Supervise, support, and provide guidance to department program leaders in setting goals, managing projects, and navigating operational challenges.
• Foster a collaborative culture within and across the Exhibitions & Education Department.
• Work closely with curatorial, collections, conservation, Reading Room, and operations teams to support integrated approaches to access and engagement.
• Partner with communications and development colleagues to promote programs, and support exhibition sponsorship and other fundraising opportunities.
• Provide vision and strategic direction for engagement initiatives that connect the institution’s collections with public audiences, teaching faculty, fellows, and students.
• Plan and maintain the Center’s long-range exhibition plans (3 to 5 years ahead) and collaborate with, and provide guidance to, in-house and guest curators on exhibition development.
• Ensure alignment of exhibitions and program offerings with the Center’s mission, strategic directions, and priorities.
• Monitor program outcomes and support data-informed improvements to engagement strategies.
• Represent the Exhibitions and Education Department on the Center’s senior leadership team and collaborate with leadership on institutional directions and priorities.
• Cultivate relationships with faculty, researchers, cultural institutions, and community partners.
• Represent the institution in collaborations related to exhibitions, teaching initiatives, fellowships, or public programs.

Required Qualifications

• Master’s degree or higher in one of the Ransom Center’s areas of collection strength (e.g., literature, theatre, film, photography, or art).
• At least seven years of progressively responsible professional experience in library or museum education and exhibitions.
• Experience leading major cross-departmental initiatives, institutional programs, exhibitions, or other complex projects involving multiple stakeholders and areas of expertise.
• Demonstrated ability to develop and implement strategic initiatives, manage multiple priorities, and collaborate effectively across departments and areas of expertise.
• Demonstrated experience supervising, mentoring, and developing professional staff and supporting teams through organizational or programmatic change.
• Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills, with the ability to build effective relationships with faculty, scholars, students, community partners, cultural organizations, and other stakeholders.
• Demonstrated record of scholarly or professional publication.
• Flexibility of schedule with the ability to work on site on some weekends and evenings.
• Familiarity with museum exhibition best practices.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience providing strategic leadership across multiple engagement areas, such as exhibitions, instruction, fellowships, scholarly programs, public programming, or visitor services, preferably within an academic library, archives, museum, or cultural institution.
• Experience using program assessment, evaluation, and other evidence to inform strategic decision-making and improve engagement initiatives.
• Experience with collection management systems.

Salary

$110,000, non-negotiable