Director of Exhibitions, Experiences, and Programming
hace 3 días
Mantua
Job DescriptionThe Edelman Fossil Park & Museum of Rowan University is a pioneering institution where the ancient past meets urgent conversations about our planet’s future. We are seeking an extraordinary leader to serve as our Director of Exhibitions, Experiences, and Programming (DEEP). This role sits at the creative and intellectual heart of the museum, shaping how we inspire, educate, and activate diverse audiences locally and globally. The Role The DEEP will be the senior leader responsible for developing exhibitions, learning programs, and public events that bring the museum to life for diverse audiences. Reporting to the Executive Director, the DEEP will connect and collaborate with thought leaders around the world to design both on-site and scalable experiences that transcend the museum’s walls and reach across the globe. This leader in this role will spearhead a visitor loyalty program that gives guests meaningful agency in the fight to build a sustainable planet—through fun, impactful actions of all scales that keep them engaged even after they leave the museum. The DEEP will also develop a full calendar of broadly appealing public events that advance the mission, bolster attendance, and enhance earned revenue. To ensure impact, the DEEP will build a suite of analytical tools to measure visitor satisfaction, learning outcomes and visitor activation, demonstrating effectiveness to donors, foundations, and partners. The DEEP will stay at the forefront of advances in the museum field and in emerging technologies, ensuring the museum maintains its cutting-edge advantage in content design and delivery. Ultimately, this role will position the Edelman Fossil Park & Museum on the world stage as a leader in using science and culture to make positive change, in alignment with our motto: Discover the Past, Protect the Future. Key Responsibilities The DEEP will: • Shape Global Impact: Connect and build relationships with thought leaders, innovators, and cultural partners worldwide to create on-site and scalable experiences that transcend the museum’s walls and extend across the globe. Position the museum as a leading international platform for positive change, embodying our motto: Discover the Past, Protect the Future., • Build Visitor Loyalty & Agency: Spearhead the development of a technology-based visitor loyalty ecosystem that empowers guests to take fun, meaningful actions—large and small—that contribute to a more sustainable planet, keeping them engaged long after they leave the museum., • Create Year Round Engagement Opportunities: Develop and deliver a robust calendar of public programs that advance our mission, deepen community connections, bolster attendance, and enhance revenue., • Infuse Surprise and Delight: Consistently seek opportunities to introduce moments of wonder, joy, and inspiration that surprise and delight our visitors., • Advance Learning & Analytics: Design and deploy analytical tools to assess learning and visitor activation, ensuring our programs continuously evolve, while building a documented track record that demonstrates impact to donors, partners, and foundations., • Be a Global Leader in Innovation: Not only stay current with, but actively lead in advancing the latest museum practices, technologies, and creative approaches—ensuring the museum remains on the cutting edge of content design, delivery, and visitor engagement.Supervisory Responsibilities The DEEP provides strategic leadership and direct supervision to a dynamic team responsible for delivering engaging, mission-aligned visitor experiences. This includes oversight of the: • Museum Programming Coordinator – guiding the development and execution of public programs, special events, and seasonal activities that enhance community engagement and align with institutional goals., • Critter Cove Staff (2) – supervising animal care and interpretation staff to ensure high standards of readiness, animal welfare, engagement, and educational impact within this interactive living exhibit., • Education Team (2) – leading a team responsible for school trips, camps, and scouting programs, onsite educational experiences, and curriculum development.In addition, the DEEP will work collaboratively with other Directors and act as the programming lead in cross-departmental planning teams—ensuring alignment between content, logistics, staffing, and visitor experience. Experience / Qualifications / Requirements We seek a visionary, energetic, entrepreneurial leader with the ability to translate big ideas into experiences that resonate across audiences. Ideal candidates may come from the museum world, but we also welcome innovators from commercial experience design, event production, theatrical production, the intersection of art and technology, or leaders in impactful, mission-driven public-facing organizations. Candidates should bring: • A track record of creative leadership in exhibitions, learning, or public programming., • Strong global perspective, with networks and collaborations that extend beyond traditional museum practice., • The ability to balance mission advancement with audience growth and revenue generation., • Excellent communication skills, a collaborative spirit, and a passion for driving positive societal change., • 5+ years of leadership experience in museums, science centers, cultural institutions, entertainment venues, or related fields., • A bachelor's degree or higher; all educational backgrounds will be considered, but those in relevant fields are a plus., • Proven ability to develop exhibitions, shows, educational programs, or public events at scale., • Demonstrated success in extensive networking, building partnerships and engaging diverse audiences., • Experience in impact evaluation, audience research, or learning analytics., • Strong project management and team leadership skills., • Commitment to diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion, and determination to push back on the climate and biodiversity crises. Leadership Dr. Kenneth Lacovara, Founding Executive Director, has unearthed some of the largest dinosaurs ever to walk the earth, including the massive 65-ton Dreadnoughtus, which appeared in the recent film Jurassic World: Dominion. He is a recipient of The Explorers Club Medal, the highest honor in exploration. He is a TED speaker, recipient of a Nautilus Book Award, co-recipient of a Telly Award, and author of the bestseller, Why Dinosaurs Matter (Simon & Schuster.) His research has been featured three times in Discover magazine’s 100 Top Science Stories of the Year, and he has appeared in over 20 television documentaries. He is founding former dean of the School of Earth & Environment of Rowan University. He founded the Green Jobs Academy, which helps workers retool for careers in green energy and other sustainable fields. And he serves on the Scientific Advisory Board of Colossal Biotechnology, a CRISPR-based company endeavoring to resurrect the woolly mammoth and other recently extinct species. About the Edelman Fossil Park & Museum of Rowan University The Jean & Ric Edelman Fossil Park & Museum of Rowan University transforms lives by providing a unique opportunity to explore a remarkable site of scientific wonder. Visitors embark on a personal, hands-on voyage of discovery in an extraordinary setting that bears witness to one of the most momentous events in our planet's history. By opening a window to the past, we imbue visitors with the thrill of scientific discovery as they develop a new appreciation for the preciousness of life that sustains our world today. The museum opened in March 2025 and has garnered national front-page attention, critical acclaim, and a warm reception from the community. The museum attracts visitors from around the region and across the globe, and has quickly developed a loyal and passionate following of members. Globally Important Research At the Edelman Fossil Park & Museum, visitors travel back in time to when dinosaurs ruled New Jersey. Sixty-six million years ago, an asteroid struck the Earth, wiping out the dinosaurs and 75% of species. The fossil park’s 4-acre fossil quarry, set into a 65-acre property, is providing scientists with the best view ever into this pivotal, calamitous event that ended an Earth era, paving the way for the modern world as we know it. Over the past 18 years, fossil park founder, Dr. Kenneth Lacovara, and his team, have unearthed over 100,000 fossils from a 66-million years old bonebed in the quarry bottom, and have catalogued over 100 fossil species. A Rich Heritage Surprising to many, New Jersey boasts a rich heritage of fossil discovery. In 1858, Hadrosaurus, the world’s first discovered nearly complete dinosaur, was found in Haddonfield, New Jersey. In 1866, the world’s first discovered tyrannosaur, Dryptosaurus, was unearthed just a mile from the fossil park. (T. rex, found in Montana, would come later in 1905.) Many other new species of ancient creatures have been discovered in New Jersey, from Cretaceous beds running from Freehold southwest through Swedesboro. Although dinosaurs were first recognized from fragmentary remains in England, southern New Jersey can rightfully claim its place as the cradle of dinosaur paleontology. The Thrill of Discovery Hand-on, authentic discovery is at the core of the Edelman Fossil Park public experience. Above the research layer, there are areas designated for public digging. Nearly every child or grownup who visits the quarry to dig for fossils, finds a 65-million-year-old fossil, with their own hands, that they get to take home. Over and over, this has been a transformational experience for people. When they make a personal connection between themselves and deep time, and the place where they live and the Earth’s ancient past, they never again see the world, or their place in it, in quite the same way. Children seem to understand the authenticity of the experience. The shark tooth or ancient clam that they may dig up, is a real discovery. At that moment, they become explorers, voyagers, authentic discoverers—an experience that can set them on a new path. Sustainability The core concept behind the Edelman Fossil Park Museum is: discover the past, protect the future. The extinction of the dinosaurs serves as a cautionary tale for the multiple, simultaneous existential crises we face today. In the Hall of Extinction & Hope, visitors will confront the alarming facts about the unfolding climate and biodiversity crises. And they will learn why there is hope in the battle to save Earth’s atmosphere and biosphere, and that we all must act now to create the future that we all wish for our posterity. Finally, through a personalized RFID-driven loyalty system, visitors learn to take action, and can connect with sustainability programs and organizations, giving them a sense of agency and ways through which they can make a positive difference. Carbon Net-Zero and Sustainable Construction The Edelman Fossil Park Museum is proud to be one of the few carbon net-zero museums in the world. The museum also uses bird-safe glass, and contains large amounts of embodied carbon within the sustainably raised accoya cladding and wood-fiber-lamination beams. Our grounds are pesticide, herbicide, and fertilizer free, and we only plant native plant species. At Edelman Fossil Park & Museum, we treasure the diversity of our planet's history and are committed to reflecting that diversity in our team. Edelman Fossil Park & Museum is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, creed, color, national origin, age, ancestry, nationality, marital or domestic partnership or civil union status, sex, pregnancy, gender identity or expression, disability status, liability for military service, protected veteran status, affectional or sexual orientation, atypical cellular or blood trait, genetic information (including the refusal to submit to genetic testing), or any other category protected by law. Powered by JazzHR edOyPErKJX