Director, Exhibitions - Detroit Institute of Arts

Posted on 5/4/25

Regular full-time

Detroit, MI, US

Salary Range: $108,047.00 To $135,058.00 Annually 

JOB TITLE: Director, Exhibitions 

DEPARTMENT: Exhibitions 

REPORTS TO: Vice President, Exhibition and Collection Strategies 

CLASSIFICATION: Full-Time, Exempt 

REMOTE WORK ELIGIBILITY: Partial  

GENERAL SUMMARY 

Under the direction of the Vice President, Exhibition and Collection Strategies, the Director, Exhibitions works to oversee all aspects of the museum’s exhibitions and publishing program to achieve installations and publications of high quality, importance, and impact. The Director, Exhibitions will lead the development and implementation of the museum’s program of temporary exhibitions, permanent gallery installations, and publications.  

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS 

• Manage the department, determining priorities and goals, scheduling and annual budget for all sections ensuring that department resources and staff support the museum's strategic goals and annual museum-wide goals, and that those goals are met on schedule and within budget.
• Recruit, mentor, develop and successfully manage a team to achieve the strategic objectives and the present and future needs of the department in alignment with the museum’s annual priorities and strategic vision.
• Create a collaborative work environment by using a performance support process including goal setting, feedback, and development.
• Develop and oversee the long-range schedule for the full program of exhibitions, major gallery projects, publications and related activities for development and planning; facilitate projects through review and approval processes and implementation.
• Responsible for the production of the highest quality museum publications within a specified time frame and budget, working with authors, curators, production staff, editors, proofreaders, designers, printers and others on a full range of museum publications including but not limited to exhibition and permanent collection catalogues, the Bulletin of the Detroit Institute of Arts, brochures, labels and other related text.
• Identify and lead teams to develop, manage, and implement exhibitions and major gallery projects that achieve audience, artistic, and financial goals; utilize collaborative work processes to ensure cross-functional communications, efficiency, and effectiveness.
• Lead exhibition and publishing team: facilitate meetings, processes, and approvals to develop long-range planning, exhibition goals and criteria; utilize strategic planning decisions and tools.
• Build project budgets during various stages of approval; initiate transition to operational/multiyear budget analysis; analyze and monitor individual and overall exhibition budgets for adherence to established plans and goals. 
• Contribute to the creation and implementation of the museum's strategic plans and to the development and effective communication of strategic goals, planning initiatives, policies and resource allocations as related to exhibitions, major gallery projects, and reinstallations.
• Benchmark and implement best practices for exhibition and publication work. Lead development of new and improved project management processes and policies, including potential software solutions.
• Exercise responsibility for all exhibition-related negotiations including proposals, contracts, fees, etc.
• Plan and implement statewide exhibition program, staying within approved parameters; coordinate with other areas of the statewide program to ensure statewide agreement is met and work is integrated when appropriate.
• Provide expert advice and act as resource of museum exhibition and publishing practice to internal and external colleagues; develop and maintain relationships with museum professionals nationally and internationally to provide benefit to exhibition and publishing program and museum in general. 
• Build and maintain relationships with a wide range of national and international partners with whom the DIA collaborates.
• Foster, promote, and support Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access (IDEA) through the DIA values, active listening, embracing difference, and engaging with empathy to promote a culture of belonging among internal and external stakeholders. 
• Perform other duties as assigned. 

QUALIFICATIONS  

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE  

Master’s degree in art history, fine arts management, or related field. Ten (10) years of work experience in a related field, and five (5) years of experience leading people. Additional years of experience may be substituted for degree requirement. 

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES  

• Must be a strategic thinker with the ability to plan and execute goals and objectives. 
• Must possess leadership skills and the ability to lead a diverse team to meet strategic goals supporting the museum strategy and vision.  
• Demonstrated experience with budget management including budget development and stewardship of resources and demonstrated fiscal responsibility to stay within budget.  
• Experience and knowledge of the fundamentals of exhibition and publishing concepts, practices, policies, and procedures.  
• Demonstrated organizational skills to plan, manage, prioritize, and complete multiple on-going projects to meet deadlines and goals. 
• Must possess a demonstrated understanding of ethical business conduct and professional practices including maintenance and protection of confidential and sensitive information.  
• Ability to identify challenges and opportunities, engage others in their resolution, and recommend appropriate course of action.
• Demonstrated ability to share complex information, ideas, and instructions clearly, effectively, and professionally to diverse audiences through talking or writing. 
• Demonstrated ability to make creative, effective, and timely decisions aligned with organizational mission, vision, values, and strategic direction considering risk and long-term impacts. 
• Demonstrated ability to be an engaged listener with the ability to build consensus within the Museum and with diverse stakeholders externally.
• Ability to communicate with, manage and oversee vendors to meet expectations and deadlines.
• Must be able to successfully manage conflict, experience with mediation preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to recognize, assess, and limit liabilities and risk. 
• Ability to work occasional weekend and evening hours for special events.
• Must be proficient in the latest version of Microsoft Office 365.
• Must have proficiency in the use of remote work technology such as scheduling with, connecting to, and using digital collaboration platforms such as Microsoft Teams.
• Must be able to establish and maintain professional, productive and courteous interactions that promote positive teamwork.  This encompasses going beyond giving and receiving instructions and includes but is not limited to (a) performing work activities requiring interacting or speaking with others; and (b) responding appropriately to constructive feedback or suggestions for improvement from a supervisor.  

PHYSICAL DEMANDS 

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Upon receiving notice, reasonable accommodations may be made, if possible, to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.  

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to communicate and exchange accurate information using various methods including in-person, virtual, telephone, and email.  

This job description describes the general nature of the duties and requirements of this job. It is not intended to be an exhaustive list or to limit the supervisor’s ability to modify work assignments as appropriate. 

THE DETROIT INSTITUTE OF ARTS IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER.