Position: Executive Director - Full Time

The Prairie Village Museum, a small regional history museum in Rugby, North Dakota, seeks a energetic, creative, and goal-oriented leader to serve as Executive Director.

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About the Prairie Village Museum:

The Prairie Village Museum is owned and operated by the Geographical Center Historical Society. Our collections span the 1880s through the present, with an emphasis on the turn of the century through the early 1950s. We hold more than 50,000 artifacts, including Native American objects, household items, home furnishing and clothing, farm machinery and tools, and vintage and antique cars. Today the Prairie Village Museum includes six exhibition halls and 20 historic buildings. All our historic buildings are fully furnished and connected by a boardwalk encircling the village square.

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Job Description:

The primary responsibilities of the Executive Director are the management of the Prairie Village Museum (PVM) and the management of the museum’s buildings, grounds, and collection. In conjunction with the Board of Directors, the Executive Director undertakes long- and short-range planning, policy development, budget preparation and monitoring, and development of PVM programs and services. The Executive Director manages part-time summer staff and volunteers and established committees that support the core work of the organization. The Executive Director represents the PVM in the community, expands community outreach, and performs duties which foster donation of relevant artifacts and funds to the museum.

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Essential Duties and Responsibilities of the Executive Director:

 

• Board Administration and Support: Supports operations and administration of the Geographical Center Historical Society Board by advising and informing Board members, interfacing between Board and staff, and supporting Board’s evaluation of Executive Director.

 

• Supervises Paid and Volunteer Staff: Identifies, assigns, and supervises work of the paid seasonal and volunteer staff. Assures that all are appropriately trained and adequate staffing is maintained to meet the PVM needs and objectives. Creates a congenial atmosphere and environment conducive for recruiting and retaining volunteers.

 

• Financial records, Reports, and Proposals: Recommends a yearly budget for Boards approval and prudently manages Historical Society resources within those budget guidelines according to current laws and regulations. Keeps financial records with QuickBooks and works with accountant to meet tax and payroll obligations.

 

 • Planning: Works in conjunction with the Board to develop the strategic plan as well as creating long-term, short-term, and annual goals and objectives for the organization.

 

 • Exhibits: Develop and implement exhibits for the PVM.

 

 • Collection: Works with the Collections Committee to ensure items donated to the PVM are appropriately reviewed, accessioned, conserved, preserved, and cataloged. Insure that items in the collection are properly handled and cared for.

 

 • Community Outreach: Develops programs and community activities which further the mission of the PVM and benefit the community.

 

 • Website, Promotion and Publicity: Promotes PVM events and activities. Keeps website current.

 

 • Membership: Works to increase membership numbers and member benefits and maintains PVM member records on PastPerfect.

 

 • Development: Sets goals for all major fundraising efforts, tracks totals, and reports to appropriate committees. Works with special event committees (e.g. Village Fair) to create sponsorships as well as solicit and process donations.

 

 • Grants: Identifies grant opportunities and works to develop government, non-profit, and foundation grants to support the operations of the PVM. Responsible for appropriate monitoring of grants and required reporting.

 

 • Facilities, Supplies and Equipment: Coordinates maintenance of the museum buildings, grounds, and equipment, and provides for safe and reliable operation of the PVM. Maintains adequate supplies for museum operation within budget parameters.

 

 • Museum Shop: Provides final oversight on shop purchases, timing of shop activities, and setting of prices for the shop.

 

 • Professional Development: Participates in educational activities and museum associations to keep up on the latest development in small museum and historical society management.

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Skills and Expertise Required:

 

• Supervisory skills, especially as relevant to a volunteer staff, financial, and administrative management of an organization

 

• Ability to serve as an articulate spokesperson for the PVM.

 

• Experience in development and fundraising, including foundation and government grants as well as corporate and private donations; demonstrated ability to develop partnerships and identify creative solutions

 

• Financial record-keeping skills

 

• Knowledge of Museum Professional policies, issues, and strategies

 

• Familiarity with PC environment and knowledge of the following applications: MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, PastPerfect and QuickBooks. Knowledge of Adobe InDesign preferred.

 

• Adept at Social Media, especially Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

 

 

Qualifications:

The Executive Director will have a relevant bachelor's degree and at least 2 years work in a related field or an equivalent combination of education and experience, demonstrating ability required to support a non-profit organization and manage service for a small historical society and museum.

 Location: The Executive Director will be based at the Prairie Village Museum in Rugby, North Dakota.

 

Salary: This is a full time, salaried position, salary $35,000+ DOE. The work schedule is flexible and requires some weekend and evening hours.

 

Closing Date: August 31, 2022

 

To Apply: Please submit a cover letter resume and three references to: prairievillagemuseum@gmail.com with Executive Director in the subject line. No phone inquiries please.

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