director

THE POSITION
The new Director will bring to the Museum, with a staff of 150 (110 employed full time and 40 part-time employees) and an operating budget of about NIS 75 million (about US$ 20 million), his or her vision, leadership and management expertise. He or she will exert considerable influence over the Museum's curatorial vision crafted and executed together with the Museum's team of curators. Further, he will preside over the exhibitioning both in the main building and in the new Herta and Paul Amir building, while enhancing the permanent international collection and strengthening the Museum's status as a major leading force in Israeli art. Through these activities, along with expansive local and international marketing and public relations strategies, he will promote and enhance worldwide the activities of the Museum's committees of friends. The Director will take advantage of the extensive public interest in the new building, and make a compelling case for the Museum as a destination on the international art scene.

 

In the short term, the Director will oversee:
• The completion of the Herta and Paul Amir building, and the fundraising pertaining to it.
• Planning, reinstalling and displaying those unique items from the Museum's collections to be placed in the new and existing galleries.
• Conservation, maintenance and improvement of the galleries holding the permanent collections in the main building.
• Developing the vision for the programs that will enable the Museum to promote and enhance its unique collections and new building in order to differentiate itself from other museums and become a paradigm of a "21st-century art museum."

 

In the long term, the Director will implement that vision and take his/her position as an exceptional leader among directors of elite art museums internationally. He will engage in leading and assimilating Israeli art into the international world of art.

 

The Board of Directors expects the Director to be an inspiring leader and capable administrator who will:

 

GENERAL MANAGEMENT
• Know the Tel Aviv Museum of Art thoroughly: its collections, history, culture, operations and constituents;
• Oversee the completion of the construction of the new building and the general maintenance of the Museum on the whole, while keeping to the timetables and budgetary constraints, and maintaining the requisite standards of quality;
• Promote a culture of excellence and flawless execution in all the Museum's activities and at all levels;
• Mentor and manage a talented staff; promote a culture that rewards initiative, accountability and collaboration;
• Provide outstanding stewardship for the advancement of the Museum's renowned collections; continue to raise the bar for exhibitions and educational programs;
• Oversee the organization’s budgeting and financial controls, taking into consideration the financial implications of developing new programming and advanced operations; operate within a balanced budget and ensure that forecasting is based on sound assumptions;
• Promote and encourage the continuous activity of the Board of Directors' executive committees.
• Lead all fundraising activities; determine shorthand long-term development needs in the context of the Museum’s strategic goals; proactively cultivate individual and institutional supporters.
• Manage all the Museum's other activities and all special events, including musical events, lectures, cinema and operating of the Museum shops.

PROGRAM
• Develop strategies for reinstalling and interpreting the Museum’s outstanding collection, in close collaboration with the Museum’s staff;
• Oversee the development and implementation of an ambitious and extensive exhibition and program schedule;
• Support, promote and encourage the Museum's educational activity as a bridge to extending present and future audiences.
• Advance innovative ideas, serve as a leader and supporter of Israeli art, working tirelessly to its appreciation in Israel and abroad.
• Embrace technology to aid the Museum in capturing local audiences and the international art world;
• Evaluate the Museum’s public programs and ensure the integration of exhibition and education objectives; introduce new ideas, host traveling exhibitions and partner with peer museums to program new ones. Aim to strengthen the Museum's status as a major leading force in Israeli art.

RELATIONS WITH BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND BOARD OF GOVERNORS
• Forge a strong working relationship with the Board of Directors, Board of Governors and its leadership; learn the members’ strengths and bring forth their best ideas, efforts, resources and contacts;
• Foster relationships with all members of the Museum's Committees.
A marked open communication and responsiveness to issues affecting the strategic direction and operating of the Museum.
• Encourage all Board members to participate actively; work to ensure an effective Executive Committee structure and find ways to engage Board members appropriately; help to identify and cultivate new trustees whose talents, interests and commitment will further the Museum’s mission and expand its support;

COMMUNICATIONS AND MARKETING
• Develop compelling ways to promote the Museum’s activities to its member base and increase the appeal of the Museum to new members;
• Aggressively advance and broaden the Museum's educational and community outreach; continue to encourage technological advances and innovative initiatives that will appeal to new audiences;
• Provide inspirational community leadership to enhance the visibility of the Museum as an extraordinary cultural, economic and civic resource. Bring the pleasure and meaning of great art to the widest possible audience; explore opportunities to establish and enhance partnerships;
• Enhance and amplify the Museum’s national and international stature as one of the world’s great art museums;
• Improve communications and transparency between

• Staff and leadership to foster greater collaboration; practice an inclusive approach to outreach that values and engages key stakeholders and volunteers.

THE INDIVIDUAL
The ideal Director will have or be the following:

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE
• The new Director must relate to the Museum’s artistic heritage and be respected as a credible steward by staff and scholars given his/her significant responsibility for one of the world’s finest collections.
• The new Director must have at least a Master's degree in art.
• The new Director must have proven management experience of at least 10 years, preferably as director of a museum or a senior curator in another museum on a scale similar to the Tel Aviv Museum of Art.
• The new Director must have an enthusiasm for art and an energetic ability to convey excitement about its value to all: from members of the art community to supposedly laypeople. He or she must be as comfortable with people as with great objects and be energized by the introduction of one to the other.
• The Director must demonstrate ability and passion for energizing the community in support of the Museum and its attendant fundraising campaign locally and worldwide.
• With an annual operating budget of more than $20 million and a staff of over 150, the Museum seeks a seasoned and gifted manager with a track record of executing projects of significant scale while successfully directing ongoing operations.
• The new Director should be able to combine marketing instincts with aesthetic and intellectual integrity in helping to build the reputation of the Museum locally, nationally and internationally.
• The new Director must be fully familiar and recognize the benefits technology can impart to the Museum’s audience and its educational and cultural goals.

PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS
• A leader others wish to follow; authoritative and self-confident without arrogance;
• A diplomat who can build consensus, generate enthusiasm and manage change; a persuasive advocate on behalf of the visual arts who is able to connect with a broad spectrum of people in a meaningful way;
• A strategist who is able to collaborate successfully; open-minded and consultative, one who listens well, can bend when necessary, and yet be firm and decisive;
• A problem-solver with an understanding of the subtleties of motivating, directing and working with a group of diverse personalities, as well as the abilities to delegate, handle and prioritize multiple activities and responsibilities;
• An individual who acts from a belief in, or first-hand experience with, the importance of diversity and broad accessibility to the success of a public institution;
• Accessible, pleasant to be around and gracious; someone who shares information easily, with good people and communication skills 

Please Contact:
director@tamuseum.com