Ohr-O’Keefe Museum of Art
Job Title: Assistant Executive Director
Reports to: Executive Director
Job Status: Full-Time
Hours per Week: Minimum 40
Nights and Weekends Required: Some
Travel: Some
Salary: Salaried
Location: Biloxi, MS

Position Summary

The Assistant Executive Director (AED) serves as the Museum’s senior administrative and operational executive and second-in-command to the Executive Director. Working in close partnership with the Executive Director, the AED provides leadership for the Museum’s business, administrative, personnel, and day-to-day operating functions and helps translate the Museum’s strategic priorities into coordinated organizational action.

The Executive Director retains primary responsibility for the Museum’s strategic and institutional leadership, artistic and curatorial direction, educational and programmatic priorities, major donor and institutional relationships, long-range vision, and major fundraising leadership. The AED supports and participates in these areas as a senior leadership partner while exercising primary responsibility for the administrative and operational functions assigned to the position.

In the Executive Director’s absence, the AED is authorized to oversee the Museum’s day-to-day operations within established Board policies, approved plans, budgets, and delegated authority.

General Responsibilites

• Provide leadership for the administrative, business, personnel, and operational direction of the Museum, consistent with the mission, strategic plan, Board policies, approved budget, and direction of the Executive Director.
• Partner with the Executive Director in organizational and strategic planning. Assist in establishing priorities, coordinating departmental execution, measuring progress, and identifying operational, staffing, and resource requirements. The Executive Director retains primary responsibility for institutional strategy and long-range direction.
• Collaborate with the Executive Director and program leadership in implementing the Museum’s artistic, curatorial, educational, and programmatic priorities. Primary direction of these mission/content areas remains with the Executive Director and the appropriate program leaders.
• Directly supervise and develop the positions assigned to the AED under the approved organizational structure, including the Director of Finance, Director of Development, Visitor Center Manager/Supervisor, and other administrative or operational positions assigned to the AED.
• Manage and coordinate the administrative, business, and operational functions assigned to the AED and promote effective communication and collaboration across departments.
• Recommend administrative and operational policies and procedures to the Executive Director; oversee adherence to approved policies; and coordinate revisions or new policies as needed, subject to appropriate Executive Director and/or Board approval.
• Oversee the Museum’s personnel administration within established policies and delegated authority, including performance management for employees within the AED’s reporting structure and coordination of consistent management practices across the organization.
• Work with the Director of Finance to support sound financial management, budgeting, internal controls, reporting, and stewardship of Museum resources.
• Work with the Director of Development and Executive Director to coordinate fundraising and development activities, including campaigns, grants, sponsorships, membership, and donor programs. The Executive Director retains primary responsibility for major donor cultivation, major institutional relationships, and major fundraising leadership.
• Coordinate the administrative execution of the Museum’s strategic plan and other Board-approved initiatives, including responsibility assignments, timelines, resource requirements, performance measures, and status reporting.
• Promote accepted professional museum standards, sound nonprofit-management practices, ethical conduct, and appropriate stewardship of the Museum’s collections, facilities, financial resources, and institutional reputation.
• Support cross-functional team building internally and externally, including coordination among Museum departments, volunteers, community partners, consultants, vendors, and outside marketing/public relations resources as appropriate.
• Coordinate with the Executive Director, Director of Development, and appropriate program staff to maintain an effective public presence through marketing, public relations, digital communications, media relations, events, and community engagement.
• Represent the Museum publicly and serve as a spokesperson when appropriate, in coordination with or at the direction of the Executive Director.
• Maintain productive working relationships with the Board of Trustees, City Council and City management, community leaders, government agencies, donors, partner organizations, and the
  general public.
• Assume day-to-day operational leadership of the Museum when the Executive Director is unavailable, within established authority and without altering responsibilities reserved to the Executive Director or Board.

Qualifications Required:

Any combination of education, training, and experience that provides the following knowledge, skills, and abilities.

Knowledge

• Museum and nonprofit operations and accepted museum best practices.
• Nonprofit and museum management principles, organizational administration, and personnel management.
• Strategic planning, implementation, research, performance measurement, and organizational accountability.
• Fundraising principles and techniques, grant administration, donor/member programs, and development operations.
• Public relations, communications, marketing, media, and community engagement.
• Exhibition design and installation sufficient to support cross-functional museum operations and collaboration with curatorial/program staff.
• Financial and administrative management principles, internal controls, budgeting processes, and resource planning.
• Team building, change management, project coordination, and modern management principles and techniques.

Abilities

• Supervise, develop, and evaluate personnel and build effective teams across departments.
• Translate strategic priorities into coordinated operating plans, assignments, timelines, and measurable results.
• Exercise sound judgment and operate effectively within delegated authority while maintaining a close working partnership with the Executive Director.
• Communicate effectively verbally and in writing and present an appropriate professional image for the Museum.
• Establish and maintain productive internal and external working relationships with employees, trustees, government officials, community leaders, donors, partners, vendors, and the public.
• Attend evening and weekend meetings, programs, and engagements as required.
• Work effectively in a collaborative environment that values professionalism, inclusion, respect, accountability, and the Museum’s stated mission and philosophy.

Experience, Education and Training

A master’s degree preferred, or bachelor’s degree in arts administration, museum administration, nonprofit management, business administration, public administration, or a related discipline, together with a minimum of five years of progressively responsible professional experience in a museum, cultural, nonprofit, educational, or comparable mission-driven organization. Experience should include at least two years in a management, senior administrative, or key leadership capacity. Equivalent combinations of education and relevant experience may be considered.

Role Relationship – Executive Director & Assistant Executive Director

The Executive Director and Assistant Executive Director function as the Museum’s senior leadership team with distinct but complementary areas of primary responsibility. The Executive Director leads mission, strategy, museum content, artistic/curatorial and educational/programmatic direction, major external relationships, and major fundraising. The Assistant Executive Director leads administration, business operations, personnel administration, operational coordination, and execution. Both positions collaborate on strategic planning, policy, fundraising, organizational leadership, communications, and external representation.

Please submit a resume and two references to finance@georgeohr.org