DIRECTOR

SANDY SPRING MUSEUM
Sandy Spring, Maryland

Position Summary

 

The Board of Directors of the Sandy Spring Museum seeks to hire its first full-time museum professional to lead the organization in its next stage of growth and development. The Director will build upon the successes of a recently completed campus expansion, leading Board, staff and community to greater fulfillment of its mission, program and community service.  The Director will develop programs, manage staff, and provide planning and oversight to all operations. The Director will represent the museum to the community at large, building recognition and support. Priority objectives include: mission related programming, public relations and marketing, strategic and annual operating planning, and operating revenue diversification and growth.

Sandy Spring Museum

 

The Sandy Spring Museum is a public, non-profit educational institution dedicated to collecting, interpreting, preserving and exhibiting materials significant to Sandy Spring history.

Sandy Spring is one of the nation’s best-known Quaker communities. Its rich history reflects the ingenuity of American farm life; its people, often with Quaker leadership, played leading roles in social and political causes such as Woman Suffrage and participated in the Underground Railroad. Sandy Spring’s Quaker roots still shape the cohesive neighborhood covering more than a hundred square miles.  There are many older Quaker communities, some still extant, some gone, but Sandy Spring is one of the most renowned, most cohesive, and most successful in preserving its Quaker-founded institutions.

The museum is located on seven acres with five buildings that include the main museum and library/archives, the blacksmith shop, a carriage barn, a farm exhibit building and a rental house.  The museum opened in its current facilities in 1997 and recently completed a $2.2M capital expansion to house the library and archives.  The museum has an annual operating budget of $260,000 and an endowment of approximately $600,000. The museum has evolved from a volunteer-run organization (pre 1997) to a paid staff of five part-time employees.  In 2008 the museum will hire its first full-time professional Director and begin to plan for further growth in full-time personnel.

Museum programs include permanent collection and art exhibitions; the archives (historic documents, memorabilia, books, photographs and genealogy records); education programs for adults and children; and community programs including chamber concerts, History Days and an annual Strawberry Festival.

Sandy Spring is located in Montgomery County Maryland (population 900,000), 28 miles west of Washington DC and 28 miles south of Baltimore.

 

Candidate Characteristics

  1. Proven leadership skills: ability to lead board, staff and volunteers in planning, organizational growth, and the implementation of new programs and operational functions.
  2. Ability to represent and promote the museum to the larger community and professional field.
  3. Excellent interpersonal and communication skills (oral and written).
  4. Fundraising experience, including annual giving, major donor cultivation and grant writing.
  5. Experience in personnel and volunteer management.
  6. A keen interest in American history and historic museum studies background preferred.

 

Minimum Qualifications

  1. Bachelor’s Degree (Masters preferred).
  2. Minimum three years of related museum, historic house, or nonprofit management experience. 

 

How to Apply:        
Send cover letter, resume, salary requirements and references via email to:  lsullivan@sandyspringmuseum.org
or fax to 301/774-8149.  See museum information at www.sandyspringmuseum.org.  No calls please.

Compensation:                  
A salary range of $45K - $58K will be considered, commensurate with experience. Benefits include major medical health and paid vacation.

Expires:                    Position opened until filled. A start date by early September
                                    is expected.