Museum Director Jobs
Museum Director jobs are open across art museums, natural history institutions, children's museums, and science centers, at every level from associate director to executive director, with specializations in collections management, community engagement, and institutional development. See the openings below and apply to the ones that match your experience.
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This role pays an annual salary of $145,000 - $180,000 and is bonus eligible.
Benefits for Full-Time Roles: Health, Dental and Vision Insurance, 401(k) Savings Plan, 401(k) matching, and Paid Time Off (vacation days, sick days, and 11 holidays).
This position will remain open until February 5, 2027.
- Stay fully aware and up-to-date with new culinary trends and proactively diversify food and beverage offerings.
- Champion the sustainability agenda within the museum's culinary operations, aligning with the building's ethos.
- Develop extended relationships with internal museum tenants or partners for their food and beverage catering requirements, understanding their individual needs, and actively participating in tastings for new events opportunities.
- Present to potential private event clients along with the sales team to win high-profile event bids.
- Be fully aware of and contributing to the technology utilized within the museum, such as any relevant apps, to ensure it is maintained, kept up-to-date, and current.
- Manage all food ordering and stock rotation, including the preparation of weekly and monthly reporting (inventory, labor, and COGS).
- Construct and maintain an effective operational structure and build strong relationships with logistical partners to ensure timely delivery of products.
- Allocate and manage time efficiently to cover all operational, administrative, and trend-related aspects across all museum outlets. This includes managing outlet concepts (like concessions and retail), kitchen budgets, cost of sales, staffing schedule audits against budget, Profit & Loss (P&L) reporting, and participating in Front of House (FOH) and Event meetings (BEO).
- Introduce reasonable logistical operational delivery solutions to efficiently provide food service to multiple floors or areas within the museum site.
- Implement and collate Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and recipes as required for generic kitchen procedures.
- Compile all staffing schedules for kitchen and kitchen porter staff, aligning with budget requirements and utilizing approved systems.
- Undertake regular daily debriefing sessions with key kitchen staff and attend leadership meetings to drive the business forward and maintain a key action list.
- Maintain high levels of food hygiene practices and due diligence as designated by legislation, including all HACCP, Health & Safety (H&S), and Food Safety recording and documentation, following any and all local, municipal, and company policies and procedures alongside chosen partners.
- Be an integral part of managing H&S in the workplace, actively participating in monthly H&S meetings and audits.
- Ensure follow-up communication to internal FOH, Back of House (BOH), and general management regarding action plans.
- Provide accurate data records and follow-up of internal data sheets (MSDS) by maintaining an up-to-date compliance diary and compliance center for all kitchens and teams.
- Develop all menu changes in collaboration with the on-site management team, regional executives, and the Global Culinary Director. This includes arranging tastings and specifications for all menus for final approval by key stakeholders.
- Adhere to any and all sustainability principles and initiatives in the selection and use of products for menus.
- Complete and review allocated costs of menu changes and daily specials to ensure smooth implementation of any menu changes following approved processes.
- Format all menus, recipes, and files, including methods and yields, and implement systems that are followed and documented using the company's recipe management tools.
- Maintain and update the recipe database, proactively adjusting pricing and products based on market fluctuations of costs.
- Conduct frequent menu engineering reports to analyze sales patterns of dishes and make appropriate decisions based on the information presented.
- Conduct frequent quality checks of the restaurant, café, and concession offerings to ensure they are in line with the museum's own standards and remain competitive.
- Collaborate closely with the corporate culinary leadership on new dishes, ensuring they align with the museum's concept and overall culinary vision for the business.
- Maintain budgets set for food purchasing, labor costs, and general costs associated with culinary operations.
- Ensure all ingredient prices are regularly checked using the company's recipe management tool, verifying prices are competitive and aligned with market value.
- Ensure all menu items are appropriately and correctly costed.
- Ensure that there is no overordering and food wastage is kept to a minimum.
- Use existing nominated suppliers only, leverage any contracted pricing, and liaise closely with the procurement department on any challenges or required changes to set product baskets.
- Sign off on weekly produced budgets and timesheets and prepare accurate data for monthly payroll for the culinary department.
- Check, monitor, and approve invoices, working closely with the venue's Area Finance Manager.
- Assist with, track, and oversee weekly flash reports pertaining to Food Cost of Sales (COS).
- Maintain adequate and appropriate tracking of culinary department labor budgets to ensure alignment with approved numbers.
- Support across the venue with events, offering culinary staff assistance as needed to help keep costs aligned.
- Direct, motivate, and manage all kitchen and BOH staff to ensure they are working under the museum's culinary brand and guidelines, as well as the overall building ethos.
- Identify, define, and retain key talent within the kitchen department by ensuring adequate succession planning and career progression in collaboration with Human Resources and the senior management team.
- Ensure provision of Health & Safety and Food Safety training (local and ServSafe), as well as general development, coaching, or counseling for any staff member in accordance with internal policies and SOPs.
- Direct the correct induction process for all new culinary employees on site.
- Financial/Cost of Sales (COS): Demonstrate a full understanding of kitchen budgets and the allocation of food and labor percentages, working to be in line with approved numbers and margins.
- Guest Satisfaction/Quality of Food: Achieve set targets for guest feedback and satisfaction from the different operational channels.
- Health & Safety & Sustainability: Achieve set targets pertaining to staff training, Food Safety audits, and local Health Department inspections. Achieve site-level goals for the implementation of sustainability initiatives.
- Staff Engagement/Development/People Management Skills: Achieve set targets in conducting regular team meetings, reviews, survey participation, and maintaining staff retention at desired levels.
- Purchasing: Ensure alignment to internal procurement guidelines.
- 5-7+ years of senior kitchen leadership in multi-faceted venues.
- Proven track record of achieving and exceeding set operational targets and work experience within a similar food service management or fast-paced retail environment.
- Advanced administrative and computer skills.
- Strong budget and report writing abilities.
- Bilingual (Spanish) is a plus.
- Ability to write menus that are both creative and profitable.
- ServSafe Certified – Manager Level.
- Strong people management and communication skills.
- Ability to effectively lead a team of more than 40 people.
- Obsessive about planning, time management, and organizational skills.
- Flexibility in work shifts and hours (weekends and holidays).
- Proactive, team-oriented working approach.
- Ability to meet deadlines under pressure.
- Must be punctual and reliable.
- Ability to work independently and also collaborate with others.
- Strong interest in food development and trends.
- Ability to positively influence others' actions, decisions, opinions, or thinking.
- Culinary Arts Diploma (e.g., Associate's or Bachelor's degrees in Culinary Arts).
- Hospitality management degree or bachelor's in applied science in hospitality, catering, or event management.
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Find Museum Director JobsMuseum Director Job Market
Who's Hiring



Top Industries Hiring
- Education
What Employers Look For
The qualifications that appear most often in museum director jobs.
- Advanced degree in museum studies, art history, or a related field
- Proven experience managing museum operations and administrative staff
- Demonstrated success in fundraising and donor or board relations
- Strategic planning and budget oversight for cultural or nonprofit institutions
- Experience developing and executing public programming and exhibitions
- Knowledge of collections management standards and accreditation requirements
Tips for Your Museum Director Job Search
Tailor your resume to institutional scale
Museum directors are hired at institutions ranging from small local galleries to major national museums. Quantify the size of your past institutions by annual attendance, collection volume, and operating budget so hiring committees can quickly gauge fit.
Highlight cross-sector fundraising on paper
Boards and search committees want directors who can grow revenue from multiple streams. Call out your experience with government grants, corporate partnerships, major donor campaigns, and endowment management separately rather than bundling them under a single bullet.
Apply early to roles that fit
Migrate Mate lists museum director openings from across the United States in one place, so you can find roles that match and apply directly to each listing.
Target institutions in your specialty area
A background in natural history carries different weight than one in contemporary art. Filter your search by institution type and prioritize openings where your curatorial or programmatic expertise directly matches the museum's collection focus and strategic direction.
Prepare a leadership philosophy statement
Many museum director searches ask for a written statement alongside your resume. Draft a concise document that connects your vision for community access, collection stewardship, and financial sustainability before you start applying so it's ready when required.
Follow up with the search committee strategically
Museum director searches often run six months or longer, with multiple board review rounds. Send a brief, substantive follow-up after your first interview that references a specific institutional challenge you discussed, reinforcing your fit without repeating your resume.
Museum Director Jobs: Frequently Asked Questions
Which companies are hiring the most museum directors?
The companies hiring the most museum directors right now include Levy, Colby College, and Radford University, with the largest share of openings in Ohio, Colorado, and Virginia, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of November 2026. Openings are distributed across art, science, history, and children's museums of varying institutional sizes.
How many museum director jobs are remote?
About 0% of museum director openings are fully remote or hybrid as of November 2026, reflecting the hands-on nature of leading a physical institution. The sub-areas most compatible with remote work include development strategy, grant writing oversight, and board relations, while collections management and facilities oversight typically require on-site presence.
How do you become a museum director?
Most museum directors build toward the role by earning a graduate degree in museum studies, art history, or a related discipline, then advancing through curatorial, education, or development positions within institutions. Gaining experience with budget management, board relations, and strategic planning at the deputy or associate director level is typically the final step before a directorship. Active participation in professional museum associations also strengthens candidacy.
Can you get hired as a museum director without prior director experience?
Yes, candidates from deputy director, chief curator, or chief operating officer roles are regularly hired into first-time directorships, particularly at small and mid-size institutions. Demonstrating responsibility for a major budget, a successful capital campaign, or a significant exhibition program can substitute for a director title on your resume. Smaller community museums and specialized collections often prioritize depth of subject expertise over previous executive titles.
What does the museum director interview process look like?
Museum director searches typically involve an initial screening by an executive search firm or internal HR contact, followed by a video interview with a senior staff panel, and then an in-person visit that includes meetings with the board of trustees, department heads, and key community stakeholders. Finalists are often asked to present a vision statement or strategic priorities document. The full process commonly runs several months from application to offer.
Where can I find and apply to museum director jobs?
You can find and apply to museum director jobs on Migrate Mate, which lists current openings from institutions across the United States. Search the listings to find roles that match your background, institution type preference, and geographic flexibility, then apply directly to each listing that fits.
See All 18 Museum Director Jobs
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