Description
The Harold Warp Pioneer Village Museum located in Minden, Nebraska, is seeking a general manager. Founded by Harold Warp, Pioneer Village is a 70 year old museum consisting of 28 buildings located on 23 acres housing over 50,000 irreplaceable items of historical value, restored to operating order, arranged in groups and also in the chronological order of their development.
Twelve historical buildings ring a central “green,” including a Frontier Fort, an original Pony Express Station, a sod home, and a schoolhouse. The art collection includes Currier and Ives prints, Jackson paintings, and the largest single collection of Rogers statues. In addition to a steam-powered carousel, the collection contains historic planes, tractors, farm equipment, a locomotive, and more than 350 antique automobiles and motorcycles, including the world’s oldest Buick, a 1902 Cadillac, and a 1903 Ford.
The desire of Harold Warp was to create a place where people of all ages could witness the incredible progress that took place in our country from the 1830s until the 1980s and beyond. His passion for the ingenuity of the human spirit can be felt throughout the entire facility. The mission of the Pioneer Village is to continue to uphold Harold’s vision and his desire to share this impressive collection with generations to come.
The museum is currently going through updating and revitalization and is looking for an experienced individual to take the museum to the next level. The successful applicant will be working closely with the Museum Board of Directors and will be managing all day-to-day activities as well as the staff and volunteers.
Duties and Responsibilities
- Oversee the maintenance of the site and the care of its historic and modern buildings, and its landscaping.
- Work with the Board of Directors to create donor opportunities and identify grant funding sources.
- Lead the development of long-range and annual planning, program development, fundraising, and initiatives, and maintain an on-going financial accountability.
- Supervise a growing team of full-time museum employees and volunteers.
- Promote and publicize the museum to the public.
- Develop relationships with vendors, other museums, and collectors to help support, grow, and promote the collection.
- Lead community outreach efforts directed at supporting the revitalization of the Museum.
- Oversee the acquisition of artifacts, conduct and document research, maintain records of provenance, condition, and artifact status, taxonomic identification, and legal or tax documents.
Benefits & Additional Compensation Info
Salary and Benefits
This is a full-time job with paid time off and sick leave. Salary will commensurate with experience.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in history, museum studies, or anthropology is preferred, but is not required.
- Five years of progressive experience working in museums, exhibits, collections, or related non-profit organizations.
- Demonstrated knowledge of collection and exhibits.
- Demonstrated understanding of typical museum operations, practices, and procedures.
- Experience managing, training, and mentoring staff.
- Demonstrated sound and consistent judgment, initiative, and the ability to deal with complex, evolving situations.
- Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail.
- Ability to communicate clearly (orally and in writing) internally and to external stakeholders.
- Experience working on committees, boards, and involvement in community outreach.
- Experience working with budgets or accounting operations for an organization.
- Experience with grant writing is preferred, but not required.
