Director, Museums and Galleries

University of Saskatchewan; Saskatoon; Hybrid; CAD 95,000 - 159,000; Full time

Job summary

The University of Saskatchewan seeks applicants for the inaugural Senior Director of Museums and Galleries. Reporting to the University Librarian and Dean, the incumbent will lead a newly established unit comprising the Museum of Antiquities, Museum of Natural Science, Kenderdine Art Gallery, College Art Galleries, Snelgrove Gallery, and the Diefenbaker Canada Centre.

The Senior Director will foster collaboration across sites and partners, drive fundraising, and advance Indigenous engagement

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in museum studies, public history, arts administration, or related field.
• Seven years of progressively responsible leadership in museums, galleries, libraries, archives, or similar.
• Experience managing budgets, grants, donor-funded funding, and fundraising.
• Proven ability to lead diverse teams and build credibility with stakeholders.
• Demonstrated expertise in areas like exhibition curation, public programming, or education.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership with vision and long-term objectives.
• Lead budgeting and resource allocation for sustainable operations.
• Manage unit operating budget, grants, endowments, and donor funds.
• Develop, implement, and evaluate annual operational plans.

Skills

Leadership

Budgeting

Fundraising

Grant administration

Stakeholder engagement

Project management

Indigenous engagement

Education

Bachelor’s degree in museum studies or related field

Master’s degree is an asset

Job description

Director, Museums and Galleries

Summary: The University of Saskatchewan seeks applicants for the inaugural Senior Director of Museums and Galleries position. Reporting to the University Librarian and Dean, the incumbent will join the organization at an exciting time and lead a newly established unit that brings together the University’s Museum of Antiquities, Museum of Natural Science, Kenderdine Art Gallery, College Art Galleries, Snelgrove Gallery, and the Diefenbaker Canada Centre. The Senior Director will provide strategic leadership to coordinate and align the activities, operations, and priorities of these diverse museums and galleries in support of student learning, faculty research and teaching, and community engagement. Working across multiple sites, collections, programs, and with diverse partners, the Senior Director will be responsible for fostering collaboration, strengthening connections, and creating a cohesive vision and culture for the new unit. The incumbent will coach and mentor an expert team of eight staff members, contribute to the Library’s leadership team, continue to advance programs and services for both the public and university community, and support opportunities to further integrate Indigenization and decolonization throughout the unit’s work. Responsible for managing the unit’s finances, the Senior Director will also actively participate in fundraising activities and will cultivate strong relationships with donors, funders, and community partners. A creative problem-solver and skilled relationship-builder, the successful candidate will guide the integration of these distinct units while fostering a culture that values diverse perspectives, develops leadership capacity, and encourages innovative approaches in support of the University’s research, teaching, and learning mission.

The University Library:

The University Library is one of Canada's leading research libraries and stewards a distinctive network of museums, galleries, and cultural heritage collections that enrich learning, teaching, research, and community engagement across the University of Saskatchewan. The network includes the Diefenbaker Canada Centre's nationally significant collection on Canadian democracy and civic leadership; the Museum of Antiquities' renowned holdings of ancient Mediterranean, Near Eastern, and medieval material culture; the Museum of Natural Sciences' collections exploring Earth history and the evolution of life; the Gordon Snelgrove Gallery's teaching and research exhibitions; and the University's art galleries and collections, encompassing more than 6,000 works of art. Together, these spaces inspire curiosity, foster belonging, advance academic inquiry and creative practice, and support Indigenous-led and community-rooted knowledge through distinctive collections, exhibitions, and programs.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Provides strategic leadership for the museums and galleries by establishing vision, priorities, and long-term objectives aligned with unit and institutional strategic plans.
• Leads financial planning and resource allocation to support sustainable operations and strategic priorities.
• Develops, manages, and monitors the unit's operating budget and financial resources, including operating funds, grants, endowments, and donor-supported funds.
• Leads the development, implementation, and evaluation of annual operational plans, goals, and accountabilities for the unit.
• Directs the integration of museum and gallery operations to create a cohesive and accessible visitor experience across all cultural heritage programs.
• Leads the strategic planning and coordination of exhibitions, public programming, campus engagement initiatives, and facilities management.
• Develops and supports grant applications, project planning, and reporting activities.
• Provides strategic advice and advocacy for museums and galleries as a member of the unit's senior leadership team.
• Leads and contributes to cross-functional and institutional initiatives that advance unit and university priorities.
• Managesateam of direct reports, including hiring, professional development, mentoring, assigning workflow, and performance management.
• Coordinates shared services and collaborative initiatives with Library units and university partners to support operational effectiveness.
• Cultivates and maintains productive relationships with donors, funding agencies, alumni, community partners, and other stakeholders to advance museum and gallery initiatives.
• Builds collaborative relationships with faculty, students, creators, Indigenous communities, and external partners to strengthen engagement with the university's cultural heritage programs.
• Chairs and participates on museum advisory boards, governance committees, and other institutional committees.
• Contributes professional expertise through leadership in at least one operational area such as teaching, exhibition curation, or public programming.
• Communicates and acts in a respectful and professional manner, collaborates effectively, abides by policy, contributes to a positive and productive work and learning environment, and models these behaviours across the institution.
• Builds and leads diverse teams, champions inclusive leadership, and values different perspectives.
• Engages in and supports the understanding and growth of employees with the frameworks, initiatives, and activities relating to equity, diversity and inclusion and Indigenous engagement.
• Sets and achieves actionable goals in alignment with Indigenous engagement and equity, diversity and inclusion frameworks; addresses systemic inequities affecting underrepresented equity groups.
• Undertakes related duties, as assigned, consistent with the nature of the position.

Required Qualifications:

• A bachelor’s degree in museum studies, public history, arts administration, or a related field; a master’s degree is an asset.
• Minimum of seven years of progressively responsible leadership and management experience within museums, galleries, libraries, archives, or comparable academic or cultural organizations, preferably with experience in a university or post-secondary institution.
• Leadership experience with the abilityto lead a team through challenging and complex situations anddemonstrateleadership beyond reporting lines.
• Experience developing, managing, and monitoring budgets, including financial planning, resource allocation, grant administration, and donor-supported funding.
• Experience supporting fundraising initiatives and developing productive relationships with donors, granting agencies, and community partners.
• Demonstrated expertise in one or more functional areas of museum or gallery operations, such as exhibition curation, public programming, education, collections management, facilities management, or community engagement.
• Abilitytobuild andmaintaineffective relationships, internally and externally, and build credibility and trust witha diverse stakeholder group.
• Exceptionalproject managementskills.
• Abilityto develop and progress strategy,initiativesand innovative solutions.
• Ability tocreate a compelling organizational view of the future,andsupport change and innovation.
• Ability to balance the needs of multiple programs while advancing shared organizational priorities.

Inquiries regarding this position can be directed to University Librarian and Dean, Dr. Lori Birrell, [e-mail].

Department: Library
Status: Permanent
Employment Group: Exempt
Full Time Equivalent (FTE): 1.0
Salary: The salary range, based on 1.0 FTE, is $94,864.00 - 158,925.00 per annum. The starting salary will be commensurate with education and experience.
Salary Phase/Band: Salary Band 4
Posted Date: 9/8/2026
Closing Date: 10/9/2026 at 6:00 pm CST
Number of Openings: 1
Work Location: May be eligible for hybrid work under the terms of USask's Alternative Workspace Guidelines

The University of Saskatchewan aspires to be what the world needs and embraces equity, diversity and inclusion as foundational to excellence and innovation. We actively seek to create a welcoming environment where all individuals feel empowered to thrive, contribute, and grow. Applications from equity-deserving groups are encouraged as part of our ongoing efforts to reflect the diversity of the communities we serve: EDI Framework for Action.

We continue to grow our partnerships with Indigenous communities across the province, nationally, and internationally and value the unique perspective that Indigenous employees provide to strengthen these relationships. Verification of Indigenous Membership/Citizenship at the University of Saskatchewan is led and determined by the deybwewin | taapwaywin | tapwewin: Indigenous Truth policy and the Standing Committee in accordance with the processes developed to enact the policy. Successful candidates that assert Indigenous membership/citizenship will be asked to complete the verification process of Indigenous membership/citizenship with documentation.

The University of Saskatchewan provides an accessible and inclusive workplace. Should you require support through any stage of the recruitment process, please contact us for assistance.