Exhibits Manager

Cheyenne Frontier Days Old West Museum; Cheyenne (WY); On-site; USD 48,000 - 52,000; Full time

Job summary

Cheyenne Frontier Days Old West Museum in Cheyenne, Wyoming seeks an Exhibits Manager to lead, develop, and oversee permanent, temporary, traveling, and special exhibitions. The role requires collaborative work with curatorial, collections, educators, and partners to create engaging, accurate experiences.

You will manage project timelines, fabrication needs, and budgets while ensuring accessibility and high storytelling standards for diverse visitors.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in museum studies, arts education, history, or related field preferred.
• 2–3 years in museum/non-profit/exhibit design or related experience.
• Proficiency with design software (Adobe InDesign/Illustrator/Photoshop).

Responsibilities

• Lead development and coordination of permanent, temporary, traveling and special exhibitions.
• Develop exhibit concepts, interpretive plans, timelines and budgets.
• Coordinate all phases from concept to installation and deinstallation.
• Collaborate with curatorial staff to interpret artifacts for exhibits.
• Write and oversee interpretive text, labels, graphics, and educational materials.
• Ensure accuracy, accessibility, and alignment with museum standards.

Skills

Self-directed

Organizational skills

Independent & team work

Under pressure

Flexibility

Creativity

Oral and written comms

Exhibit design techniques

Adobe CC

SketchUp

Time management

Education

Bachelor’s degree in museum studies or related field

Tools

Adobe InDesign

Adobe Illustrator

Adobe Photoshop

SketchUp

Job description

Job Type

Full Time, Permanent (Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. with occasional evenings and weekends)

Compensation

$48,000-$52,000 (Depending on experience)

Job Overview

Cheyenne Frontier Days™ Old West Museum is seeking a highly motivated, creative, and collaborative professional to join our team. This position is ideal for someone with a passion for history, the American West, and connecting audiences with stories through engaging exhibitions and interpretation.

The Exhibits Manager coordinates and manages the development, fabrication, installation, maintenance, and evaluation of exhibitions, working collaboratively with Museum leadership, curatorial and collections staff, educators, vendors, and community partners.

This position combines skills in museum exhibitions, project management, design, exhibit construction and preparation, interpretation, and storytelling to create engaging, historically accurate, accessible, and visually compelling experiences for visitors.

The successful candidate will bring strong organizational and project-management skills, attention to detail, creativity, and the ability to collaborate effectively with a wide range of internal and external partners. The position requires the ability to balance creative vision with practical considerations, including budgets, timelines, fabrication requirements, collections care, safety, accessibility, and available resources.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the development, implementation, and coordination of permanent, temporary, traveling, and special exhibitions.
• Develop exhibit concepts, interpretive plans, timelines, budgets, and project schedules.
• Coordinate all phases of exhibit projects, from initial concept and research through design, fabrication, installation, opening, and deinstallation.
• Collaborate with curatorial and collections staff to identify, research, document, and appropriately interpret artifacts and other collection materials for exhibition.
• Write, edit, and oversee interpretive text, labels, graphics, captions, educational materials, and other visitor-facing content.
• Ensure exhibitions are accurate, engaging, accessible, and consistent with the museum's mission and professional standards.
• Coordinate with designers, fabricators, vendors, contractors, photographers, and other outside professionals to support successful exhibit development and implementation.
• Develop and monitor exhibit budgets and oversee purchasing, purchase orders, invoices, and project expenses.
• Ensure that artifacts and other collection materials are handled, displayed, installed, and stored in accordance with appropriate museum standards and practices.
• Oversee installation and deinstallation activities, including artifact handling and exhibit preparation.
• Monitor galleries and exhibits regularly for condition, safety, functionality, cleanliness, and presentation quality.
• Identify and coordinate repairs, updates, replacements, and improvements to existing exhibits.
• Collaborate with education and public programming staff to develop exhibits that support tours, educational programs, events, and visitor engagement.
• Assist with exhibit-related grant proposals, sponsorship opportunities, fundraising materials, and donor recognition.
• Maintain appropriate documentation for exhibition projects, including plans, specifications, photographs, budgets, vendor information, and installation records.
• Stay current with museum standards, emerging technologies, exhibition best practices, and relevant trends.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in museum studies, arts education, history, cultural resources, or a related field preferred.
• 2-3 years of relevant museum, non-profit, cultural institution, exhibit design, or related experience.
• Two years or more of experience in design software (Adobe InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop).
• Knowledge of digital technology and other relevant media.
• Working knowledge of Museum exhibit standards and best practices.
• Basic knowledge of exhibit fabrication, construction techniques, tools, and materials.
• Budget management experience including estimating and budgeting.

Skills

• Self-directed with strong organizational skills.
• Ability to work both independently and in a team.
• Effective under pressure with tact and diplomacy.
• Flexibility and adaptability to changing schedules.
• Creativity and resourcefulness.
• Strong Oral and written communication skills.
• Exhibit design and construction techniques including use of Adobe Creative Cloud programs, SketchUp, and/or equivalent design software.
• Strong time-management skills with the ability to prioritize multiple projects, deadlines, and competing demands.

Working Conditions

• Work is typically performed indoors, but some outdoor work and travel are required.
• Ability to work occasional nights and weekends.
• Ability to lift 50 pounds.