Manager, Exhibit Production

National Geographic; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 86,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and vision insurance

401(k) retirement plan with matching

Paid time off

Parental leave

Wellness program

Discounts and perks

Job summary

The National Geographic Society (Base Camp, Washington, DC) seeks an Exhibit Production Manager to lead operations for museum and traveling exhibitions. You7ll manage fabrication staff, vendors, and on-site construction while coordinating with the Exhibitions team to plan future displays and handle shipping and installation logistics.

The role requires 7+ years in exhibitions operations and 3+ years of team leadership, with strong knowledge of museum standards and A/V/electronic principles.

Qualifications

• Minimum Education Required: Bachelors Degree or relevant experience.
• Minimum Years and Type of Experience: 7+ years of relevant technical exhibitions operations experience; 3+ years of team management.
• Ability to work cross-departmentally and manage a team.
• Knowledge of museum standards and practices.
• Familiarity with A/V, electronic and mechanical principles and techniques.
• Technical knowledge of fabrication and construction, electronics and related skills.
• Knowledge of budgeting, contracting and business practices.
• Experience operating a forklift.
• Excellent oral and written communications skills.

Responsibilities

• Manage the daily exhibits operations, logistics, personnel scheduling, production and digital archive of exhibit construction and installation.
• Manage vendors, subcontractors and security for exhibit operations at the museum and other facilities.
• Oversee daily fabrication needs and maintenance for the Museum of Exploration.
• Collaborate with Exhibitions and Public Experiences staff to plan future Museum and Traveling exhibitions.
• Support production, shipping and condition reporting of traveling photo exhibits.
• Manage operation of the Museum workshop fabrication areas and off-site storage.
• Oversee IPM plan for Museum workshop and on-site storage areas.

Skills

Team management

Scheduling

Museum standards

Fabrication

Construction

A/V knowledge

Budgeting

Communication skills

Travel flexibility

Forklift operation

Education

Bachelors degree

Tools

Google Suite

Word

Excel

Adobe Suite

Job description

How You’ll Contribute

The Campus and Experiences division creates and supports inspirational experiences for live audiences and delivers excellent service and operations at National Geographic Society facilities. The division is responsible for our Base Camp headquarters, including all aspects of the Museum of Exploration. This division also produces and generates revenue through National Geographic Live, Speakers Bureau and National Geographic’s Traveling Exhibitions programs. The Operations team provides an outstanding experience to everyone who comes to our headquarters, including visitors, donors, and staff. We are focused on planning for and operations of visitor experiences and campus-wide operations. The team is responsible for providing services that all staff rely on, including cleaning, mail and packages, office space management, building engineering, interactive technology, and sustainability. The Exhibit Production Manager reports to the Director, Experiences Production and Fabrication and manages the Fabrication Specialists, logistics, construction, installation and maintenance of exhibitions. This position works directly with NG, carpenters, painters, and engineers, to manage the build and construction of museum and traveling exhibits. The role supports the Exhibit Creative Team for the planning, development, and fabrication of new exhibits at the Museum of Exploration. The position will manage the fabrication staff and coordinate with other building services divisions. The Exhibit Production Manager manages the exhibit operations and maintenance of all the exhibition spaces within the Museum of Exploration. The role supports the Print Lab and frame shop with production and installation, as well as the Manager of Traveling Exhibitions on storing, crating and shipping of National Geographic traveling exhibits.

Due to the nature of this role in supporting live exhibitions and museum operations, regular weekend shifts and weekend availability are a core requirement of the position. This role requires evening, weekend, holiday, and/or non-standard work hours.

Your Impact Responsibilities Include

• Manage the daily exhibits operations, logistics, personnel scheduling, production and digital archive of exhibit construction and installation. (30%)
• Manage vendors, subcontractors (internal and external) and security on the exhibit operations needs at the museum and other programming facilities. (10%)
• Manage the daily exhibit fabrication needs and maintenance for the Museum of Exploration. (20%)
• Work with Exhibitions and Public Experiences staff to plan future Museum and Traveling exhibitions. (10%)
• Support the production, shipping and condition reporting of traveling photo exhibits. (10%)
• Manage operation of the Museum workshop fabrication areas and off-site storage operations. (15%)
• Manage IPM plan for Museum workshop and on-site storage areas. (5%)

What You’ll Bring

• Minimum Education Required Bachelor’s Degree – or relevant experience required.
• Minimum Years and Type of Experience 7+ years of relevant technical exhibitions operations experience. 3+ years of team management experience.

Knowledge and Skills Required

• Ability to effectively work with others cross departmentally and manage a team
• Demonstrated experience scheduling equitable work shifts for a team to ensure operations and maintenance are supported during core hours
• Knowledge of museum standards and practices
• A strong aptitude for tools and standard construction practices
• Familiarity with A/V, electronic and mechanical principles and techniques
• Technical knowledge of fabrication and construction, electronics and other relevant skills related to the production and transport of exhibition and experiences.
• Knowledge of budgeting, contracting and other business practices
• Comfortable working at heights, either on a ladder or a mechanical lift and working with heavy objects
• Experience operating a forklift
• Excellent oral and written communications skills
• Computer fluency; specifically working in the Google Suite, Word, Excel and the Adobe Suite.
• Ability to travel for projects (to include training, conferences, vendor site visits) is required at 0-20% annually.

Supervision 4-6 staff and contractors

Salary Information

The National Geographic Society offers a competitive and holistic total rewards package. Our compensation structure and transparent pay philosophy are based on industry-specific market data for similar-sized nonprofit organizations. The salary range for this position accounts for a wide range of factors including but not limited to organizational need; specific skill sets; experience and training; certifications; and more. At the National Geographic Society, individuals are typically hired at or near the starting point of the salary range for their role, and compensation decisions are dependent on the facts and circumstances of each case. The salary range for this position is $85,500.00 - $90,000.00.

Benefits

• medical, dental, and vision insurance
• engaging and comprehensive wellness program
• 401(k) retirement savings plan with matching contributions after 6 months of employment
• flexible paid time off benefits with up to 22 days of paid annual leave per calendar year (15 days for new hires in their first year, prorated based on the number of pay periods remaining in the year) and 12 paid holidays and a paid winter break between December 25 and 31 (May not apply to all roles that are required to work during high volume seasons or essential workers. Please check with the hiring manager for confirmation.)
• paid parental leave, adoption and surrogacy expense reimbursement, fertility benefits
• learning and development opportunities
• Lifestyle Spending Account
• pet adoption assistance and insurance
• pre-tax transportation benefits with a generous employer subsidy
• employer-paid life insurance and disability benefit
• a variety of National Geographic discounts and perks

Job Designation

On-Site - Staff members who spend 100% of work time on-site at Base Camp, supporting overall campus and museum operations. On-Site staff shifts (spread over seven days a week and 24 hours a day, including holidays) are scheduled by their supervisors and determined by team needs and may be adjusted based on cyclical work cycles and ebbs and flows of work throughout the year.

Candidates must be legally authorized to work in the United States. This position is not eligible for visa sponsorship.

We encourage you to apply even if your experience is not a 100% match with the position. We want to help you grow and in return, you help us grow into a stronger, more inclusive organization.

Who We Are

The National Geographic Society uses the power of science, exploration, education and storytelling to illuminate and protect the wonder of our world. Our mission is only complete when our staff, explorers, educators, youth and partners are seen, valued, and heard. We embrace each person’s identity, experiences, and abilities, and we commit to cultivating an environment where everyone benefits from opportunity, mutual respect and a sense of belonging. National Geographic's headquarters is located in the heart of Washington, D.C. We offer our employees a comprehensive benefits package, including health and dental benefits, generous vacation and parental leave time, a 401(k) plan, flexible work options, and career development.