Museum Director

AFE; Golden (CO); On-site; USD 86,000 - 98,000; Full time

Job summary

The City and County of Denver's Buffalo Bill Museum and Grave seeks a Museum Director to lead Lookout Mountain Park's flagship site. This role blends cultural stewardship with strategic growth, staff leadership, and community engagement.

You will guide exhibits and programs, manage budgets and grants, and partner with municipal teams to expand interpretive storytelling and partnerships with local and Tribal communities.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in history, public history, museum studies, or a related field.
• At least five years of leadership experience managing a small- to mid-sized museum.
• Experience supervising staff and fostering a collaborative work environment.
• Experience leading strategic planning and interpretation planning.
• Knowledge of ethics, NAGPRA, and inclusive public programming.

Responsibilities

• Strategic Leadership: participate in Lookout Mountain Park planning and museum-specific plans.
• Community Engagement: build relationships with partners, officials, and Tribal Nations.
• Public Relations: oversee marketing and serve as spokesperson for the museum.
• Programming, Events and Exhibits: guide educational programs and exhibits for visitors of all ages.
• Manage Budgets and Grants: develop annual budget and secure grants.
• Manage Staff: oversee recruitment and performance management.
• Facilities Management: supervise maintenance and facility enhancements.
• Risk Management and Mitigation: ensure legal compliance and ethical standards.

Skills

Leadership

Strategic planning

Community engagement

Public relations

Grant writing

Education

Master’s degree in history or museum studies

Job description

About Our Job

With competitive pay, great benefits, and endless opportunities, working for the City and County of Denver means seeing yourself working with purpose — for you, and those who benefit from your passion, skills and expertise. Join our diverse, inclusive and talented workforce of more than 11,000 team members who are at the heart of what makes Denver, Denver.

What We Offer

The City and County of Denver offers competitive pay commensurate with education and experience. New hires are typically brought into the organization between $86,000 - $98,000/year based on experience and education. We also offer generous benefits for full-time employees which include but are not limited to:

• A guaranteed life-long monthly pension, once vested after 5 years of service
• 457B Retirement Plan
• 140 hours of PTO earned within first year + 12 paid holidays, 1 personal holiday, 1 Wellness Day and 1 volunteer day per year
• Competitive medical, dental, and vision plans effective within 1 month of start date

Location and Schedule

The Buffalo Bill Museum and Grave is located at 987 ½ Lookout Mountain Road, Golden, CO. This is an onsite position with a typical Monday–Friday work schedule. The position will require evening, weekend, and/or holiday hours to support events, special engagements, or operational needs.

About Our Job

Denver Mountain Parks is seeking a motivated, collaborative, and forward-thinking leader to serve as Museum Director for the Buffalo Bill Museum and Grave in Lookout Mountain Park.

The Buffalo Bill Museum and Grave is the only museum fully owned and operated by the City and County of Denver. Located within the Denver Mountain Parks system, the museum offers a unique opportunity to combine cultural resource stewardship, outdoor recreation, and visitor engagement.

Located atop Lookout Mountain, the site includes the gravesite of William F. "Buffalo Bill" Cody and his wife, the historic Pahaska building featuring Native-focused food and retail concessions, scenic overlooks, a historic picnic shelter, a hiking trail, and the Buffalo Bill Museum. The museum includes a significant collection of three-dimensional objects and archival materials, along with exhibit galleries, offices, a research library, and curatorial space.

The museum welcomes approximately 80,000 visitors annually, while Lookout Mountain Park attracts more than 500,000 visitors each year. The Park and museum are a dynamic destination and one of the Denver area’s most well-known cultural sites. Visitors include a mix of local, national, and international patrons.

This is an exciting time to join the organization. The museum has a small but dedicated and talented staff that has built a strong foundation for future success. The next director will have the opportunity to lead the museum through a period of strategic growth, including long-term planning, capital improvements, growing community engagement, and expanded interpretation. While Buffalo Bill remains central to the museum's identity, the museum is evolving its interpretation to explore a broader and more inclusive narrative that provides visitors with a richer understanding of Buffalo Bill’s Wild West and associated stories.

Success in this role requires a leader who thinks beyond the walls of the museum. The Museum Director will be a member of the Denver Mountain Parks leadership team and will work closely with park rangers, the on-site concessionaire, city leadership, community organizations, elected officials, and Tribal partners to strengthen the museum's role as both a cultural institution and a destination within the park system.

Responsibilities of this key leadership role include (but are not limited to) the following:

• Strategic Leadership: Participate as a key subject matter expert in the strategic planning process for Lookout Mountain Park, ensuring that needs and opportunities for the Buffalo Bill Museum and Grave are appropriately represented and integrated. This may include developing and implementing interpretive, strategic, financial, and other museum-specific plans in support of larger park-wide planning efforts
• Community Engagement: Maintain and build strong relationships with community partners, elected officials, other city departments, non-profit partners, scholars, representatives of Tribal Nations, local indigenous community members, and descendants of Wild West crew and performers
• Public Relations: Oversee marketing and outreach, collaborate closely with the Denver Parks and Recreation Marketing & Communications team, and serve as the official spokesperson for the museum
• Programming, Events, and Exhibits: Guide the design and delivery of educational programs, events, and temporary/permanent exhibits that are both educational and engaging for visitors of all ages
• Manage Budgets and Grants: Develop and oversee the museum's annual budget, ensuring efficient use of resources and compliance with city policies. Write, secure, and manage public and private grants and other funding opportunities in addition to annual operating budget
• Manage Staff: Oversee recruitment, daily supervision, and performance management for museum personnel, while fostering opportunities for continuous growth and skill development
• Facilities Management: Oversee the daily maintenance, routine repairs, and facility enhancements of the museum building to ensure a safe, operational, and visitor-ready environment. Collaborate closely with Denver Mountain Parks facilities maintenance staff
• Risk Management and Mitigation: Ensure adherence to legal compliance, city policies, and ethical standards, thereby protecting the museum and maintaining high public regard

What You’ll Bring

Our ideal candidate has some or all of the following experience, skills, and characteristics:

• Master’s degree in history, public history, museum studies, or a related field
• At least five (5) years of leadership experience with demonstrated success managing a small- to mid-sized museum, historic site, or cultural nonprofit, including developing and implementing policies and procedures
• Experience supervising, mentoring, and developing staff, and fostering a collaborative and supportive work environment
• Experience leading strategic planning, interpretive planning, and implementation
• Experience in community engagement, including working with advisory boards, local organizations, and government officials, including Tribal Historic Preservation Officers
• Experience in financial management and grant writing
• Knowledge of current museum practices, including professional ethics, compliance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), inclusive public programming, and emerging trends in the field
• Strong knowledge of the history of the United States and the American West

Required Minimum Qualifications

• Education Requirement: Bachelor’s degree in history, public history, museum studies, public administration, management, or a related field.
• Experience Requirement: Three (3) years of full-performance, professional-level experience developing, implementing, and administering programs.
• One (1) year of the appropriate type and level of experience may be substituted for each required year of post-high school education for all classifications.
• Additional appropriate education may be substituted for the minimum experience requirements.

• Resume/CV