Senior Project Manager, Exhibitions

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; Boston (MA); On-site; USD 85,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Union affiliation

Equal opportunity employer

Job summary

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston is seeking a Senior Project Manager, Exhibitions to lead complex, multi-year exhibitions from planning through installation. You will coordinate across departments, manage budgets and contracts, mentor staff, and drive process improvements to ensure high-quality visitor experiences that align with MFA priorities.

The role requires 7–10 years of museum/project management experience, a relevant degree, and strong leadership, communication, and collaborative skills in a

Qualifications

• 7–10 years of museum or project management experience.
• Bachelor's degree in Arts Administration, Art History, Museum Studies, or equivalent knowledge.
• Strong analytical, planning, time management, and communication skills.
• Experience leading cross-functional teams and complex exhibitions.
• Experience with budgets and vendor contracts.

Responsibilities

• Lead planning and execution of complex exhibitions from approval to close-out.
• Coordinate across departments to align priorities and resources.
• Develop multi-phase schedules and monitor milestones.
• Manage budgets, contracts, and vendor relationships.
• Mentor staff and lead internal project meetings.
• Represent MFA in co-organized exhibitions and external partnerships.

Skills

Project leadership

Cross-department collaboration

Budget management

Strategic planning

Communication skills

Problem-solving

Mentoring

Education

Bachelor's degree in Arts Administration, Art History, Museum Studies, or equivalent

Master's degree and PMP certification preferred

Tools

Microsoft Office

SmartSheet

Trello

TMS

Contracts management

Job description

Position Overview:

The Senior Project Manager, Exhibitions is a key leader within the Exhibitions Department responsible for the strategic planning, management, and execution of a portfolio of complex exhibitions for the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Working under the direction of and in close partnership with the Senior Director of Exhibitions and Publications, this role provides leadership throughout the exhibition lifecycle—from project approval through installation and deinstallation—ensuring alignment with institutional priorities, Museum standards, visitor experience goals, and budgetary objectives. As a strategic partner in shaping and implementing the exhibition program, the Senior Project Manager fosters cross-departmental collaboration, strengthens project management practices and operational processes, mentors colleagues, and drives the successful delivery of innovative, high-quality exhibitions that advance the Museum's mission and goals.

Essential Functions:

• Lead the comprehensive planning and execution of assigned exhibitions, including the most complex, large-scale, multi-year, attendance driving and high-priority projects—from approval to close-out including Gund and Torf galleries.
• Serve as the primary project lead and liaison across museum departments, including Traveling Exhibitions, Curatorial, Conservation, Registration, Intellectual Property, Design, Publications, Development, Marketing & Communications, Interpretation, Facilities, Protective Services, Visitor Services, and Finance.
• Coordinate and manage the installation and deinstallation of assigned exhibitions, providing on-site leadership and decision rights to resolve administrative, logistical, and production issues in galleries.
• Develop, refine, and oversee multi-phase project schedules that guide planning, budgeting, and implementation; set and enforce deadlines for critical milestones including object lists, design plans, installation requirements, interpretive materials, and all deliverables.
• Proactively identify risks, capacity challenges, and scheduling conflicts; elevate or resolve issues to maintain project momentum and uphold museum standards.
• Implement and reinforce accountability structures when deadlines or deliverables are at risk, ensuring transparent communication and shared responsibility across project teams.
• Collaborate with the Senior Director of Exhibitions and Publications to improve and evolve exhibition planning processes, workflow tools, and cross-departmental coordination systems. Spearhead the production and enforcement of the post-approval exhibition process document.
• Facilitate and monitor the use of Project Management platforms (Trello, SmartSheet, Microsoft Planner, and others), ensuring accuracy, interdepartmental integration, and broad institutional adoption. Strengthen data consistency and reporting mechanisms across the Exhibitions Department.
• Oversee updates to the Exhibitions page on the MFA intranet and the Exhibitions Module in TMS; ensure information is current, accurate, and accessible to internal stakeholders.
• Lead the development of new templates, processes, training materials, and documentation that elevate project management capacity museum wide.
• Provide mentorship, guidance, and support to other Project Management staff and colleagues contributing to project workflows.
• Lead regular internal project meetings, including creating agendas, distributing meeting notes, establishing next steps, and ensuring follow-through.
• For co-organized exhibitions, serve as a primary liaison between the MFA and partner museum(s).
• Run project review meetings with the Director and Leadership Team.
• Serve as the central information hub for assigned projects—ensuring timely, clear communication of milestones, issues, updates, and decisions to all stakeholders.
• Represent Exhibitions in institutional initiatives, capital planning conversations, and cross-functional committees as requested.
• Lead the annual exhibition budgeting process in collaboration with Senior Director of Exhibitions and Publications.
• Take a leadership role in forecasting costs, approving and tracking expenditures, reconciling shared costs with partner institutions and monitoring adherence to financial and contractual requirements.
• Manage payment schedules, contractual obligations, and vendor relationships; prepare invoices and payment documentation in coordination with Finance.
• Provide financial insight to support institutional planning, grant proposals, and donor stewardship as needed.
• Create contracts for artists and contractors and, with the Senior Director of Exhibitions and Publications, contribute to writing, reviewing, and editing contracts for MFA co-organized exhibitions.
• Maintain and archive digital project files and records on the Museum's server, TMS, and internal systems, ensuring long-term accessibility and accuracy.
• Oversee the creation, maintenance, and distribution of project documentation including schedules, reports, installation plans, and meeting summaries.

Secondary Functions:

• Identify opportunities to streamline workflows and integrate cross-departmental practices that improve efficiency and collaboration.
• Stay current on museum industry best practices in exhibition planning, visitor experience, sustainability, accessibility, and project management.
• Complete additional projects as assigned by the Senior Director of Exhibitions and Publications.
• Serve as courier for loans from the collection as needed.

Qualification Requirements and Characteristics:

• 7-10 years of museum or project management experience.
• Bachelor's degree in Arts Administration, Art History, Museum Studies, or equivalent knowledge in the planning and production of art exhibitions; Master's degree and PMP certification preferred.
• Exceptional analytical, planning, time management, and follow-through skills.
• Outstanding organizational and communication skills.
• Strong relationship-building, diplomacy, and cross-departmental collaboration skills.
• Exhibited quantitative skills to develop, monitor and track budgets.
• Proven ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously while navigating competing priorities.
• Ability to successfully lead major exhibition projects, cross-functional teams and institution-wide processes.
• Demonstrated initiative, strategic thinking and proactive problem-solving in complex situations.
• Skilled in handling confidential information with care and discretion.
• Proficient in Microsoft programs; SmartSheet, Trello and TMS and other project management tools strongly preferred.
• Must be able to remain stationary for up to six hours a day.
• Travel duties may include serving as an art courier via commercial flights and truck transport, which involves strict oversight, navigation, and visual inspection of valuable assets rather than physical freight handling or heavy lifting.

Salary and Schedule:

Salary: $85,000 - $90,000

Full-Time, 35 hours per week

This position is affiliated with the United Auto Workers Union.

The MFA is an equal opportunity employer. The community and audience we serve is diverse, and we wish to foster that diversity in our workplace. Toward that end, the MFA does not discriminate against individuals in hiring, employment or promotion on the basis of race, religion, color, sex/gender, gender identity and gender expression, age, marital status, national origin, sexual orientation, citizenship, handicap or disability, veteran or military status, political belief, pregnancy, genetic information or any other characteristic protected by law.