The Natural History Museum of Denmark (NHMD), Faculty of SCIENCE, Univerity of Copenhagen is undergoing major redevelopment, and we are looking for a senior manager to lead the Exhibitions & Interpretation team. The position is available from from 1 September 2021 or as soon as possible there after.
About Us
Natural history museums have never been more important. Our planet is shared by millions of living species. But now a single one among them holds the power of changing life on Earth. Solutions to grand challenges for humanity and the planet alike are only possible by way of local action, global collaboration, and by sharing knowledge and resources.
The vision of the Natural History Museum of Denmark is to empower citizens to connect with nature. We want to inspire, engage and enable people to enjoy, understand, and care for the diversity of the natural world. In the coming years, we will be building a new Danish national museum for the natural world. One big museum complex in the Botanical Garden in the centre of Copenhagen to host state-of-the-art laboratories, outstanding research collections, new public galleries, and combined facilities for teaching and science citizenship. Over the next five years the museum will change the way people think about and use natural history museums.
About the job (Tasks)
- You will have responsibility for the delivery of the exhibitions, galleries and spaces that express our strategic narratives, and enhance visitors’ experience and engagement with our historic collection. Copenhagen University is an international institution and the new museum project (see About Us, above) works with internationally-based design teams. You must be able to work and write fluently in English.
- Playing a key role within the Exhibitions and Visitor Experience group, you will oversee the Exhibitions and Interpretation team, which together coordinates work across all our internal exhibition content development teams and leads interpretation development for specific projects. You will be responsible for coordinating the definition, development and delivery of multiple gallery content teams working on the Natural History Museum of Denmark’s new building and entirely new galleries project. In addition to this, the Exhibitions and Interpretation team works on a vibrant programme of high profile, temporary exhibitions for a range of audiences. You will have responsibility for the content, interpretation, and production of temporary exhibitions, and other new and gallery upgrades in existing SNM locations. The Exhibitions and Interpretation team are responsible for developing key messages, initiating, developing and testing interpretive content, ensuring audience advocacy, working with curators to include consideration of informal learning design, interpretation strategy and implementation, that the learning potential of the project is fully realised and that the appropriate consultation takes place when establishing specific audience needs, including evaluation and accessibility. You will work closely with the curatorial, collections management, design and digital, communications and fundraising, and commercial teams.
- With oversight of multiple projects this role will require a pragmatic mindset, a commitment to delivering quality and an ability to prioritise and problem solve, as well as good creative and design thinking strategies to develop interpretation. You will be responsible for aligning resources and motivating people in order to achieve the ambitious plans that the museum has set out through its strategic priorities. As the Head of Interpretation and Exhibitions, you will sit on the Museum’s senior leadership team, and will administrate key high-level stakeholder group meetings overseeing the exhibition and visitor experience development for the entire new museum project.
- You will report to the Deputy Director, Exhibitions & Public Engagement. The Exhibitions and Public Engagement group consists of Exhibitions & Interpretation, Design and Digital, Communication and Fundraising, Commercial Activity, Learning and Public Programming teams. You will work with curators, scientific researchers, educators, artists and designers, and our visitors to deliver clear high quality visitor experience that is unique, engagement and reflects the core values of NHM Denmark.
You will be responsible for:
- Managing internal interpretation aspects of the new museum project within the limits agreed by the NHMD – particularly in relation to strategic interpretive goals, programme, cost, and quality – as they flow through the content development project teams
- Taking the overview across all museum operations necessary for the delivery of the various aspects of the museum exhibition projects
- Managing workflows (for example, that the information flows for exhibition content from exhibition designer through to content teams through to architects and designers are all correct)
- Monitoring deadlines and budgets
- Working on core exhibition project teams as the Exhibitions and Interpretation Manager for specific changing exhibitions and gallery projects in the new museum
- Focusing on innovative interpretive delivery for diverse audiences and a range of informal learning
- Through analyzing key messages and audience needs, initiating interpretive schemes and originating original ideas for unique interpretive elements
- Ensuring suitability for different audiences through visitor advocacy and accessibility, auditing collection installations’ content and design
- Ensuring overall production and installation of interpretive elements of the project on time and to budget; focus on delivery in a fast paced dynamic environment.
- Team leadership of seven people in the Exhibitions and Interpretation team.
- This work will be a key contributor to ensuring a world-class visitor experience at the Natural
- History Museum of Denmark that increases visitor engagement year on year.
About you
As a person you have positive mindset, are open towards changes and understand that collaboration is a key to success. Your work capacity is high and you are able to balance strategic development with day-to-day business that requires hands-on action and delivery on time and to budget.
You are expected to share and develop the ambition to inspire citizens of all ages to understand and appreciate the past, present, and future of the natural world.
Your qualifications:
- Proven problem-solving and planning capabilities, along with at least three years’ experience in interpretation within a museum setting, or in a relevant field that uses museum exhibitions to engage with diverse audiences
- A passion for conveying academic knowledge, object engagement, scientific principles, and rich cultural history to diverse audiences
- Knowledge of interpretive best-practices, and an ability to bring to bear a broad range of interpretive tools and methods
- An understanding of the access and diversity needs of different audiences as they relate to galleries; knowledge of informal learning skills and techniques, communication and environmental design
- A mature level of judgment and decision-making in a changing, forward-thinking operating and visitor focused environment
- The ability to explain interpretation concepts and approaches to people who are not specialists and to engage their support
- Proven ability to manage multiple activities and responsibilities simultaneously
- A high degree of patience, attention to detail, good humor and fortitude in managing relationships with various parties, including other departments, and external partners; demonstrated ability to forge mutually-respectful and effective relationships with a diverse group of personalities;
- Sophisticated oral and written communication skills, a track record as an effective communicator; and credibility to serve as an effective spokesperson for the SNM in matters relating to interpretation and exhibitions.
- You have at least three years of team leadership.
Terms of salary and employment
The employment and salary is made in accordance with the Circular on the Collective Agreement concerning academics in the state sector concluded between the Ministry of Finance and AC (the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations).
Employment will be as senior consultant with personnel management. The basic salary is DKK 47,681 per month + pension. Negotiation for salary supplement is possible. The working time are 37 hours per week on average.
How to apply
The application, in English, must be submitted electronically by clicking APPLY NOW below.
Please include
– Cover Letter, stating your motivation and background for applying
– CV
– Diploma and transcripts of records
Deadline for applications is 9 July 2021 23:59 GMT +2.
Applications received after the deadline will not be considered.
For further questions
Please contact Juliette Fritsch, Deputy Museum Director, Exhibitions and Public Engagement, jfritsch@snm.ku.dk
The university wishes our staff to reflect the diversity of society and thus welcomes applications from all qualified candidates regardless of personal background.
