Job Description

The North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources seeks the next Director for the North Carolina Division of State History Museums (DSHM), which includes the North Carolina Museum of History (NCMOH) in Raleigh, and seven regional museums across the state.

The flagship NCMOH, founded in 1902 by Frederick Olds, is embarking on a transformational $180 million physical renovation that will occur over the next 36 months. The incoming Director will have the unique opportunity to contribute to the reimagining of a centrally located museum that welcomes more than 450,000 visitors and 80,000 schoolchildren annually to learn about 14,000 years of inhabited history in the State of North Carolina. The NCMOH’s updated, modernized design and refreshed programming will usher in a new era for the Museum and the Division (NCMOH/DSHM). Capitalizing on the redesign, the talented NCMOH/DSHM team of 120+ employees will have a new canvas on which to present the rich and complex history of the Old North State in a compelling way.

The scope of this role differentiates it from many others in museum leadership. Few museum leaders across the United States have an opportunity to craft a shared vision and high-performing culture throughout a division comprising multiple locations across a state’s entire footprint. In this position, the Director leads the flagship NCMOH in close collaboration with seven Division components: the Museum of the Albemarle in Elizabeth City; the Museum of the Cape Fear in Fayetteville; the Tobacco Farm Life Museum in Kenly; the Mountain Gateway Museum in Old Fort; the Maritime Museum in Beaufort; the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum in Hatteras; and the Maritime Museum in Southport.

The combined DSHM and NCMOH Director position presents a civically minded servant leader a once-in-a-career opportunity to guide a vital public institution through dynamic change. The role will appeal to entrepreneurial individuals who have a passion for preserving and presenting history in thoughtful, creative, and inclusive ways; setting direction for and unifying a diverse and talented staff of museum professionals; and expanding the audience and, with it, the sustainability of the NCMOH and its seven sister institutions.