Museum Director

For most of the past 50 years the Sierra College Natural History Museum has been run as an all-volunteer organization. The Museum is now hiring a Director to aid in the development of an endowment fund to establish long-term funding for permanent staffing and towards a new facility. This Director will also be responsible for expanding connections with the community via public outreach. Institutional Information:

The Sierra College Natural History Museum was established in the early 1960s. Initially the Museum received funding from the state for its Community Services Program, which provided tours and lectures, put on community events and provided teacher training. In the 1970s this funding was cut with the passage of Proposition 13 and all staff were let go and the programs were eliminated. A group of volunteers worked to bring back some of those programs.

In 2009 the Museum decided to make a move towards accreditation. We have since completed 3 Museum Assessments through the American Alliance of Museums and are implementing their recommendations.

The primary recommendation of all of those Assessments has been that the Museum needs to hire a Director. An internal hire was brought on in this position to help the Museum to establish policy for a three-year term. The Museum is now ready to move into the next phase with a new Director with a greater focus on Development.

The Museum is a unit of Sierra College community college in Rocklin, California, Placer County and is home to over 12,000 specimens including vertebrate fossils, partial and whole animal mounts and an herbarium. The Museum also manages an on campus nature preserve. Information about the Museum can be found online.

Qualifications:

Applicants must have at least a Bachelors of Science in an appropriate field.
Candidates for this position should have successful fundraising experience with either a museum or non-profit organization, have written successful grant applications and have experience with performing community outreach.

Job Specifications:

Conduct fundraising for the Sierra College Natural History Museum. These activities may include:identifying potential donors, soliciting for donations, hosting of donor events, maintenance of the Membership program for the Museum, identification and solicitation of sponsors for Museum events and/or displays, and any additional campaigns or items designed to build the endowment for the Museum.
IIdentify and apply for grants (one-time or sustainable) that can be used to build the endowment for the Museum, or that can be used to support current activities, allowing the Museum to redirect funds otherwise spent on these activities towards the endowment.
Represent the Museum in the community by giving presentations about the Museum to community groups and conducting radio, TV or other media interviews designed to promote the Museum.
Act as a liaison between the Sierra College Natural History Museum Committee, the Sierra College Natural History Museum Guild and the Sierra College Foundation.
Conduct at least three Community Events per year (including Dinosaur Day: Science Fest) in consultation with the Museum Committee.
Conduct at least one major donor event per year, in consultation with the Museum Committee and the Sierra College Foundation.
Report to the Sierra College Natural History Museum Steering Committee and the Sierra College Natural History Museum Committee the status of ongoing activities related to the items listed above.