Exhibitions Project Manager - INTERNAL ONLY (Preservation and Museum Specialist 5)
Operations
Spokane County, WA, USA
Posted on Aug 5, 2026
Description
- Exhibitions Project Manager - INTERNAL ONLY
(Preservation and Museum Specialist 5)
Who We Are:
The Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture (MAC) seeks to engage our audiences in the appreciation of art, history, and culture of the Inland Northwest and beyond, through collection stewardship, exhibitions and programs that enrich and inspire. Established in 1916, the MAC is the oldest cultural organization in Spokane, Washington, and serves over 100,000 visitors each year from around the region. The museum collections contain over 63,000 objects, including the largest known collection of Plateau tribes art and artifacts.
About the Opportunity:
As an Exhibitions Project Manager, you will leverage your expert-level museum and project management expertise to drive the development, production, and execution of the Agency’s ambitious and increasingly complex exhibition program. Working in alignment with the Museum’s strategic plan, you will oversee the complete project lifecycle - from managing exhibition budgets, contracts, and gallery installations to ensuring exhibitions and publications are delivered on time, within scope, and in full compliance with American Association of Museums (AAM) standards and object care best practices. In this role, you will foster cross-departmental collaboration to create meaningful gallery experiences, advise senior leadership on scheduling and risk mitigation to maintain mission relevance and financial stability, and provide critical administrative support to the Director of Exhibitions and Collections. Duties
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Some of What You’ll Enjoy Doing Includes:
- Leads cross-functional teams, manages workflows, and assigns tasks to in-house staff and contract designers, registrars, and preparators to oversee exhibition development and production.
- Establishes long-range exhibition calendars, production schedules, and operational procedures in alignment with American Alliance of Museums best practices to support a growing, complex exhibition program.
- Assesses project risks and proactively manages scope, schedule, and budget adjustments in consultation with senior leadership to ensure timely and cost-effective execution.
- Formulates, monitors, and manages annual and two-year departmental and project budgets, tracking expenditures and assisting with financial information for grant proposals and reports.
- Directs exhibition installations and deinstallations, collaborating with internal and external partners to ensure projects are completed on schedule while prioritizing object and personnel safety.
- Supervises, trains, and evaluates key staff—including the exhibition registrar and technician—to optimize workflow and maximize effectiveness during installation periods.
- Operates Museum vehicles to safely transport and handle loan objects for exhibitions.
- Manages the complete lifecycle of exhibition contracts, including drafting, reviewing, approving, tracking invoices, and enforcing museum-wide compliance for external curators, designers, and contributors.
- Provides administrative support to the Director of Exhibitions and Collections by coordinating meetings, reconciling finances, assisting with exhibition tour management, and preparing reports for senior leadership and the Board of Trustees.
- Other duties as needed.
Qualifications
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Required Qualifications:
- Valid driver’s license (necessary to perform ground transportation responsibilities for bringing in and returning exhibition loans).
- Nine (9) years of combined experience and/or education that demonstrates competency related to this role.
- Qualifying education will be in history, fine art, anthropology, or museum studies.
- Qualifying experience will be as a museum curator or equivalent, to include experience with a combination of activities such as organizing and managing exhibitions, curating exhibitions, managing exhibition budgets, overseeing exhibition and/or permanent collection installations and deinstallations, caring for collections and/or collections data, or designing exhibitions and/or permanent collection installations.
- Computer skills, including Microsoft Office applications.
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
- Expert level knowledge of museum and exhibition best practices, structures, and functions, including best practices as required by the American Association of Museums.
- Knowledge of or ability to learn and apply state rules regarding finance and contracting.
- Proven ability to work both independently and collaboratively.
- Proven ability to reprioritize tasks with competing deadlines.
- Ability to manage and monitor budgets, invoices, and billing.
- Ability to learn and understand the language and concepts of DEI culture and commit to being a part of creating and maintaining a diverse, equitable, respectful and inclusive workplace.
- Demonstrate a commitment to growth, learning and self-awareness when provided training and opportunities to participate in improving our work environment.
- Participate and behave in a manner that creates trust and builds working relationships, promoting teamwork and collaboration in the work environment.
- Demonstrate the understanding that all people are valued; contribute to an equitable, inclusive and respectful environment when working with members of the group, team, organization or community.
- Commit to being an active participant in continually evaluating and improving strategies that promote equity and inclusion in our organization.
- Models and champions our culture and values; cultivates a shared, strategic vision; develops people; drives results; fosters learning; builds relationships; fosters teamwork and collaboration; communicates effectively; makes things happen as a public servant; leads and navigates change; embraces and embeds inclusion in decision making.
Preferred Qualification:- Experience using databases and/or inventory systems
- Experience using SketchUp to build and revise exhibition layouts
- Knowledge of state rules regarding personnel, finance, and contracting
- Master’s degree or higher in history, museum studies, fine arts, art history, anthropology, Native American studies, or arts administration, AND five years experience as a museum curator or equivalent, to include any combination of activities such as organizing and managing exhibitions, curating exhibitions, managing exhibition budgets, overseeing exhibition and/or permanent collection installations and deinstallations, caring for collections and/or collections data, or designing exhibitions and/or permanent collection installations.
Supplemental Information
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How to Apply: Interested? We would love to hear from you! Click “Apply” at the top of this page to start your application. You can save the application and come back to it, if needed. Be sure to complete the application fully to include a full work history and responses to the supplemental questions.
Please provide the following documents in order to be considered; failure to do so may result in you not being considered for the position:- A letter of interest that shows your personality and voice to describe why you are the successful candidate and how you meet the specific qualifications for this position
- A current resume, detailing experience, and education
- A current list of at least three (3) professional references with current contact information
Please Note: By submitting these materials, you are indicating that all information is true and correct. The state may verify information. Any untruthful or misleading information is cause for removal from the applicant pool or dismissal if employed. A resume will not be substitute for completing the “duties summary” section of the online application. Please do not refer to the resume for detail or your application may be disqualified.
Additionally, the hiring authority reserves the right to offer the position at any time after the required posting period, and during the recruitment process. It is to the applicant's advantage to apply as early as possible. This recruitment is only open for internal applicants.
Background Check Notice: Prior to any new appointment into the Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture (MAC), a background check including criminal record history will be conducted as a condition of employment. Information from the background check will not necessarily preclude employment but will be considered in determining the applicant's suitability and competence to perform in the position.
Washington Fair Chance Act:
We are committed to providing equitable access to employment opportunities. If a criminal background check is required for employment at an agency, it will occur only after a conditional offer of employment has been made and accepted. Applicants are not required to disclose criminal history during the hiring process prior to a conditional offer. Criminal history will not automatically exclude an applicant from consideration and will be reviewed on an individual basis consistent with applicable law and the requirements of the position.
Learn more about the Washington Fair Chance Act: Washington Fair Chance act guide.
Opportunity for All:
The Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture (MAC) celebrates our differences and we are committed to a workplace that supports equal opportunity employment and inclusion regardless of race, religion, color, national origin, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity diversity, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics. We will also consider qualified applicants with criminal histories, consistent with applicable federal, state and local laws.
You are welcome to include the name and pronoun you would like to be referred to in your materials and we will honor this as you interact with our organization.
Contact Information:
For questions about this recruitment or to request a reasonable accommodation in the application process, contact George Deguzman via email at jobs@des.wa.gov. Applicants who are deaf or hard of hearing may call through the Washington Relay Service by dialing 7-1-1 or 1-800-833-6388.
