Description

As a public historian, you will provide administrative leadership and high-level coordination in support of major agency initiatives, especially the planning, design, and installation of new standing galleries reflecting the natural and cultural history of Pennsylvania. As the lead museum professional, you will be responsible for the planning and implementation of projects that require collaboration with internal staff, external consultants, and partner agencies. As a public  historian, you will adhere to internal processes, facilitate communication across functional areas, and ensure alignment of project work with organizational goals.

Leads the planning, coordination, and oversight of large-scale gallery renovation projects at The State Museum of Pennsylvania, ensuring alignment with the museum’s interpretive plan and institutional goals.

Develops and manages project scopes of work for exhibits focused on the history of Pennsylvania in collaboration with professional exhibition consultants, curators, and internal stakeholders to ensure design and implementation meet historical, educational, and spatial goals.

Regularly reviews proposed exhibit design for coordination with interpretative plan, coordinating reviews with museum staff as appropriate.

Coordinates and manages the bid and procurement process for exhibition design, fabrication, and installation contractors, including preparation of solicitations, scope documents, and related approvals.

Tracks contracts, vendor invoices, project schedules, and budget status for each gallery project, ensuring compliance with Department of General Services (DGS) capital project requirements and timelines.

Establishes and documents internal exhibit development policies and procedures to guide consistent practices across projects and teams.

Develops and maintains reporting systems for gallery projects, preparing regular updates, budget projections, and milestone reviews for internal leadership and stakeholders.

Prepares and runs regular reports to monitor project timelines, budgets, and deliverables; tracks key data points to support oversight, inform leadership, and guide project decision-making.

Acts as the primary liaison for large-scale exhibit projects, coordinating cross-functional collaboration among bureaus and State Museum staff in curatorial, collections, facilities, and education to fulfill project objectives. Ensures that core messages about Pennsylvania history and the interpretive plan’s content are effectively incorporated into exhibit development.

Reviews and monitors construction and exhibit installation activities to ensure alignment with approved plans, timelines, and accessibility requirements, escalating risks or deviations to leadership as needed.

Oversees the integration of staff contributions, such as input from curators and education specialists, into consultant-driven designs and construction documents for gallery spaces.

Facilitates cooperative working relationships between SMOP staff and on-site external contractors.

Coordinates internal policy development related to gallery development operations, including contractor workflows, collections access protocols, and exhibit consistency standards.

Collaborates with procurement and fiscal staff to ensure timely contract execution, invoice processing, and expenditure tracking, in accordance with state and agency regulations.

Conducts regular project meetings and prepares documentation summarizing progress, identifying challenges, and recommending administrative or procedural adjustments to SMOP and agency management.

Provides guidance and direction to internal support staff assigned to assist with exhibit project logistics, documentation, or stakeholder engagement on a temporary or task-based basis.

Engages with the public, responds to inquiries, and represents the agency at meetings, events, and exhibit-related engagements as needed.

Performs other work as required.

Travels as required.

Requirements

QUALIFICATIONS

Minimum Experience and Training Requirements:

One year as an Administrative Officer 1 (Commonwealth job title or equivalent Federal Government job title, as determined by the Office of Administration); or
Three years of experience in progressively responsible and varied office management or staff work, including experience in personnel management, budgeting, or procurement; and a bachelor's degree; or
Any equivalent combination of experience and training.

Additional Requirements:

You must have at least three years of experience performing the following duties at a regional or state museum or historic site: (Exhibits experience should integrate two or more of the following disciplines: industrial history, political history, fine arts, social history, decorative arts, or popular culture.) Developing temporary and long-term exhibitions incorporating three-dimensional objects, archival documents and photographs, oral history, and other primary source material from conceptualization to implementation 
Serving as a project manager for interpretive exhibitions by coordinating large-scale exhibition procurements, budgets, and timelines, working alongside curators, content developers, exhibit designers and fabricators, conservators; museum leadership, and external stakeholders, including visitors, K-12 educators, historians and subject-matter experts.
Developing scholarly grounded exhibition scripts which place regional or state history in a national historical context.
You must have a master's degree in American history, or a related field such as public history or American studies.
You must be able to perform essential job functions.

Preferred Qualification (not required):

PhD in American history