Curator of Engagement

Make a positive impact on the community by joining the Johnson County Park and Recreation District team and help us enhance the lives of thousands through excellence in parks, recreation, culture, education, and public service. As a JCPRD employee, you'll be part of a locally, regionally, and nationally acclaimed organization that annually hosts nearly 7 million park visitors and engages nearly 3 million participants in 4,000+ programs. With excellent benefits, retirement plans, employee incentives, and a great organizational culture, JCPRD is building a thriving park and recreation system that inspires play, culture, and education, supporting healthy and fulfilling lives for all. Come work where you play!

The Johnson County Museum is a nationally accredited, award-winning community history museum. The Curator of Engagement is a senior member of the Museum team who is responsible for developing and coordinating engagement strategies that support Museum visitation, membership, public programming, digital communications and social media content, philanthropy, sponsorships, and the Museum Store operations at two locations. Specific job functions are as follows: 

• Organizational Leadership & High-Performance Culture
  Leads the development of a High Performing Organization through active demonstration of the county’s Pillars of Performance, encouraging leadership and empowerment at all levels of the organization; dedicates QII activities for self and staff; actively mentors, coaches, and collaborates with employees to enhance the county mission and vision, keeping in mind the common goal of leaving our community better than we found it.
• Museum Leadership & Committee Participation
  Serves as a member of the Museum’s leadership team, including roles on the exhibitions and collections committees. In these roles, leverages knowledge of historical trends and research, museum best practices, engagement strategies, reading levels, and the Museum strategic plan to advocate for the patron experience within exhibitions planning.
• Visitor Services, Front-Line Operations & Volunteers
  Manages the Museum’s Visitor Services Department, including recruiting, training, supervising, and developing a full-time Visitor Services staff member and part-time front-line staff to ensure high-quality customer service and Museum Store operations. Manages the Museum’s volunteer program, including scheduling, training, and evaluation. Oversees monthly indicators reporting for the Museum.
• Museum Store Operations & Retail Management
  Manages two Museum Store locations (Johnson County Arts & Heritage Center and Lanesfield Historic Site), including merchandise and vendor selection, ordering, inventory management, and appropriate sales tax collection. Develops and administers Museum Store budgets and cost recovery strategies.
• Membership Program Management & Donor Coordination
  Manages the Museum’s membership program, including member communications, membership-exclusive programs, and engagement strategies. Works closely with the Museum’s nonprofit partner (Friends of the Johnson County Museum) to increase member value and retention. Coordinates with the Visitor Services Coordinator, Museum Administrative Assistant, and JCPRD Development Department to maintain member and donor records, databases, and financial documentation.
• Fundraising, Grants, Sponsorships & Awards
  Identifies, pursues, and secures grants, sponsorships, philanthropic gifts, and awards that support and elevate the Museum’s work. Serves as Museum project manager for grant and sponsorship deliverables, grant reporting, and donor stewardship. Creates and distributes press releases and public communications celebrating major gifts, grants, awards, and strategic partnerships, where relevant.
• Marketing, Communications & Engagement Strategy
  Leads the Museum’s marketing and engagement strategies, including developing and executing annual marketing plans, coordinating with JCPRD Marketing and Communications, managing paid and earned media strategies, and overseeing marketing and engagement budgets. Ensures promotional strategies effectively support visitation, programs, membership, and fundraising efforts.
  
  Coordinates with Museum curators and the Museum Director to develop and administer social media schedules related to exhibits, programs, Museum work, and Johnson County history. Analyzes digital engagement metrics and adjusts content strategies to increase reach and impact.
  
  Manages Museum website content to ensure accuracy and maintain a strong digital presence. Creates publicity materials and promotes Museum programs through partnerships, social media, and other media avenues.
• Program Development, Community Engagement & Events
  Collaborates with Museum curators and internal/external partners to create, plan, support, and evaluate public programs for the Johnson County Museum and Culture Division initiatives. Ensures programs are effectively budgeted, marketed, and evaluated; uses audience feedback to refine and improve offerings; and identifies programs to reach new and underserved audiences.
  
  Builds and maintains relationships with key community partners, including civic groups, chambers, tourism departments, and professional groups to increase relevance within the community, with special emphasis on engaging underserved populations.
  
  Provides direct service and information to patrons, both in person and remotely. Maintains strong knowledge of museum engagement strategies to increase community reach and impact.
• Budget Development, Fees, Revenue & Cost Recovery
  Develops and administers program operating budgets, including planning for Museum Store needs, public programs, staffing, and equipment. Establishes program fees, manages expenses to achieve cost recovery goals, and supplements program and Museum revenues through grant writing, donor engagement, and special events.
• Education, Interpretation & Cross-Training
  Supports education and interpretation efforts by being cross-trained on Museum school programs, general tours, and special exhibit tours.
• Organizational Participation & Professional Development
  Participates in meetings, planning, and district-wide initiatives, including attending district-wide and staff meetings; serving on committees; understanding and supporting district-wide strategic objectives; providing support and coverage for coworkers; developing and maintaining expertise in museum engagement and community-building initiatives; dedicating time to professional development and serving on professional committees to provide leadership in the museum and cultural community.
• Other Duties
  Performs additional duties as assigned.

The following Leadership Competencies apply to supervisors, managers, and executives based on designated responsibilities:   

• People Management – Clearly defines subordinate roles and responsibilities; motivates employees to perform and delegates work effectively; applies consistent performance standards and handles performance problems decisively and objectively; leads by example.
• Operations Management – Directs and guides operations in alignment with the County’s and department’s overall goals and objectives; ensures the execution of efficient processes to maximize the County’s and department’s resources; utilizes operational knowledge to make sound decisions.
• Strategic Leadership – Determines the strategic direction of the team or department in alignment with overall county goals; effectively communicates strategies internally and externally; creates a culture to support strategies and provides mechanisms to implement them; fosters buy-in and enthusiasm with employees.

Supervisory Responsibilities:

Duties and responsibilities, as required by business necessity may be added, deleted or changed at any time at the discretion of management, formally or informally, either verbally or in writing.  Scheduling and shift assignments and work location may be changed at any time, as required by business necessity.

Minimum Job Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in public history, museum studies, public administration, communications, or other relevant field.
• 3 years relevant experience and demonstrated knowledge planning, executing, promoting, and measuring public programs.
• 3 years of grant, corporate, and philanthropic experience, including grant writing, donor development, and donor stewardship
• 1 year of social media experience
• 1 year project management, problem solving, attention to detail, and organization

Preferred Job Requirements:

• Master’s degree in museum studies, public history, history, American studies, nonprofit management, communications, public administration, or other relevant field.

Education/Experience Substitutions:

  Yes              Experience may be substituted for degree.

  Yes              Education may be substituted for experience.

Physical, Environmental, and Special Working Conditions:

Excessive standing and walking, lifting 25 pounds, safety-sensitive job, travel required to the museum’s two sites, and may be called upon to assist other departments in a declared emergency situation. On call/stand-by work required.

Johnson County Government requires reference/background screening for all positions.  Specified criteria may vary by Department/Agency.