Site Director, NAAMCC

Position Summary:

The Director of the National Afro‑American Museum and Cultural Center (NAAMCC) provides strategic, people‑centered leadership for the day‑to‑day operation, public experience, and long‑term sustainability of this flagship museum. This role is responsible for leading staff, stewarding resources, and ensuring that the site's programs, partnerships, and visitor experience align with Ohio History Connection's mission, values and strategic priorities. This new leader will lead a new fundraising strategy and vision for revitalizing NAAMCC in the second quarter of the 21st century.

The Director operates as both a senior site leader and an institutional partner-translating organizational strategy into site‑level execution, elevating community voice, and supporting thoughtful growth without over‑extension. The role emphasizes leadership through teams, collaboration across divisions, and disciplined stewardship rather than sole ownership or subject‑matter authority.

The Director will be working with the team and community towards the vision:

A new day for the National Afro-American Museum & Cultural Center, centered on renewed investment in the Wilberforce campus, deeper community partnerships, and expanded statewide impact. In this next chapter, NAAMCC will welcome more visitors on site, activate its museum spaces, and serve as a platform for sharing stories and collections across Ohio through meaningful collaborations with partner institutions.

Essential Functions:

Site Leadership & Operations

• Provide overall leadership for NAAMCC museum operations, ensuring a welcoming, safe, and mission‑aligned visitor experience.

• Set clear priorities, expectations, and performance standards for site staff while empowering teams to deliver high‑quality work.

• Oversee scheduling, staffing models, and operational practices to support sustainability and consistency.

Staff Leadership & Team Development

• Supervise and support site leadership staff, fostering a culture of accountability, learning, collaboration, and care.

• Lead through staff by setting direction, coaching performance, and supporting professional development.

• Guide staff through change and growth with clarity, transparency, and steadiness.

Financial & Resource Stewardship

• Manage the site's operating budget in alignment with organizational priorities and available resources.

• Cultivate and create opportunities for fundraising and new support for the museum's new future.

• Partner with Finance, Development, and site leadership to support responsible revenue generation and expense management.

• Ensure staff understand budget expectations and their role in stewardship.

Programs, Exhibits & Public Experience

• Provide strategic oversight of site programming, exhibits, and interpretive experiences, ensuring relevance, quality, and alignment with mission.

• Support innovation and experimentation while maintaining focus on audience impact and organizational capacity.

• Collaborate with internal experts, particularly the Public Engagement Division, rather than personally owning all content development.

Community Engagement & Partnerships

• Build and sustain relationships with local communities, cultural organizations, educators, and stakeholders connected to African American history and culture in Ohio.

• Cultivate strong, sustained partnership with local universities in Wilberforce, Ohio.

• Represent NAAMCC in community settings as a listener, collaborator, and institutional partner.

• Address community feedback thoughtfully and integrate learning into site practices.

Organizational Integration & Influence

• Collaborate across Ohio History Connection divisions to align site priorities with organizational strategy.

• Contribute to institution‑wide planning and initiatives as a site leader within a larger system.

• Communicate site needs, opportunities, and risks clearly to senior leadership.

Required Education & Experience

• 
  Bachelor's degree from an accredited institution in a relevant field PLUS seven to ten years relevant working experience

• Demonstrated leadership experience in museums, cultural institutions, historic sites, or related mission‑driven organizations.

• Demonstrated success in fundraising campaigns

• Experience managing staff and overseeing daily operations in a public‑facing environment.

• Experience managing budgets or significant financial responsibilities.

• Strong communication skills, including the ability to build trust across diverse communities.

• Commitment to African American history, culture, and public engagement.

Required Competencies:

• 
  
  People ‑ Centered Leadership: Ability to lead teams and managers with clarity, empathy, and accountability.

• Fundraising : Experience in cultivating donors and working with development partners to create new opportunities.

• Financial Judgment: Comfort managing budgets and making resource tradeoffs in a mission‑driven environment.

• Decision ‑ Making Under Ambiguity: Capacity to move work forward without perfect information.

• Relational Acumen: Skill navigating community relationships and institutional dynamics with credibility and care.

• Strategic Translation: Ability to connect organizational goals to site‑level action.

• Change Resilience: Steady leadership during periods of growth, evaluation, or transition.

Work Environment:

• Ability to be onsite at the museum in Wilberforce, Ohio a minimum of 4 days per week.
• Ability to work flexible hours, including evenings as needed.
• Ability to travel to the Ohio History Connection administrative offices in Columbus, Ohio, as well as for meetings around the state as needed
• Mix of indoor office and museum work.

EOE Statement:

Ohio History Connection will recruit, hire and maintain a diverse workforce allowing for the inclusion of every employee's unique value, contribution and potential. OHC is committed not only to the principle of equal employment opportunity but also to the letter and spirit of the law. OHC, as an equal opportunity employer, does not discriminate in its employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy and/or related conditions, national origin, ethnicity, age, veteran status, genetic information, medical condition, physical or mental disability, or on any other basis protected by federal, state or local law. OHC ensures that equal employment opportunity applies to all areas of employment including hiring, promotion, demotion, transfer, recruitment, selection, discipline, termination, compensation, benefits and training.

ADA Compliance:

Ohio History Connection is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals. As part of this commitment, OHC will ensure that persons with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations. If reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and/or to receive other benefits and privileges of employment, please contact the Human Resources Department at 614-297-2390 or by email at [email protected].