Museum Project Director

Williams College is looking for a Museum Project Director to oversee a major upcoming investment in the design and construction of a new home for our Williams College Museum of Art (WCMA).  The new museum grows out of Williams’ commitment to the arts—a commitment that has defined us for over a century. Each year, faculty, students, and museum staff incorporate our collections into dozens of courses, ranging from art history to anthropology, biology, environmental studies, and mathematics, while our curators mount exhibitions that engage campus and diverse public audiences. The new museum’s educational and exhibition spaces will open up new possibilities for our work with campus and community. This is far more than a building. It’s the next step in Williams’ commitment to the vibrancy, relevance, and educational importance of the arts.

This is a full-time term position for the duration of the project, with an initial six year term. As the Museum Project Director, you will act as the main point of contact for the new build, providing oversight of the Owner’s Project Manager, Skanska; the Architect, SO-IL; and the various construction teams throughout the WCMA building project. This position will interface between the external teams, campus & community stakeholders, and town officials; including working closely with the current Director of the Museum and her staff, and chairing the building committees, and developing board presentations for progress updates and necessary approvals.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with internal stakeholders to guide the overall design development process and align expectations regarding the program, cost, and schedule.
• Bid, procure, and negotiate contracts for a multitude of services, as required, in support of the building project. 
• Monitor overall project progress, including all external consultants and construction team, through the design and development phases against the contractual schedules to ensure timely completion of the project 
• Coordinate the overall project entitlement process. Establish and maintain record documentation of all correspondence throughout the project.
• Inspect materials and workmanship used throughout the project to ensure compliance with contract documents and college design standards. 
• Arrange and coordinate all end of project commissioning activities, including start-up, testing, adjusting, training, and as-built documentation.
• Interpret contract language, building codes, zoning ordinances, and environmental regulations to ensure proper application and compliance
• Prepare and manage project budgets, including reviewing and approving all change requests on the project while assuring budget compliance.  

Robust engagement with campus stakeholders will be crucial to the success of this project. Communication on the Williams campus can be complicated and challenging. Sufficiently understanding the stakeholders and their perspectives will lead to the overall success of the project. 

Qualifications

• Previous experience in the management and oversight of a new museum building project or major museum renovation the renovation of a museum building project in the range of 60,000 - 80,000sf is a requirement.  
• 10+ years experience in progressively more complicated building management projects. 
• Experience in management of both design and construction project phases, with an emphasis on complex HVAC and humidity control systems.
• Must be knowledgeable in all phases of construction methods, systems, materials, and building code requirements.                                                
• Extensive experience in reviewing and analyzing cost estimates and legal contracts
• Must possess strong oral and written communication skills and can effectively manage people, budgets, and contracts (design and construction as well as various smaller vendor contracts).
• Strong presentation skills, with the ability to simplify complex technical information into digestible format.
• Working knowledge of critical path scheduling.
• A Massachusetts Construction Supervisors License and/or Project Management Professional Certification are very desirable, but not required.

This position is based primarily on campus. Pay range is from $120,000 and up, commensurate with experience. Job band 2-C.  Please visit https://staff-careers.williams.edu/ to apply - all applications will be reviewed by the search committee.
 

Conditions of Employment

Employment at Williams is contingent on the verification of background information submitted by the applicant, including the completion of a criminal record check, and education when applicable. COVID-19 vaccination with booster or approved exemption and compliance with COVID-19 related policies are required as a condition of employment at Williams.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Beyond meeting fully its legal obligations for non-discrimination, Williams College is committed to building a diverse and inclusive community where members from all backgrounds can live, learn and thrive. As part of this commitment, we will ensure that persons with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations. If reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process please feel free to contact us via phone at (413) 597-2681 or email at hr@williams.edu.