Shelburne Museum is one of the best places to work in Vermont. Benefits include access to Museum exhibits and programs, discounts at the Museum Store and Café, and participation in the employee reciprocal program with many regional attractions. Our beautiful campus, just seven miles from Burlington, is a welcoming place to develop your skills, connect with new colleagues, and build and shape our community. Shelburne Museum is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to fostering diversity within the museum field.

Current openings are listed below. Applicants may apply online by completing the Employment Application and attaching it, along with a cover letter and resume, to an e-mail (pdf format preferred). Please send applications to:

Human Resources
Shelburne Museum
P.O. Box 10
Shelburne, VT 05482
HR@shelburnemuseum.org

Some positions may request additional information. Final approval for hiring will be dependent upon a successful background check.

Shelburne Museum is an equal opportunity employer and gives consideration for employment to qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, military service, or because of marital, parental, or veteran status or any other characteristic protected by law. If you’d like more information about your EEO rights as an applicant under the law, please download the EEO brochure to view your rights.

If you are interested in volunteering at Shelburne Museum please click here.

Position Summary

The Director of Development (DoD) is responsible for planning, implementing, overseeing, and assessing Shelburne Museum’s fundraising plans in support of the organization’s strategic vision and growth. Reporting to the Museum Director and serving as a member of the senior leadership team, the DoD will be responsible for the museum’s annual fundraising, membership, and stewardship programs, currently achieving $2 million in contributed revenue annually, and will increase contributed revenue over the next five years based on the museum’s financial needs. The DoD will manage capital and endowment campaigns, including final elements of the 75th Anniversary campaign.

The DoD will build, lead and mentor a four-member development team including: Grants and Special Projects Manager, Major Gift Officer, Annual Fund and Membership Manager, and Development Assistant. Working closely with the director, board, senior staff, museum partners, and community to cultivate new donors while energizing and stewarding the donor base, the DoD will strengthen the culture of philanthropy at Shelburne Museum.

 
Roles and Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership

  • Lead, oversee, and implement with the director an integrated fundraising plan, including the 75th Anniversary campaign, with goals, objectives, timelines, and assignment of responsibilities to achieve and support initiatives contained within the museum’s strategic plan.
  • Develop goal-driven, short- and long-term fundraising strategies for annual operating, endowment, planned giving, and capital campaigns.
  • Collaborate with program and collections staff to secure necessary funding for thoughtful and illuminating exhibits and acquisitions that are vital to community engagement and the national and international reputation of the museum.
  • Cultivate and maintain strong partnerships with the board, major donors, foundations, public agencies, and corporate funders to grow substantial contributed revenue opportunities.
  • Identify, cultivate, solicit, and steward a personal portfolio of current and new funding sources, and explore opportunities for additional individual, foundation, and corporate philanthropy.
  • Guide, cultivate, and increase the membership base, creating compelling opportunities for members while developing a pipeline for community engagement and support.
  • Expand the endowment and increase working capital reserves as part of increasing long-term financial stability for the organization.
  • Maintain a strategic knowledge of best practices and significant trends in philanthropy and adapt fundraising strategies as necessary.
  • Embrace other strategic leadership responsibilities as needed.

Board and Donor Engagement

  • Partner with the director to identify and recruit new board members, educate members about their role in advancing a culture of philanthropy, cultivate and solicit them for financial support, and leverage their respective networks to expand the donor base and support for the museum.
  • Devise strategies with the Development and Campaign committees that allow the Shelburne region’s community to engage with the museum as donors, collectors, partners, advisors, and community ambassadors.
  • Ensure high-quality, individualized, and meaningful stewardship of donors, coordinating with colleagues throughout the museum and personally stewarding donors as needed.
  • Speak credibly and persuasively about Shelburne Museum’s vision for the future with current and prospective board members.
  • Lead and oversee the development team in creating and promoting effective cultivation and solicitation opportunities that involve the director, members of the board, curatorial and senior leadership team.
  • Advise board members, both individually and collectively, on best practices in community ambassadorship and donor cultivation.
  • Embrace other board engagement and recruitment, and donor engagement responsibilities as needed.

Team and Organizational Oversight

  • Recruit, diversify, coach, inspire, and motivate a strong fundraising team that represents the communities that Shelburne Museum serves.
  • Partner with the Director of Finance to ensure sound fiscal operation of the fundraising function, including timely, accurate, and comprehensive budgeting, monitoring, forecasting, and reporting of charitable contributions and department expenses.
  • Collaborate with the Director of Communications to ensure consistent messaging and outreach strategies as they affect all fundraising efforts.
  • Work with the annual giving and membership teams and colleagues in communications and marketing to increase membership and participation in the annual fund.
  • Create a supportive, collaborative, productive, and healthy work environment based on respect, teamwork, and the equity, diversity, and inclusion values of the museum.
  • Set performance standards and provide timely, constructive feedback while supporting opportunities for professional development.
  • Support team ingenuity with appropriate human resources, structures, systems, and technological platforms that are in alignment with current and future trends in fundraising.
  • Ensure the strategic use of the database and other development communication tools, coordinating communications with existing and potential donors to ensure the highest level of donor engagement, satisfaction, expressions of appreciation, and active stewardship.
  • Embrace other team and organizational effectiveness responsibilities as needed.
 
Traits and Characteristics

The Director of Development will be an experienced development professional with a demonstrated capacity to achieve contributed revenue goals, an affinity for Shelburne Museum’s mission and collections, and have a passion to positively impact the organization’s long-term success. The successful candidate will be goal-oriented and highly self-motivated, balancing both individual and team, autonomy and collaboration with finesse. The DoD will be both highly accountable with strong attention to detail and exceptional follow through in partnership with the director, board, and senior leadership team. An effective communicator and authentic relationship builder, they will show sensitivity and a strong commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion in all its forms.

Other key competencies include:

  • Leadership – The ability to articulate a vision and create a sense of purpose and direction for internal and external stakeholders.
  • Self-Starting, Time, and Priority Management – The capacity to demonstrate initiatives, the clarity to prioritize and complete tasks to deliver desired outcomes with allotted time frames, the willingness to initiate and pursue a robust work plan, and be responsible for initiatives, decisions, and actions.
  • Member / Customer Focus – The capacity to anticipate, meet, and frequently exceed patron and stakeholder expectations while deeply considering internal stakeholder perspectives.
  • Teamwork – The agility to cooperate with others to meet objectives; and to organize and motivate others while creating of sense of trust, order, direction, and active participation among the board, staff, and other stakeholders to achieve collective goals.
  • Planning, Organizing and Project Management – The capacity to build trust and cooperate with others to meet objectives, establishing courses of action to ensure that work is completed effectively.
 
Qualifications

bachelor’s degree is required and a minimum of seven years of experience in progressively responsible development leadership, which includes a clear understanding of all functional areas (individual giving, institutional giving, annual giving, planned giving, stewardship, board relations) and participation in a major capital campaign. Experience with a nonprofit organization, cultural or educational institution, or equivalent with a demonstrated interest and/or commitment to the museum field is preferred. The successful candidate will have excellent writing and public speaking skills. They will have a demonstrated ability to provide management oversight, leadership, and direction including experience creating and managing a budget, and a strong record of recruiting and developing exceptional people and fostering a transparent work environment where collegiality is a key to success.

 
Compensation and Benefits

Shelburne Museum offers competitive compensation, with an anticipated annual salary range between $155,000 to $185,000 and an excellent benefit package that includes annual combined time off, paid holidays, employer-paid individual health, dental, and vision insurance, 401(k) with contribution and match, life insurance, disability, flexible spending and health reimbursement, employee assistance program; and the quality of life that Vermont has to offer.

 
Applications and Inquiries

To submit a cover letter and resume highlighting relevant and demonstrable accomplishments (electronic submissions preferred), please click here or visit artsconsulting.com/employment. For questions or general inquiries about this job opportunity, please contact:

Renée Danger-James, Vice President
Arts Consulting Group 25th Anniversary
1040 First Avenue, Suite 352
New York, New York 10022-2991
Tel       (888) 234.4236 Ext. 212
Email    ShelburneDevelopment@ArtsConsulting.com

Position Type: Year-round, Full-time, Salaried, Exempt Staff position

Department: Marketing

Reports to: Director of Communications

Salary range: $50,000 – 60,000 commensurate with experience

Be part of a creative, energetic, and mission-driven team at northern New England and Vermont’s foremost public resource for programming in the arts and humanities. The graphic designer is at the hub of a busy creative team that works across departments to ensure Shelburne Museum’s brand is represented in all outward-facing communications and is responsible for the overall graphic image of the Museum.

Essential Job Functions:

  • Produce a wide array of visual communications including, but not limited to Museum newsletters, advertisements, promotional posters/ads, and more
  • Manage a high volume of work with attention to deadlines   
  • Collaborate with multiple departments to meet marketing and design objectives   
  • Other duties as assigned

Education and Experience:

  • Bachelor’s degree in graphic design or related 
  • 5 years of corporate or agency design work preferred

Qualifications:

  • Up to date on current and evolving design technology 
  • Experience with web design/html preferred    
  • Experience with expense management is highly desirable 
  • Demonstrated proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, XD, Acrobat Professional, and Lightroom), Microsoft Office Suite, Internet usage, and reporting software.
  • Experience in administrative duties as they relate to producing marketing materials.

Department: Landscape & Grounds

Reports To: Director of Preservation, Landscape & Grounds

Salary Range: $17 – $21/hr DOE

Responsible for general maintenance of Shelburne Museum’s landscape on the main campus and our founders’ estate, Brick House.

  • Operate and maintain a variety of landscape equipment. Including string trimmers, push mowers and backpack blowers.
  • Regular maintenance of gravel roads and walking paths, fence repairs, pruning of tree’s and bushes.
  • Other Duties include Spring and Fall cleanup, mulching gardens, and occasional maintenance of gardens as needed.
  • Experience and Skills:

Must be 18 years of age or older and possess a high school diploma or equivalent. The position requires you to drive a golf cart and a standard shift utility vehicle or mowing equipment, therefore, a Vermont driver’s license is required. Two years of similar work experience preferred. The ability to work safely in a family oriented environment.

Working Conditions:

Applicants must be able to stand and/or walk for long periods of time. The ability to lift and carry 50 pounds, and be able to do rigorous labor for extended periods necessary.

Schedule Requirements:

The season is April –November 2023, Monday-Friday and 30-40 hours/week. Opportunity to stay on after season ends, depending on availability and job performance.

Compensation:

$17.00 – $21.00/hour. Spectacular working environment, committed, friendly co-workers, discount at the Museum Store and Café, passes to the Museum to share with friends and family, and reciprocal benefits at regional museums and attractions.

Job Types:

  • Full-time
  • Part-time

Benefits:

  • Flexible schedule

Schedule:

  • 8 hour shift

COVID-19 considerations:

  • All employees are required to have a COVID-19 vaccination.

License/Certification:

  • Driver’s License (Preferred)

Work Location:

  • In person

 

Position Type: Year-round, Full-time, Staff position

Department: Preservation and Landscape

Reports to: Director of Preservation and Landscape

Salary range: $45,000 – $55,000 DOE

The Landscape and Gardens Manager is a working supervisor responsible for all aspects of planning, implementing, and maintaining the grounds of the Museum campus, administrative area, and Brick House facility.  Shelburne Museum holds numerous gardens and detailed landscape backgrounds, many of which are award winning.  We hope this opportunity will generate excitement, creativity, precision, and leadership in our final candidate.  

Essential Job Functions:

  • Design and create all new and existing annual and perennial gardens
  • Plant and/or purchase all plants needed throughout the Museum
  • Manage budget
  • Determine staffing needs, interview, hire, discipline, and evaluate staff
  • Approve payroll 
  • Schedule staff and create on-call schedule during winter storms
  • Prune and maintain all bushes, hedges, and trees
  • Manage staff, volunteers, and contractors
  • Provide garden tours and education opportunities as requested
  • Manage fall clean-up and winterization of grounds and gardens as well and spring clean-up and preparation for planting
  • Manage snow removal and on-call scheduling, covering winter conditions
  • Provide plants to be sold at the store and maintain supply throughout the season
  • Other duties as assigned

Supervisory Responsibility:

Grounds staff including year-round and seasonal employees, and volunteers

Education and Experience:

  • High school diploma or equivalent along with specialized training in horticulture
  • Degree or training in horticulture, specifically in a historical context, preferred
  • Master Gardener’s License/Accreditation preferred
  • 7-10 years of experience required

Qualifications:

  • Excellent time management skills and ability to prioritize required
  • Creativity, attention to detail, and versatility required
  • Strong communication and organizational skills a much
  • Must be able to work collaboratively within both the Preservation and Landscape department and others and have a positive attitude
  • Must be able to walk, stand, crouch, bend, and do rigorous activity for extended periods of time.
  • Ability to lift and carry up to 50 pounds necessary
  • Ability to manage and motivate staff and delegate tasks
  • Must have current driver’s license and clean driving record

Terms:

The Landscape and Gardens is a full-time, full-benefits, salaried, exempt, employment-at-will position.

Department: Buildings

Reports to: Director of Preservation, Landscape & Grounds

Salary range: $15.75 – $18.00 DOE

The Museum Services group is responsible for the upkeep and presentation of the Museum’s public spaces and offices. This is an active, dynamic position that interacts with all departments and positively impacts the visitor experience at the Museum. Duties include, but are not limited to:

  • Janitorial Services within public spaces of buildings and restrooms
  • Set-up and break-down of spaces being used for special events and/or facility rentals
  • Assisting the Preservation and Landscape Department with special projects throughout the Museum

Experience and Skills:

Candidates must be 18 years or older and able to drive a golf cart. A Vermont driver’s license is required.

Working Conditions:

The ability to lift and carry 40 pounds and must be able to stand and/or walk for long periods of time. Experience in similar capacity preferred, but willing to train candidates who show genuine interest in maintaining historic structures and caring for the Museum during our busy season.

Schedule Requirements:

The season is April – October 2023. Must be available at least three days a week and have a flexible schedule. Weekends and holidays are required.

Compensation:

$15.75/hour to $18.00/hour based on experience. Spectacular working environment, committed, friendly co-workers, discount at the Museum Store and Café, passes to the Museum to share with friends and family, and reciprocal benefits at regional museums and attractions.

Benefits:

  • Flexible schedule
  • Employee discount

Hours per week: 20-29

Pay Frequency: Bi weekly or Twice monthly

Job Types: Part-time, Temporary

Schedule:

  • After school
  • Weekend availability

Position Type: Part Time, Seasonal, Hourly

Department: Museum Store

Reports To: Visitor Services & Museum Store Manager

Pay Range: $14/hr

Museum Store Sales associates are expected to be helpful and knowledgeable about the store merchandise as well as the Museum including the Museum’s collection, special events and exhibits.

  • Support the store, visitor services, admissions, and operation of the carousel
  • Greet and assist customers in a friendly manner
  • Operate computerized cash registers
  • Restock and clean the store daily
  • Operate the Museum’s carousel while upholding strict safety regulations

Experience and Skills:

Positive and friendly attitude, previous experience working with public necessary and experience with computerized registers along with cash handling preferred. Must be able to vacuum and do light maintenance.

Working Conditions:

Applicants must be able to stand and/or walk for long periods of time.

Schedule Requirements:

The season is April – October 2023, with the possibility to extend through January 1st, 2024. Must be available at least two days a week and have a flexible schedule. Weekends and holidays a must. Hours may vary due to visitor attendance.

Compensation:

$14.00/hour. Spectacular working environment, committed, friendly co-workers, discount at the Museum Store and Café, passes to the Museum to share with friends and family, and reciprocal benefits at regional museums and attractions.

IMLS Museums for America Project Preventive Conservator

Position Type: Year-round, Two-year Grant funded, Staff position

Position location: On-site (Shelburne, VT)

Department: Collections

Salary: $48,000-$50,000/year

Reports to: Director of Conservation & Collections

 

Overview

The Project Preventive Conservator will work with the Director of Conservation & Collections to conduct condition surveys of the furniture, textiles, and decorative arts in the Electra Havemeyer Webb Memorial Building in order to create a plan to move or protect those items in situ in preparation for work to be done on the structure’s HVAC system and the building’s envelope. They will collaborate with other members of the Collections Department to create the plan. The project conservator will also design and conduct a study of the variability of  illuminance on hanging works in the building, analyze the resulting data, and assist the Director of Conservation & Collections with other preventive conservation activities such as environmental monitoring and collaborating with collections care staff to improve conditions in storage.

This position is funded in part by a grant from the Institute for Museum and Library Services, Museums for America program, MA-252869-OMS-23.

Essential Job Functions: 

  • Document the condition of furniture, decorative arts, and textiles in the Electra Havemeyer Webb Memorial Building within the Museum’s collection management database and in accordance with the American Institute for Conservation’s (AIC) Standards of Practice and the AIC Guidelines for Digital Documentation.
  • Plan and implement a survey of existing illumination levels in the building to inform improvements.
  • Collaborate with the Director of Conservation, preparator, art handlers, assistant collections manager and registrars on matters related to storage and movement.
  • Assist with monitoring environmental conditions in buildings.

Education and Experience:

  • Master’s Degree in Art Conservation or similar; a preventive conservation major or minor preferred
  • 4-year Bachelor Degree in art history, cultural studies, chemistry, or related field

Qualifications:

  • Demonstrated organizational skills
  • Attention to detail; demonstrated oral and written communication skills
  • Knowledge of chemistry and current conservation practices
  • Computer literate with advanced knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite, especially Excel, and Adobe image editing software
  • Dexterity to handle large and heavy objects as well as small and fragile objects

Working conditions and Physical Effort

Physical ability to perform duties in museum and office settings, mobility to walk and stamina to climb stairs and stand for extended periods of time; ability to crouch and bend; vision to examine works of art, and hearing and speech to communicate in person or over the telephone. Accommodation may be made for some of these physical demands for otherwise qualified individuals who require and request such accommodation.

Benefit information

This is a full-time, benefit eligible, position. Shelburne Museum offers a generous benefits package including:

  • Medical, Dental, Vision, Life Insurance & AD&D and Long Term Disability.
  • Combined time off up to 160 hours per year, 8 hours for your birthday, and 8 hours for community servicce leave.  
  • Employees may contribute to the Museum’s Retirement plan, effective 1st of the month following 30 days. After one year of service employees are eligible for a 2% Match and 3% Safe Harbor contribution, paid for by the Museum. 
  • Other benefits include free Museum access for immediate family members and an employee discount at the Museum store and café. 
  • The benefits for this position also includes $3,000/year for professional development activities.

Background Investigation

Employment is contingent upon the results of a comprehensive education/experience background investigation and a criminal history record check.

HOW TO APPLY

To apply, please visit our careers page, https://shelburnemuseum.org/about/employment/, to download the Employment Application. We request that a completed Employment Application be sent, along with a Cover Letter and Resume, to hr@shelburnemuseum.org.  

Position Type: Year-round, Full-time, Staff position

Department: Collections

Reports to: Director of Collections & Conservation

Salary range: $60,000 – $75,000 DOE

The Museum Registrar manages the intellectual and physical control of permanent collection objects and loans. Primary functions are collections stewardship, exhibition installations, insurance, and image rights management. This is a supervisory position, and a member of the senior management team.

Essential Job Functions: 

  • Manage registration and oversees exhibition and permanent collection installations
  • Responsible for Incoming and outgoing loans
  • Manage departmental budget and provide estimates for the exhibitions budget
  • Organize and inform deaccessioning program
  • Manage storage, object tracking, and inventory
  • Responsible for the Collections Management Database
  • Oversee cataloguing and inventory of permanent collection objects
  • Oversees the collections photography and collaborates on image management, including rights and reproductions 
  • Manages the Fine Arts Insurance program, and participates in Museum-wide discussions of risk management and emergency preparedness
  • Other duties as assigned

Supervisory Responsibility:

Assistant Registrar for Exhibitions and loans, Exhibitions Preparator, Collections Manager, Collections Database Administrator, grant funded temporary positions, and volunteers.

Education and Experience:

  • 4 year degree in art history, cultural studies, chemistry, or related field
  • Master’s Degree in Museum Studies or related field preferred
  • 7 plus years registrar experience in a museum
  • Supervisory experience

Qualifications:

  • Patience and eye for detail
  • Knowledge of collections management databases, experience with migration of data preferred.
  • Art handling skills and collection care experience required
  • Excellent customer service skills 
  • Experience with budgeting, shipping objects, and insurance requirements
  • Must be committed to best practices in collections stewardship

Terms:

The Museum Registrar is a full-time, full-benefits, salaried, exempt, employment-at-will position.

Visitor Guides represent Shelburne Museum as staff ambassadors. They belong to a large community of fellow learners dedicated to sharing their enthusiasm and appreciation for art, history, and culture with more than 100,000 visitors annually.

Through engagement, learning, teaching, and serving, Visitor Guides promote, support, and provide:

  • an inclusive and welcoming museum visit and outstanding educational experience for diverse audiences;
  • insightful and personable interpretations of Shelburne Museum’s history, permanent collections, changing exhibitions, buildings, and grounds;
  • and a safe environment for visitors and the collections by maintaining a keen awareness of surroundings and responding appropriately in the event of an emergency.

Experience and Skills:

  • High school diploma or GED. The equivalent of two or more years of college preferred.
  • Demonstrated interest in history, art, and culture.
  • At least two years of experience working with the public highly desirable. Experience with customer service, prior work as an educator, and/or prior experience in a museum or related organization considered assets.
  • Enthusiasm to learn about the museum’s diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion (DEAI) initiatives through periodic paid trainings and workshops; desire to make the museum more welcoming and inclusive for visitors of all ages and backgrounds.

Working Conditions:

  • Applicants must be able to stand and walk 4 or more hours per day, stand/sit 1-3 hours, and lift/carry 15+ lbs.
  • In order to carry out interpretive, security, and visitor service functions, applicants must also be able to work in multi-level historical structures and travel throughout and among multiple sites dispersed across Shelburne’s large campus.

Schedule Requirements:

  • Visitor Guides must be available to work at least 3 days per week. (In 2023, the Museum is open from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m., every day from May 12 to October 22. On the first Friday of each month from June to September, the Museum is open until 7:30 p.m.)
  • A flexible schedule is highly desirable. Visitor Guides should expect to work some weekends and holidays.
  • New Visitor Guides will be expected to attend 3 days of paid training in early May and periodic paid trainings held during the public season (exact dates TBA).

Working Environment:

  • Spectacular working environment and committed, friendly co-workers.

Compensation:

  • $14/hr.
  • Discount at the Museum Store and Café, passes to the Museum to share with friends and family, and reciprocal benefits at regional museums and attractions.

Job Types: Part-time, Temporary