The Preservation Society of Newport County, one of New England’s largest cultural organizations, seeks a Director of Museum Affairs & Chief Curator responsible for curatorial, conservation, academic and educational initiatives at its 11 historic properties. The Director will oversee the care, display, research and interpretation of approximately 55,000 objects in the collections of the eleven historic houses, encompassing the fine and decorative arts, historic costume and textiles, photographs, books, letters, coaches, and carriages. Establish the major initiatives that focus staff efforts and financial resources on key projects in curatorial, exhibitions, collections management, conservation, public and youth programs, research, publications and site interpretation. Direct a staff of 10 full-time professionals and a $1.8 million budget.

• Oversee curatorial, exhibition and collections management activities ensuring the sound stewardship and presentation of the Preservation Society’s properties.
• Work with volunteer advisory committees for Collections, Symposium and individual houses to ensure policies for acquisition, management and treatment of collections are adhered to.
• Facilitate and help establish priorities for conservation treatment projects for individual collections objects and historic architectural elements.
• Oversee the ongoing initiative to digitize collections records for Collections Management database and for public access.
• Direct the development and implementation of a wide range of programs for diverse audiences from scholars to the visiting public, The Newport Symposium, study days and the seasonal lecture series.
• Administer the post-graduate Research Fellows program, including annual revisions to application guidelines and application review, and serve as primary academic advisor to the fellows.
• Provide content to Communications Department for the website, social media and publications, as well as appear in promotional and educational segments radio and television.
• Oversee content development and interpretation strategies for guided and audio tours, public and school programs, and publications.
• Work with members of the staff to integrate the work of the Museum Affairs department with the larger mission of the organization.
• Represent the Preservation Society at major professional conferences, public lectures, and community roundtables.
• Serve as a liaison to external stakeholders in the museum, preservation and academic communities, fostering collaboration on projects for students and professional audiences. May include participation at symposia, professional forums, public programs and accredited academic courses at the college or university level and media appearances.
• Exhibit high standards of written work and public speaking skills from the scholarly to popular level in order to effectively represent the Preservation Society's mission to a broad range of audiences.
• Participate with major fundraising endeavors from grant writing to the donor cultivation.

Qualified candidates will possess an M.A. (Ph.D. preferred) in Material Culture, Decorative Arts, American Studies, Architectural History, Art History or a related field, the ability to foster a collaborative intellectual environment among a professional staff, diplomacy and tact, and a strong presence in public speaking. Ten years of scholarly and museum or historic site management experience is preferred.