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Executive Director

 

Reports to: Board of Directors Status: Exempt, Full-time
Salary Range: $75,000 – $90,000 annually Date: March 2024

 

Summary / Objective:

The Astrobotic Foundation seeks a passionate and visionary Executive Director to lead the operations and growth of the Moonshot Museum, the first museum in Pennsylvania dedicated entirely to space exploration and the first museum on the planet dedicated to career readiness for the 21st century space industry. Working alongside the Foundation’s Board of Directors, the Executive Director will have the exciting opportunity to shape the Museum and its exhibits, programs, messaging, fundraising, and operating strategy in its second full year of operations.

Moonshot Museum was named the #8 Best New Museum in the country in 2023 by USA Today. It provides educational and experiential opportunities designed to make space accessible to all, with a core mission to inspire a diverse new generation to find their place in the future of space exploration through the pursuit of space careers across a variety of disciplines ranging from science, technology, engineering, and aeronautics to medicine, business, law, policy, humanities, and the arts. The Museum accomplishes this mission by engaging with visitors through innovative programming, and immersive exhibitions. Most impressively, the Museum directly connects its visitors with the real-time work of space via a groundbreaking partnership with Astrobotic—Pittsburgh’s space company and a commercial entity responsible for launching, in January 2024, the first American lunar lander since the end of the Apollo program.

The Executive Director will join Moonshot Museum at a unique moment for this young organization, having just witnessed one of the star museum exhibits, Astrobotic’s Peregrine spacecraft, launch to the Moon in January after more than 12,000 guests saw it under assembly from Moonshot Museum. The museum is now poised for growth in many different directions, as another lunar spacecraft takes shape. Moonshot Museum completed a nearly $3M capital campaign in 2021-2022, built up its operations and nonprofit infrastructure, and completed its first full year of operation in October 2023. The Executive Director will be responsible for continuing to strengthen the Museum’s financial position, bringing new fundraising and sponsorship relationships, establishing innovative local and national partnerships, and generating operational and programmatic funding for a nonprofit organization with eight employees with a budget of approximately $500,000 annually.

The Executive Director will be responsible for supporting the mission and vision of the Moonshot Museum and defining its strategic direction. This includes ensuring that resources are in place to accomplish important mission goals, recruiting and retaining staff and volunteers, keeping teams motivated and capable of exceeding expectations, and building a strong, positive organizational culture. The ideal candidate will have a combination of passion for the vision of the Museum, a track record of organizational management, and the ability to generate diverse financial support for innovative programming.

Key Job Responsibilities:

Fundraising
• Leads fundraising and partnership efforts in Pittsburgh region, national space industry, and beyond
• Supports continued development of Board of Directors engaging them in fund raising and operations support

Marketing/Brand Development
• Drives engagement through Museum marketing and communications, including keeping the Museum’s website, social medial channels, and email marketing program up to date and active
• Builds, maintains, and strengthens local community ties and regional and national partnerships

Operations
• Oversees and provides strategy for all Moonshot Museum operations and services, including planning, organization, and direction of the Museum
• Manage day-to-day finances and human resources for organization in coordination with external bookkeeper, audit team, etc. and provides regular financial and operational reporting to the Board
• Supervises the fundraising, development, prototyping, implementation, and maintenance of Museum exhibits, in-person programming, virtual programming, and mission experiences.
• Manages staffing for regular open hours, educational programs, and special tours and events; Fills in if staffing is not available
• Manages contractors across the organization’s operations in areas including finance, marketing, and special events
• Assesses outcomes and measures analytics such as visitors, engagement, and website traffic
• Serve as primary liaison with Astrobotic regarding facility needs, scheduling, coordinating VIP visitor experiences, and navigating safety challenges

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree or higher
• Non-profit fundraising experience
• Organizational management or operations experience
• Passion for space industry and connecting a diverse audience to STEAM topics
• Familiarity with developing and executing a budget plan; Establishing cost accounting policies, procedures, and operational reporting metrics
• Adept at community engagement and building membership via both traditional networks and new media
• Excellent communication and presentation skills and enthusiasm for engaging with a wide range of audiences. The executive director serves at the Museum’s chief spokesperson
• Knowledge of museum policies, programs, issues, and strategies
• Experience growing a non-profit organization
• Integrity and a professional work ethic
• Willingness to relocate to Pittsburgh, PA

Desired Qualifications:

  • Experience with nonprofits, education, science, or social enterprise strongly desired
  • Experience with museum or educational content creation including but not limited to developing lesson plans, designing exhibits, conducting demonstrations, or performing outreach

Compensation:

  • Commensurate with experience within an anticipated range of $75,000 to $90,000 per year. This is a full time, salaried position which often requires weekend and evening hours.
  • Moonshot Museum’s hiring practices are rooted in an approach driven by equity, innovation, and sustainability. As a new and growing nonprofit organization, Moonshot Museum offers a limited benefits package for its employees including medical insurance and paid time off.

Work Location:

The Executive Director will be based at the Moonshot Museum in the historic Northside neighborhood of Pittsburgh, PA. The Museum is located near downtown Pittsburgh and the newly revived public waterfront overlooking the confluence of the Allegheny, Monongahela, and Ohio rivers. It is within a short walking distance of restaurants, a metro stop, several museums, and Acrisure Stadium. Pittsburgh has been frequently rated as one of America’s most livable cities and boasts one of the lowest costs of living and average workplace commute times in the country. The greater Pittsburgh region has numerous parks, hiking trails, and outdoor recreational opportunities.

Work Environment & Physical Demands:

  • Evening and weekend work is required for special events and programs and supporting on-site staffing needs
  • The unique size and scope of the Moonshot Museum sometimes requires movement of exhibits and troubleshooting technical challenges quickly
  • Ability to thrive in the fast-paced environment of a shared space
  • The employee needs sufficient strength, agility, and mobility to perform essential functions and to safely supervise program activities.
  • While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to use a computer for extended periods of time and be able to communicate using a computer and phone/smart device.
  • The employee frequently is required to sit and reach and must be able to move around the work environment.
  • The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds.

To Apply:

Email a cover letter and resumé to EDsearch@moonshotmuseum.org. Applications will only be accepted via this email address. Please do not make use of other channels, including LinkedIn, to apply.

Employees of the Astrobotic Foundation must also be capable of completing and passing:

  • Pennsylvania State Police (PA Access to Criminal History) PATCH Record Check
  • Pennsylvania Child Abuse History Certification Check
  • FBI Fingerprint Clearance

It is Moonshot Museum’s policy to hire and promote qualified people and administer all terms and conditions of employment without discrimination due to race, religion, color, sex (including pregnancy, sex assigned at birth, sexual orientation, transgender identity, gender transition, gender expression, and gender identity), national origin, ancestry, place of birth, disability, age, genetic information, use of a guide or support animal, marital status, status with regard to public assistance, or other protected-class status.

Moonshot Museum does not discriminate based on disability in admission or access to, or employment in, its programs and activities. If you need a reasonable accommodation to enable you to complete the application process, please send a request via email to EDsearch@moonshotmuseum.org.