Description
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Salary Range
$90,000 - $191,000
***This search is entirely conducted by a search firm, Korn Ferry.***
Overview
The Director of Operations for the Yale Center for British Art directs, integrates, and advances the museum’s operational functions in support of its mission and priorities. The Director of Operations translates institutional vision into actionable plans, while ensuring the alignment of infrastructure, staffing, and capacity. The Director of Operations reports to the museum’s Director and is a member of the Executive Leadership Team.
The Director of Operations oversees the YCBA’s operational portfolio, which consists of facilities and building preservation, custodial, security, information technology, as well as the comprehensive logistics of the museum’s collections and exhibitions. This includes overseeing the teams responsible for registration, installation, exhibition design and production.
The Director of Operations creates a safe and welcoming environment for staff and visitors, setting and implementing policy, ensuring proper stewardship of the museum's landmark building and off-site facilities. By providing guidance and structure to the art handling and registration teams, The Director of Operations ensures that collection management, art movement, storage environments, and safety systems are operated to the highest professional and regulatory standards. The role plays a key part in strengthening operational foundations, identifying efficiencies, and strategically planning for shared operations with campus partners.
The Director of Operations joins the museum at a critical juncture as it advances a forward-looking strategic framework to realize its vision and ambitions. As a senior leader, The Director of Operations fosters a positive, professional workplace culture, ensuring alignment of operational and programming decisions, while cultivating strong relationships with university stakeholders.
Responsibilities and Duties
1. Leads operational strategy and facilities planning, including building preservation, capital projects, IT infrastructure, security, exhibition production, and collection management, in alignment with the museum's mission and long-term goals.
2. Provides direction and oversight to the installation and registrar teams responsible for movement, installation, and storage of art works, as well as exhibition design and production. Ensures work meets professional standards and aligns with institutional priorities and staff capacity.
3. Partners with the Director of Finance on operational, capital, and exhibition programming budgets.
4. Ensures the safety, functionality, and accessibility of the museum’s landmark building and off-site facilities.
5. Builds strong relationships with university partners in facilities, information technology, and other relevant administrative units to coordinate services and advance institutional priorities.
6. Identifies opportunities to streamline operations and develop shared facilities or functions with other Yale museums.
7. Provides strategic leadership and support to the Head of IT to ensure digital systems are robust, secure, and aligned with institutional needs.
8. Advocates for digital innovation and integration with university-wide platforms and initiatives.
9. Leads operational risk management; maintains the museum’s risk register and ensures mitigation strategies are regularly reviewed and executed.
Skills and Abilities
1. Demonstrated interest and knowledge of organizational IT services and infrastructure.
2. Proven experience overseeing complex operational functions, preferably including exhibition production.
3. Track record of successfully delivering major capital projects.
4. Strong strategic planning and project management skills, with the ability to move from concept to execution.
5. Excellent leadership, written and verbal communication, and interpersonal skills, with a commitment to fostering positive organizational culture.
6. Demonstrated excellence in customer service.
7. Ability to cultivate strong internal and external partnerships, including with university administrative units.
8. Knowledgeable and passionate about museums, the cultural sector, and the changing needs of audiences and staff.
9. Commitment to inclusive, equitable, and collaborative ways of working.
Preferred Experience
1. Minimum of 10 years of progressively responsible leadership experience in museums or cultural institutions, with significant experience in operations and facilities management.
Principal Responsibilities
1. Work closely with the director and Core management team, oversee renovation projects including the museum, storage, and office facilities, and serve as Capital Project Manager. Develop space use forecasts and work with Yale Administration and Yale Real Estate Department to identify resources. Oversight and development of renovation and enabling project budgets. Work with Chief Curator to plan and facilitate the move and storage of art collections across multiple facilities. Plan and implement staff moves. 2. Develop and manage implementation plans and calendars for the production of Gallery exhibitions, rotations and installations. 3. Participate in planning and implementation of exhibition and collection-related capital and facility projects, including facility development and movement. Identify and gather data for strategic planning from stakeholder and gallery-user departments. 4. Develop and oversee maintenance of master calendar for department projects/activities. 5. Provide design, planning and scheduling tools and support to curatorial and education departments for exhibition production. 6. Provide consultation and resources to Art Gallery departments for mounting of exhibitions and rotations. 7. Provide resources and materials necessary to facilitate object-study mission of Art Gallery; to include work in classrooms, galleries and storage facilities. 8. Oversee production in support of Gallery exhibitions – including work by in-house fabrication shop, outside vendors and fabricators, and ready-made exhibition components. 9. Serve as communication hub for dissemination of exhibition production information and in-gallery scope and scheduling. 10. Direct project and department resources. Lead coordination of activities among and between Departments. Flow labor and material resources in response to institutional priorities. 11. Resolve conflicts, identify synergies within the department groups and the institution at large. 12. Consult with Chief Curator on collection policy issues and long-range planning for exhibition schedule, and other strategic topics as needed. 13. Serve as Core Emergency Responder (rotating). Required Education and Experience Bachelor’s Degree in related field and six years of experience or an equivalent combination of education and related experience.
Job Posting Date
12/22/2025
Job Category
Manager
Bargaining Unit
NON
Compensation Grade
Galleries & Museums
Compensation Grade Profile
Deputy Director Exhibitions Collections Facilities (M6)
Time Type
Full time
Duration Type
Staff
Work Model
On-site
Location
1080 Chapel Street, New Haven, Connecticut
Background Check Requirements
All candidates for employment will be subject to pre-employment background screening for this position, which may include motor vehicle, DOT certification, drug testing and credit checks based on the position description and job requirements. All offers are contingent upon the successful completion of the background check. For additional information on the background check requirements and process visit "Learn about background checks" under the Applicant Support Resources section of Careers on the It's Your Yale website.
Health Requirements
Certain positions have associated health requirements based on specific job responsibilities. These may include vaccinations, tests, or examinations, as required by law, regulation, or university policy.
Posting Disclaimer
Salary offers are determined by a candidate’s qualifications, experience, skills, and education in relation to the position requirements, along with the role’s grade profile and current internal and external market conditions.
The intent of this job description is to provide a representative summary of the essential functions that will be required of the position and should not be construed as a declaration of specific duties and responsibilities of the position. Employees will be assigned specific job-related duties through their hiring department.
The University is committed to basing judgments concerning the admission, education, and employment of individuals upon their qualifications and abilities and seeks to attract to its faculty, staff, and student body qualified persons from a broad range of backgrounds and perspectives. In accordance with this policy and as delineated by federal and Connecticut law, Yale does not discriminate in admissions, educational programs, or employment against any individual on account of that individual’s sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, race, color, national or ethnic origin, religion, age, disability, status as a special disabled veteran, veteran of the Vietnam era or other covered veteran.
Inquiries concerning Yale's Policy Against Discrimination and Harassment may be referred to the Office of Institutional Equity and Accessibility (OIEA).
Note
Yale University is a tobacco-free campus.
Requirements
Overview
The Director of Operations for the Yale Center for British Art directs, integrates, and advances the museum’s operational functions in support of its mission and priorities. The Director of Operations translates institutional vision into actionable plans, while ensuring the alignment of infrastructure, staffing, and capacity. The Director of Operations reports to the museum’s Director and is a member of the Executive Leadership Team.
The Director of Operations oversees the YCBA’s operational portfolio, which consists of facilities and building preservation, custodial, security, information technology, as well as the comprehensive logistics of the museum’s collections and exhibitions. This includes overseeing the teams responsible for registration, installation, exhibition design and production.
The Director of Operations creates a safe and welcoming environment for staff and visitors, setting and implementing policy, ensuring proper stewardship of the museum's landmark building and off-site facilities. By providing guidance and structure to the art handling and registration teams, The Director of Operations ensures that collection management, art movement, storage environments, and safety systems are operated to the highest professional and regulatory standards. The role plays a key part in strengthening operational foundations, identifying efficiencies, and strategically planning for shared operations with campus partners.
The Director of Operations joins the museum at a critical juncture as it advances a forward-looking strategic framework to realize its vision and ambitions. As a senior leader, The Director of Operations fosters a positive, professional workplace culture, ensuring alignment of operational and programming decisions, while cultivating strong relationships with university stakeholders.
Responsibilities and Duties
1. Leads operational strategy and facilities planning, including building preservation, capital projects, IT infrastructure, security, exhibition production, and collection management, in alignment with the museum's mission and long-term goals.
2. Provides direction and oversight to the installation and registrar teams responsible for movement, installation, and storage of art works, as well as exhibition design and production. Ensures work meets professional standards and aligns with institutional priorities and staff capacity.
3. Partners with the Director of Finance on operational, capital, and exhibition programming budgets.
4. Ensures the safety, functionality, and accessibility of the museum’s landmark building and off-site facilities.
5. Builds strong relationships with university partners in facilities, information technology, and other relevant administrative units to coordinate services and advance institutional priorities.
6. Identifies opportunities to streamline operations and develop shared facilities or functions with other Yale museums.
7. Provides strategic leadership and support to the Head of IT to ensure digital systems are robust, secure, and aligned with institutional needs.
8. Advocates for digital innovation and integration with university-wide platforms and initiatives.
9. Leads operational risk management; maintains the museum’s risk register and ensures mitigation strategies are regularly reviewed and executed.
Skills and Abilities
1. Demonstrated interest and knowledge of organizational IT services and infrastructure.
2. Proven experience overseeing complex operational functions, preferably including exhibition production.
3. Track record of successfully delivering major capital projects.
4. Strong strategic planning and project management skills, with the ability to move from concept to execution.
5. Excellent leadership, written and verbal communication, and interpersonal skills, with a commitment to fostering positive organizational culture.
6. Demonstrated excellence in customer service.
7. Ability to cultivate strong internal and external partnerships, including with university administrative units.
8. Knowledgeable and passionate about museums, the cultural sector, and the changing needs of audiences and staff.
9. Commitment to inclusive, equitable, and collaborative ways of working.
Preferred Experience
1. Minimum of 10 years of progressively responsible leadership experience in museums or cultural institutions, with significant experience in operations and facilities management.
Principal Responsibilities
1. Work closely with the director and Core management team, oversee renovation projects including the museum, storage, and office facilities, and serve as Capital Project Manager. Develop space use forecasts and work with Yale Administration and Yale Real Estate Department to identify resources. Oversight and development of renovation and enabling project budgets. Work with Chief Curator to plan and facilitate the move and storage of art collections across multiple facilities. Plan and implement staff moves. 2. Develop and manage implementation plans and calendars for the production of Gallery exhibitions, rotations and installations. 3. Participate in planning and implementation of exhibition and collection-related capital and facility projects, including facility development and movement. Identify and gather data for strategic planning from stakeholder and gallery-user departments. 4. Develop and oversee maintenance of master calendar for department projects/activities. 5. Provide design, planning and scheduling tools and support to curatorial and education departments for exhibition production. 6. Provide consultation and resources to Art Gallery departments for mounting of exhibitions and rotations. 7. Provide resources and materials necessary to facilitate object-study mission of Art Gallery; to include work in classrooms, galleries and storage facilities. 8. Oversee production in support of Gallery exhibitions – including work by in-house fabrication shop, outside vendors and fabricators, and ready-made exhibition components. 9. Serve as communication hub for dissemination of exhibition production information and in-gallery scope and scheduling. 10. Direct project and department resources. Lead coordination of activities among and between Departments. Flow labor and material resources in response to institutional priorities. 11. Resolve conflicts, identify synergies within the department groups and the institution at large. 12. Consult with Chief Curator on collection policy issues and long-range planning for exhibition schedule, and other strategic topics as needed. 13. Serve as Core Emergency Responder (rotating). Required Education and Experience Bachelor’s Degree in related field and six years of experience or an equivalent combination of education and related experience.
