Senior Job Opportunity: New Director, Galicia Jewish Museum, Krakow

The Galicia Jewish Museum in Krakow is seeking a new Director.

Jakub Nowakowski, who has been at the helm of the museum for the past 13 years, is leaving to take up the post of Director of the Holocaust and Genocide Center in Cape Town, South Africa, starting in September.  Mazel tov, Kuba and best wishes in this new chapter! 

As new Director, the museum is seeking a candidate who will oversee the day-to-day operational management of the museum staff and  encourage innovation, growth and high-quality visitor experiences, as well as oversee strategic development and continue to build donor and grant fundings.

The Director is responsible for publicly representing the Museum to both Board members and the general public. The Director should be able to travel extensively (up to approximately 25 percent of his/her total working time) both in Poland and abroad and should have excellent Polish and English language skills.

The Museum

The Galicia Jewish Museum’s headquarters are located in a building at Dajwór 18 Street, Krakow, but it also leases other premises in Kazimierz, the former Jewish district of Kraków, Poland, district including part of the High Synagogue building.

It receives about 70,000 visitors annually.

The Museum exists to commemorate the victims of the Holocaust and celebrate the Jewish culture of Polish Galicia, presenting Jewish history from a new perspective. It is a registered charity in Poland. The objectives of the Museum are to challenge the stereotypes and misconceptions typically associated with the Jewish past in Poland and to educate both Poles and Jews about their own histories, while encouraging them to think about the future. There is a strong and supportive Board.

Home to the permanent photographic exhibition, Traces of Memory, the Museum also shows a rich range of temporary exhibitions, both curated in-house and sourced from around the world. It has an extensive cultural and education programme, providing a range of services for both individual and group visitors. The Museum also operates one of the largest Jewish bookshops in Poland, a kosher café, and facilities suitable for workshops and conferences.

The Museum employs over 20 full- and part-time staff, working in Museum Operations; Education;
Exhibitions; External Relations and Communications; and Finances and Administration.

The director’s specific responsibilities include:

1. Financial and marketing management

2. External relations

3. Fundraising

4. Supervision and curation of exhibitions

5. Education and programmes for the public.

6. Staff management

7. Statutory and regulatory obligations

Required skills and experience

1. Education and qualifications:

— a relevant degree and a post-graduate qualification would be desirable.

— demonstrated knowledge of Jewish history and culture, the Holocaust, the history of Polish Jews

— demonstrated experience in museology and education

2. Work experience and institutional exposure

—  3 years of management-level experience in an educational, museum or NGO environment

— experience with financial management (budgets, costing and finance)

— experience in fundraising, grant-writing and grant-management

— experience in staff-management

3. Communication skills

—  excellent command of Polish and English language, spoken and written

—  excellent verbal communication and interpersonal skills

— good written communication skills

— experience in bringing solutions to challenges

4. Administration Skills

— experience in managing budgets, projects and programmes

— experience in team building and interpersonal communication

— a flexible individual who is able to work autonomously while maintaining open channels of communication with a team

— ability to deal with the complexity of managing a diverse and multi-focused team

There is no application form. Applications, which should be in English, should include:

— An extended CV confirming required experience and skills.

— A covering letter explaining your suitability and motivation for applying for this opportunity.

— Applicants should supply the names of two persons who will supply references at a later stage, but are requested not to submit these persons’ references until they are advised at a later stage of the reference requirements. References requested at that later stage may be provided in Polish or English directly to the Museum, and your current employer will not be contacted without your permission.

— Please also summarize your availability for interviews.

Click here to see full details of the job requirements and responsibilities

Applicants are encouraged to visit www.galiciajewishmuseum.org to familiarize themselves with the range and activities of the Museum.

Please contact the Museum at [email protected] to receive further information.

And please also send applications to: [email protected]

Closing date for applications is 10 July 2023.