Senior Project Manager

About The Lucas Museum Of Narrative Art

As the first museum to focus exclusively on storytelling through images, the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art believes that visual storytelling can connect us and help shape a more just society. With a growing collection that encompasses artworks from across cultures, places, times, and mediums, including paintings, sculptures, murals, photography, comic art, book and magazine illustrations, and the arts of filmmaking, the Lucas Museum will explore narrative art’s potential to prompt questions, invite opinions, inspire community, and move people to think about the impact of images on our world.

Co-founded by George Lucas and Mellody Hobson and led by director and CEO Sandra Jackson-Dumont, the Lucas Museum was designed by renowned architect Ma Yansong of MAD Architects with Stantec as executive architect and is under construction in Los Angeles’s Exposition Park. An 11-acre campus with extensive new green space designed by Studio-MLA will embrace the museum’s 300,000-square-foot building, which will feature expansive galleries, two state-of-the-art theaters, and dedicated spaces for learning and engagement, dining, retail, and events. www.lucasmuseum.org .

Position Summary

The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art seeks a Senior Project Manager to play a pivotal role in ensuring the tight coordination of multiple workstreams for a successful museum opening in South Los Angeles. The Senior Project Manager reports to the Chief of Staff in the Director’s Office and is responsible for coordinating workstreams across departments, managing the master schedule, defining and training others in the museum’s approach to project management, tackling discrete special projects, and working across the organization to ensure that projects seamlessly coalesce to make for a successful opening.

The position requires a high degree of diplomacy to encourage a level of transparency, openness, and trust across the institution while highlighting problems that need to be solved and their consequences. Issues need to be identified and resolved in private conversations and open meetings while still preserving a high degree of collegiality and mutual respect.

The Senior Project Manager will maintain the master schedule and lead institution-wide and functional area schedule meetings, ensuring they are substantive, schedule-driven, and forums for highlighting issues that need attention / effect any slip in schedule with other workstreams. The Senior Project Manager needs to quickly spot challenges and opportunities that require special intervention or the allocation of additional resources, and to raise those with the Executive Team. Their task is to increase accountability in the museum’s culture, not to jump into each workstreams and solve issues single-handedly.

The Senior Project Manager must enjoy collaborating with colleagues from a variety of disciplines, see the big picture as well as the details, and be excited about cultural institutions.

This position is a three-year term position with possibility of renewal.

Responsibilities

• Using appropriate software tools, strengthen and maintain the museum’s master schedule to effectively show sequences, dependencies and critical paths. The tool needs to be a living document that is accessible and uniformly used, showing current statuses at a high-level and in detail
• Create and maintain a forum to report project statuses and risks to stakeholders
• Lead project management at the Lucas Museum, defining the institution’s project management philosophy, training/coaching staff across the institution, and providing project management oversight across the institution to ensure thoroughness, consistency and alignment with institutional priorities
• Work closely with each of the departments to spot issues and highlight the effect of such issues on the overall project and other workstreams. Work to resolve those issues
• Foster a culture of accountability grounded in schedules and consequences
• Lead the institution-wide schedule meeting, highlighting areas that need attention or extra resources
• Through private conversations, smaller meetings, and broad schedule meetings, ensure that the multiple elements of the project coalesce in a way that brings all projects to a successful, closely coordinated conclusion
• Advise the Director and CEO and leadership team as to the ongoing status of workstreams and quickly highlight any issues or opportunities that need attention
• Oversee the coordination and recording of appropriate meetings
• Provide project updates on a consistent basis about strategy, adjustments, and progress
• Utilize industry best practices, techniques, and standards throughout entire project execution
• Monitor progress and adjust as needed
• Measure project performance to identify areas for improvement, maximize productivity, and efficiently deliver services
• Serve as the valued advisor in the successful management of the museum’s projects, creating the communications vehicles, meetings, and reports needed to track and successfully complete the various workstreams
• Create reports that communicate timelines and deadlines to the Director and CEO, Executive Team, and Board of Directors as needed
• Handle special projects and other duties as designated by the Director and CEO and Chief of Staff
• Manage internal and/or external project management staff/contractors when needed in the development and construction of the institution
  
  

CORE COMPETENCIES

• Formulating Strategies & Concepts: Works strategically to realize organizational goals; sets and develops strategies; identifies and develops positive and compelling visions of the organization’s future potential; takes account of a wide range of issues across, and related to, the museum
• Analyzing: Analyzes numerical and verbal data and all other sources of information; breaks information into component parts, patterns, and relationships; probes for further information or greater understanding of a problem; makes rational judgments from the available information and analysis; produces workable solutions to a range of problems; demonstrates an understanding of how one issue may be a part of a much larger system
• Working with People: Demonstrates an interest in and understanding of others; adapts to the team and builds team spirit; recognizes and rewards the contribution of others; listens, consults others and communicates proactively; supports and cares for others; develops and openly communicates self-insight; excellent communicator with the ability to diplomatically build consensus among various constituents with diverse interests; proven ability to lead and motivate a workforce; ability to manage and influence people that are not direct reports
• Applying Expertise & Technology: Applies specialist and detailed technical expertise; shares expertise and knowledge with others; uses technology to achieve work objectives; demonstrates an understanding of different organizational departments and functions
• Commitment to Mission: Whether from the art world or not, demonstrates a deep understanding of the importance of furthering the mission of the institution
  
  

Qualifications

• BA/BS or equivalent experience in project and schedule management
• 5-8 years of direct experience in leading the project management of complex projects with multiple interdependencies
• Expert in project management methodologies, best practices, and project scheduling concepts such as predecessors, slack and critical path
• Highly proficient in project management software such as Microsoft Project
• Experience in having difficult conversations that lead to real improvement and results
• Experience in motivating and supporting professionals who are not direct reports
• Proven ability to solve problems creatively
• Excellent analytical skills
• Strong interpersonal skills and extremely resourceful
• Ability to complete projects according to outlined scope, budget, and timeline
• Proven experience with museums is helpful but not essential
• Project Management Professional (PMP) certification preferred
  
  

$110,000 - $130,000 a year

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY AND OUR COMMITMENT TO DEAIB

The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art embraces diversity and equal opportunity. We are committed to building a team that represents and supports a variety of backgrounds and perspectives. The Lucas Museum fosters a work environment that is free of discrimination and harassment, whether based on race, national origin, gender, gender expression, religion, ethnic background, age, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or any other criterion prohibited by applicable federal, state, or local laws. We believe that diversity and inclusion among our team is critical to our success, and we seek to recruit, develop, and retain the best qualified people from a diverse candidate pool. Applications from traditionally underrepresented communities are encouraged.

The statements in this description represent typical elements, criteria, and general work performed. They are not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required for the job.

MISSION AND VISION

We are a museum dedicated to the art of storytelling. Through visual storytelling the Lucas Museum expands the role of art and museums for society. The Museum inspires thought provoking ideas and conversations that are relevant within and beyond geographic boundaries. Our work radiates to catalyze more connected and empathetic spaces. The art of storytelling connects us to shape a more just society.

VALUES

Our internal and external practice is shaped by the following beliefs and behaviors.

PEOPLE FIRST

We meet people wherever they are (physically, intellectually, emotionally). Our inclusive practice connects who people are and what people find meaningful, to works of art and the work of our organization.

INSPIRED

We believe that art can move you to feel, think, reflect, and act.

COLLABORATIVE

We believe that nimble thinking and working together yields exponential results.

BRAVE

We approach our work and learning with courage, creativity, curiosity, and a sense of adventure.

4 STRATEGIC PRIORITIES

ART

Amplify the social impact of Narrative Art through an approach that bridges the academic and the popular.

COMMUNITY

Connect to a broad and diverse public by create an institution rooted in impactful, respectful, sustainable relationships.

INCLUSION

Practice diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility and belonging in all operational and programmatic aspects of our work.

OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE

Create a healthy and durable institution equipped to fulfill its vision and public mandate.

All staff at the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art lead through a deep commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, both within the Museum and with the communities that we serve.

Salary and titles will be assigned commensurate to the successful candidates’ education and experience. An attractive compensation package will be offered to the successful candidate(s).

Pursuant to the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art’s COVID-19 Mandatory Vaccination Policy, the museum requires all new hires to provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination as a condition of employment absent an approved medical and/or religious exemption. Upon hire, all new hires will receive detailed instructions on complying with this policy. Federal, state, or local public health directives may impose additional requirements.