Chief Operating Officer - George Lucas Cultural Institution

ABOUT LUCAS MUSEUM: 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

THE OPPORTUNITY: A newly created position, the Chief Operating Officer (COO) is a key member of the senior team of the Lucas Museum, serving a critical role in creating, building, guiding, and leading the division and departments responsible for the operational infrastructure of the Museum .The COO will have day-to-day responsibility for the strategy, implementation, management, and accountability for the integration of all operational activities that impact stakeholders to effectively serve the Museum’s broad constituencies.

This role will build the teams, practices, procedures, etc., that ensure the highest level of care and oversight of the operations and resources at this fast-paced, innovative, and ambitious institution as it ramps up to opening the Museum’s physical building, 11-acre public park, digital presence, and more.

The COO reports to the Museum’s Director & CEO and works with virtually every division and department. They will also work with an engaged board of directors and founders. The COO will hire and/or scale up the teams for the divisions and departments that report directly, including Information Systems & Technology, Facilities & Park, Security, Retail, Food Services, and Box Office.

This is a truly unique career opportunity for an experienced, strategic, and entrepreneurial operations professional to guide growth in staffing, operations, systems, processes, and procedures leading up to and for the opening of the Museum. The COO will have a strong background in finance, budgeting, operations, project management, technology, risk management, and labor relations. He/she/they will concurrently maintain constancy in building the unique ethos and institutional culture that has been established by the founders and leadership. All staff at the Museum lead through a genuine, deep commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, access, and belonging both with the Museum and with the communities it serves. The starting annual base salary for the COO is $250,000 plus an attractive benefits package.

IDEAL QUALIFICATIONS:

• Passion for the Lucas Museum mission and an understanding of and respect for the institutional culture.
• Successful experience in positions of increasing responsibility in an administration and/or senior operations management role.
• Leadership-level experience with major, multifaceted not-for-profit cultural/educational/community-facing institutions.
• Ability to manage a comprehensive operational strategy to advance an organization’s mission and goals.
• Capacity to serve as a trusted strategic advisor and partner to the CEO and board.
• Experience with both contributed and earned revenue sources. Some for-profit experience may be a plus.
• Strategic planning, organizational, and project management skills are essential.
• Able to establish ambitious goals and objectives and to reach benchmarks and deliverables.
• Able to analyze trends, project management deadlines, and performance metrics.
• An effective communicator at all levels with strong oral, written, and presentation skills.
• Excellent judgement and creative problem-solving skills, including negotiation and conflict resolution.
• Willingness to be an accessible, institution-wide resource and contributing member of the executive team.
• Successful history of building, mentoring, and coaching a team of specialists.
• Ability to influence and engage direct reports and peers.
• Comfortable with ambiguity; able to envision the new and out of the ordinary.
• Able to thrive in a fast-paced, high-profile environment with elevated expectations.
• A collaborative and flexible style with a strong service mentality.
• Bachelor’s degree is required; and advanced degree is preferred.

 Howe-Lewis International is pleased to assist with this exciting search. Please click here to apply online via the Howe-Lewis Talent Portal. You may also email your resume and letter of interest to kirk@howe-lewis.com