Apologies the attachment was stripped... -nik An Invitation to Apply for the Position of Vice President and Chief Digital Officer American Museum of Natural History, New York, New York
THE SEARCH The American Museum of Natural History ("AMNH" or the "Museum") seeks a visionary, strategic-minded leader as Vice President and Chief Digital Officer. This is a newly created leadership position at the Museum and an outstanding opportunity to head digital strategy formulation and implementation at one of the world?s preeminent scientific and cultural institutions. Since its founding in 1869, the American Museum of Natural History has advanced its global mission to discover, interpret, and disseminate information about human cultures, the natural world, and the universe through a wide ranging program of scientific research, education, and exhibitions. Today, it is one of the largest natural history museums in the world, housing more than 40 exhibition halls, numerous laboratories and teaching facilities, a major natural history library, and vast storage areas for its extensive collections of specimens and cultural artifacts. Long an innovator in science research and education, the Museum recently established the Richard Gilder Graduate School, becoming the first and only museum in the U.S. to offer a Ph.D. degree. The Vice President and Chief Digital Officer (CDO) reports directly to the President and will build and lead a new centralized Digital Group to serve and support the Museum?s mission, operations, and programs. In collaboration with other Museum leaders and constituencies, the CDO will have responsibility for the development, promotion, and management of all digital content and activities at the Museum. A highly visible position on the AMNH senior leadership team, the CDO will have tremendous potential for institution-wide impact. The American Museum of Natural History has retained Isaacson, Miller, a national executive search firm, to assist in the recruitment of the Vice President and Chief Digital Officer. After extensive consultation with representatives from the Museum?s leadership, the firm has prepared this document, which will be shared with candidates and sources in the search. More information about the Museum can be found at http://www.amnh.org/. BACKGROUND History and Mission The American Museum of Natural History is a nonprofit, educational corporation, chartered in 1869 as a museum and library by a special act of the Legislature of the State of New York. Established ?for the purpose of . . . encouraging and developing the study of Natural Science; of advancing the general knowledge of kindred subjects and to that end of furnishing popular instruction,? the Museum counts among its early supporters founder Albert S. Bickmore, as well as such prominent New Yorkers as Theodore Roosevelt, Sr. and J.P. Morgan. The Museum is a member of the University of the State of New York under the auspices of the Regents of the State of New York and is accredited by the American Association of Museums. Since its founding, the American Museum of Natural History has been one of the world?s preeminent institutions for scientific research and education, with a commitment to exploring the broad range of natural history ? including cultural history, systematics, and earth processes, as well as the diversity and behavior of zoological life. The AMNH mission, which reflects a close integration of science and education, is "to discover, interpret, and disseminate through scientific research and education knowledge about human cultures, the natural world, and the universe." Today, AMNH is a complex, multifaceted organization with broad international scope and impact and one of the largest natural history museums in the world. AMNH has earned recognition as a leader in research in the natural sciences and anthropology, as well as in museum education and exhibition. It is renowned worldwide for its extraordinary collections of artifacts and specimens and for its exceptional program of permanent and temporary exhibitions, which present a panorama of the world?s cultures, serve as a field guide to the entire planet, and examine the universe beyond Earth. The AMNH campus sits in the middle of the approximately 18-acre Theodore Roosevelt Park of the City of New York on Manhattan?s Upper West Side and comprises a complex of 27 interconnected buildings housing 45 permanent exhibit halls, a planetarium, temporary exhibition halls, research and collections facilities, and a natural sciences library, with parking and food service amenities for the convenience of its approximately four million annual visitors. Throughout its history, the Museum has had a commitment to the exploration and conservation of the natural world that has been rivaled by few other institutions. Its scientific staff numbers over 200, including more than 40 curators, and carries out research programs in anthropology, astrophysics, biology, earth and planetary sciences, molecular systematics, and paleontology. AMNH scientists steward collections which currently number over 32 million specimens and artifacts and which increase an average of 90,000 items a year. In recent years, the Museum?s collections have moved into new areas such as frozen collections of DNA and tissue samples and access to large scientific digital databases of genomic and astrophysical data. The Museum has long been at the forefront of efforts to discover the myriad species that inhabit this planet and to understand the history of life, an initiative of profound importance today in light of major worldwide losses of plant and animal species. As part of this effort, the Museum has launched an institute for non-human comparative genomics research. With the opening of the widely heralded Rose Center for Earth and Space and the reconstructed Hayden Planetarium, the Museum also launched a department of astrophysics, which has grown to a staff of some twenty researchers. Through their work, Museum scientists are retracing the evolutionary tree, documenting changes in the environment, exploring, mapping, and modeling stellar bodies in the universe, and describing the achievements of human culture ? affecting common notions of where we come from and where we may be headed. Since 1887, the Museum has sponsored thousands of expeditions, sending scientists and explorers to every continent. Among the most prominent of these are the Central Asiatic Expeditions to Mongolia, led by Roy Chapman Andrews, which from 1921 to 1930 uncovered the first dinosaur eggs and an astonishing array of new dinosaurs and previously unknown fossil mammals. The Jessup North Pacific Expedition of 1897 to 1903 was led by Franz Boas, the anthropologist who originated the idea that all cultures are intrinsically equal, and who was a mentor of another famous Museum anthropologist, Margaret Mead. The Museum?s tradition of exploration continues today with more than 100 field projects each year, including ongoing research in such places as Mongolia, Madagascar, China, Chile, and New Guinea. The Museum?s research provides the foundation for its other core mission: education. Seeking to increase scientific literacy among both adults and children, to address issues that affect our daily lives and the future of the planet and its inhabitants, and to provide a forum for exploring the world?s cultural diversity, the Museum has an extensive and diverse set of educational programs serving a range of audiences. Advanced scientific training has long figured in the AMNH educational offerings and in 2006, AMNH became the first American museum authorized to grant its own Ph.D. degree with the establishment of the Richard Gilder Graduate School. In fiscal 2007, AMNH received pledges totaling $54 million designated for endowment to support the Graduate School, which will matriculate its first class in the fall 2008 and offer a doctoral program in comparative biology. The school will be housed on Museum premises and will capitalize on its existing graduate training programs run in conjunction with schools such as Columbia University, CUNY, and New York University. AMNH works closely with the formal K-12 education system to enrich school programs, train science teachers, and foster science literacy in New York City and across the country. More than 460,000 children visit each year in organized school groups and many more participate in programs that go beyond the Museums walls. A wide range of special programs is offered for students from preschool through high school, including classes taught by Museum scientists and instructors in biology, earth sciences, astronomy, and anthropology and a range of mentoring and internship programs. The Museum has an extensive program of professional development for teachers and administrators, at all levels of schooling and covering nearly all areas of the curriculum and a diversity of teaching and learning strategies. An array of educational programs for adults, including lectures, films, symposia, conferences, and performances, is also offered. Additionally, the Museum conducts extensive educational outreach into the New York community, working in partnership with families, community-based organizations, and schools. On the national level, the Museum?s National Center for Science Literacy, Education, and Technology educates teachers, children, and families through the development of materials and products. In all of its work, the Museum makes a fundamental commitment to reaching out to communities that traditionally have lacked access to cultural and scientific resources. The Museum is guided and supported by a distinguished Board of Trustees and led by President Ellen V. Futter, the former President of Barnard College. The Museum?s fiscal year 2007 operating revenues and support totaled $154 million, derived from paid attendance, contributions and grants, funds from the City of New York for operating and capital needs, income from the endowment, auxiliary services, and membership. Current Situation Under the leadership of President Futter, the Museum has enjoyed a period of revitalization and expansion over the last decade, moving forward boldly to advance its mission of scientific research and education. New research centers and programs, physical expansion and refurbishment, and innovative educational activities have broadened the scope and scale of the Museum. A global leader in scientific education and research, the Museum is serving more people today than ever, as its exhibitions and scientific and educational content are distributed widely through a number of new channels. Central to this expansion has been the innovative use of computer technology. The Museum?s rich website is the digital portal to its many products and programs serving science research and education. The Digital Library Project (DLP) has enabled access to the Research Library?s world renowned collections through digitization projects that allow Web access to key portions, including its rich photo archives. The Museum is now looking at ways to expand the DLP in order to integrate and consolidate its various electronic resources and to offer increased resources to the world?s scientific community. The AMNH National Center for Science, Library, and Technology develops on-line and off-line projects and products to support science education at home and in schools. Forging key partnerships with schools, universities, publishers, and community organizations, the National Center produces high-quality, content-rich programs and materials using a range of technologies, such as software, video, the Web, and print media. Looking to the future, the Museum anticipates that technology in general and digital technology in particular will play an increasingly important role in the creation and delivery of its complex array of offerings and activities. To this end, the Museum has worked with IBM Global Business Services over the past several months to analyze its current digital enterprise and to define an organizational strategy to more effectively harness the power of digital technology. Informed by this IBM study and committed to remaining at the vanguard of science research and education, the Museum leadership has created the new position of Vice President and Chief Digital officer. THE ROLE The Vice President and Chief Digital Officer reports to the President and is a key strategic leadership role within the Museum. The CDO will be advised by the Museum?s Digital Governance Committee, comprising members of the Museum?s senior management team and other key staff. The CDO is charged with developing and refining on an ongoing basis the Museum?s digital strategic plan, in close collaboration with the President, Digital Governance Committee, and senior leadership. The central contact point for all digital activities, the CDO will have broad institutional impact and will collaborate with and support all areas of the Museum, including Science, Education and Exhibition activities, as well as institution-wide administrative areas, particularly Information Technology, Marketing, Development, Visitor Services, and Business Development. The CDO has responsibility for creating, developing, and leading a new, centralized Digital Group within the Museum. S/He will oversee all activities related to the Museum?s use of digital technology, including website management, digital metrics and performance, channel and product management, and distribution, partnerships, and development. The CDO and his/her team will manage enterprise-wide digital tools and technology in concert with the Information Technology function. OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES The Vice President and CDO?s overarching challenge will be to provide strategic vision for the Museum?s varied digital activities and to build, develop, and lead its newly created, centralized Digital Group. The following, more specific opportunities and challenges suggest initial areas of focus and accountability for the new CDO. Craft the Museum?s digital strategy A critical and primary task for the new CDO is to develop the Museum?s overall digital strategy. The Museum seeks to migrate to a ?Web 2.0? approach, with an emphasis on creativity, interactivity, information sharing, and collaboration. As the Museum?s digital architect, the CDO will determine how digital media can shape new audience experiences and enhance existing ones, maximize its scientific and educational impact, and promote greater visibility. This effort will require close collaboration with a broad range of internal and external constituencies. The Museum seeks a collaborative, innovative digital strategist who can nurture relationships across all levels of the institution, contribute critical counsel to the President and senior leadership team, and advance the Museum?s mission. Establish and provide leadership to the Digital Group An integral step in implementing the Museum?s digital strategy is the establishment and management of a newly created Digital Group. Digital strategies and efforts are currently decentralized across the Museum and building a new digital department requires reorganization of key staff from various departments as well as hiring new personnel. The Digital Group will have responsibility for website management; digital metrics and performance; channel and product management; and distribution, partnerships, and development. Groundwork is underway to build this team, but an important task for the CDO will be to coalesce and develop a brand new operation. The Museum needs an entrepreneurial builder and organizational leader who can create and manage a high functioning and highly collegial team that will deliver value and results to the Museum?s many constituencies. Improve the Museum?s web presence As a preeminent scientific and cultural institution, the Museum has a remarkable and wide-ranging audience that includes scientists, educators, donors, and the general public. A major undertaking of the CDO will be to implement a more effective, robust website that will forge stronger relationships with this audience and promote the Museum?s visibility and mission. To achieve this objective, the CDO must work with a range of Museum constituencies and functional groups to meet their respective needs. Implementing an enterprise-wide content management system will figure prominently in this work. Other priorities include assisting the scientists at the Museum build better and faster websites for their research; creating a digital presence for fund management and development; and enhancing two-way interactions with key Museum stakeholders. Develop new digital initiatives While managing and enhancing the Museum?s current digital assets and abilities, the CDO must also work to keep the Museum on the cutting edge of digital communications and media. As the digital thought leader for the Museum, the CDO must stay abreast of current and future technology trends and innovations. The CDO must continue to build on current innovations, while keeping an eye on the future and identifying and pursuing the development of new ones. Maximizing the utilization of the Museum?s digital assets, protecting them, and deploying them creatively to enhance research. education, and the physical and virtual visitor experiences, will all be critical tasks for the new CDO. THE IDEAL CANDIDATE We seek a visionary, strategic-minded, and collaborative leader who is expert in digital strategy and technology, brings significant digital experience in commercial, university, or research, environments, and possesses the maturity and intelligence to operate in a demanding intellectual environment. While no one candidate will possess all of them, the successful candidate will bring many of the following qualifications and attributes: Professional Experience ? At least seven to ten years of experience and increasing responsibility in a professional business or large scale non-profit environment related to at least one of these areas: multimedia/interactive design, digital media production, new media, web design/development, or library sciences; ? Demonstrable knowledge of state-of-the-art digital technologies and successful experience implementing major digital media initiatives; an understanding of the full spectrum of digital activities; ? A builder; a seasoned and results-oriented leader who guides with an entrepreneurial spirit to initiate and actualize new ventures; ? A track record of outstanding management; an experienced people, project, and operational manager who is able to hire, develop, and retain talented people to create a new division, to establish and uphold high performance standards, and to delegate; ? Demonstrated ability to communicate clearly, both verbally and in writing, in an informed and persuasive manner, to multiple constituencies, including scientists, curators, administrators, staff, and external parties; ? An undergraduate degree is required; an advanced degree in a relevant field of technology, media or strategy, ideally the Ph.D., is strongly preferred. Skills and Personal Characteristics ? A creative and strategic thinker; capacity to inspire and to contribute to creative thought; ? Forward-thinking; a passion for technology innovation and its application to scientific research, education and exhibition; ? Exceptional interpersonal skills; a collaborator who is able to work effectively with a wide variety of people at all levels, to inspire trust, to organize people into effective teams, and to motivate them to work hard and well together; ? Very organized tactical manager; capable of defining and implementing effective management structures and systems; ? A strong customer service orientation; able to build and sustain a culture defined by excellence and responsiveness; ? Confident and comfortable within both academic and business environments; a strong appreciation for the academic culture and the operational imperatives within an institution devoted to preservation and innovation; ? Outstanding communicator; comfortable and effective in opening channels of communication, listening to customers? needs, and cultivating a healthy, productive, and ongoing dialogue; ? Strong leadership quality and public presence; able to represent AMNH at most senior levels internally and externally; ? Negotiation skills; well-developed political skills; able to take ownership as needed yet seek counsel as appropriate; ? Integrity, good humor, and a high level of energy. TO APPLY All inquiries, nominations/referrals, and resumes with cover letters, should be sent electronically and in confidence to: Vivian Brocard, Vice President Katherine Ziemer, Associate Isaacson, Miller 334 Boylston Street, Suite 500, Boston, MA 02116 E-mail: 3640 at imsearch.com American Museum of Natural History is an Affirmative Action, Equal Opportunity Employer and encourages applications from women and minorities.