THE ORGANIZATION: 

Bishop Museum was established in 1889 to house and curate the extensive personal collection of Hawaiian objects held by Ke Ali‘i Bernice Pauahi Bishop, who was the great granddaughter of King Kamehameha I. Over the 135 years since its founding, the Museum has evolved into the premier natural and cultural history institution of the Pacific. Today, its collections include 26 million biological specimens, cultural objects, and archival documents. The Museum’s staff includes renowned scientists, cultural practitioners, exhibit designers, and a strong foundation of operational, program and advancement talent to support the caring and sharing of the Museum’s collections.  

The cultural resources of the Museum include approximately 125,000 library titles, over one million archival objects, and two million archaeological and cultural objects, making it the largest museum in the world devoted to Native Hawaiian and Pacific history and culture. Today, with a $23 million operating budget, Bishop Museum is recognized internationally for its primary source materials including natural and cultural collections as the world’s premier museum for Hawai‘i and the Pacific. As the Hawai‘i State Museum of Natural and Cultural History, Bishop Museum serves more than 200,000 visitors, residents, practitioners, scholars, and friends annually—including approximately 25,000 students on school visits—through its diverse collections, signature and traveling exhibits, educational programs, and online resources. To learn more about Bishop Museum, visit bishopmuseum.org. 

THE POSITION: 

The President & CEO is responsible for furthering Bishop Museum’s mission and managing the diverse strategic, programmatic, and financial operations of the organization. Reporting to a 21-member Board of Directors, the President & CEO will lead to actualize the current five-year Strategic Business Plan to enable Bishop Museum to thrive and anticipate future needs. 

QUALIFICATIONS:   

• The President & CEO will have at least ten years of relevant senior-level leadership experience working at natural history museums, cultural organizations, or complex nonprofit organizations.  

• Candidates with leadership experience in corporate organizations in Hawai‘i with a history of nonprofit board leadership are also encouraged to apply.  

• The successful candidate will have a strong understanding of effective nonprofit strategic planning, fiscal management, museum administration, cultural, and visitor experience, and demonstrated ability to build widespread support for an organization through collaborative efforts.  

• A history in or exposure to most of the areas of museum programs including membership, research, collections, exhibits, education, grant management, and government and external relations is strongly preferred.  

• Familiarity with Hawaiian or Pacific culture and history and/or natural history is highly valued.  

• Experience working with a nonprofit board is also preferred.  

• A bachelor’s degree is required; an advanced degree in related areas expressed above is preferred. 

COMPENSATION & OTHER CONSIDERATIONS 

The annual salary for this position is $250,000-300,000 plus the potential for a performance-based bonus. Relocation assistance, if needed, is negotiable. A comprehensive benefits package will be provided. 

TO APPLY: 

The Bishop Museum has retained Morris & Berger to conduct the President & CEO search. To view the full position description, please visit https://pub.marq.com/morrisberger_2247/.  To apply, please submit an application, including a resume and a letter of interest, in confidence to Morris & Berger through their website: https://morrisberger.com/position/?id=2247.