Memorialization Project Director

Description

The Montpelier Descendants Committee (MDC) has reached an important milestone in power-sharing that serves as a national model for inclusive organizations. After becoming the first organization to enact the Rubric, a gold standard for engaging Descendant communities developed by scholars and Montpelier Descendants, the MDC followed up with another first: achieving structural parity with the Board of The Montpelier Foundation (TMF). Because of this, the Montpelier Descendants Committee has become the first independent, descendant-led organization to establish itself as an equal co-steward of a major historic site in America.

Building on this strong foundation, we are moving forward with an ambitious, impactful set of two projects.  The Memorialization Project and the Arc of Enslaved Communities Project will position the Montpelier Descendants Committee, Montpelier, and Virginia as national leaders in memorializing enslaved communities and immersively telling the whole truth of our history. The first project, Memorialization, entails the creation of a national memorial at Montpelier’s Enslaved Community Cemetery. The project is committed to significant broader engagement beyond the physical site, and given the significance of Montpelier as the site of the creation of the US Constitution, it will become a national monument to enslaved people in the United States. This project is an equal partnership between The Montpelier Foundation (TMF) and the Montpelier Descendants Committee (MDC). While the project has not formally begun, it builds on substantial preparatory work by both organizations.

The second project, the Arc of Enslaved Communities, is an 850-square-mile heritage area radiating from the spine of the Southwest Mountains into a historic region of central Virginia that encompassed one of the highest concentrations of enslaved Americans during the formative years of the United States. These enslaved communities formed the socioeconomic, cultural, and intellectual backbone of an ecosystem that produced, amongst other things, two iconic blueprints of the American experiment in democracy, the US Constitution (at James Madison’s Montpelier) and the Declaration of Independence (at Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello). The ARC project will identify historic sites of enslavement within the Arc and link them by creating a National Trail, providing the public with unprecedented physical access to emerging historical research and interpretation.

Job Description:

The Memorialization Project Director will oversee the Memorialization Project,  the Arc of Communities planning phase, and plan and implement associated educational programs. Coordinating with the MDC and TMF, the individual will implement processes to ensure that project deliverables are completed on time and produce the desired results. The successful candidate will be the principal for project organization, timeline, and deliverables, working from the offices of The Montpelier Foundation. Reporting to the President of the MDC  (and potentially, an Executive Director of MDC) with input from TMF staff. Projects are located in Central Virginia.

Job Duties

The position entails:

Project Management: Work with the MDC and TMF to build a national memorial to those enslaved in America by combining research, innovative methods of discovery, community engagement, and interpretation of the memorialization of enslaved communities at Montpelier and beyond. Support the MDC in building a Descendant-led initiative connecting landscapes and historic African American communities to multidisciplinary expertise to form a heritage area and trail that links Montpelier and other sites of enslavement (the Arc). Support and supervise the planning consultant hired by the MDC to design the Arc of Communities project.

Education Programming: Work with TMF and MDC to plan and implement educational programs that address the legacies of slavery and racism in our state and nation.

Liaison with TMF: Collaborate with Montpelier staff to develop partnerships brought to the MDC by TMF staff and create workflows that allow the MDC to access resources and information available from Montpelier’s two decades of work with the Montpelier Descendant Community.

Marketing and Fundraising: Develop strategies and materials for obtaining sustainable funding for the MDC and its projects, engagements, and growth targets. This includes grant writing, donor development, and creating innovative strategies.

Community Building and Communications: Enhance and expand the community that identifies as descendants associated with Montpelier and the region through newsletters, lectures, social media work, events (virtual and on-site), and programs.

Position Responsibilities:

Develop recommendations for hiring, performance evaluation, training, work allocation, and problem resolution related to the Memorialization Project and the Arc of Communities Project.

Develop project scopes and objectives, involving all relevant stakeholders and ensuring technical feasibility. Ensure all projects are delivered on time, within the scope, and within budget.

Develop detailed project planning activities, including identifying appropriate equipment, resources, and personnel needed for project budgets and research design.

Support and supervise the planning consultant hired by the MDC to design the Arc of Communities project.

Coordinate internal resources and third parties/vendors for the execution of projects.

Manage the relationship with the client and all stakeholders.

Establish and maintain relationships with third parties/vendors.

Perform risk management to minimize project risks.

Report to the MDC President to share all information concerning community outreach.

Educate members and make presentations to Committees, MDC Board members, and the community as needed.

Works with Marketing/PR Partner to develop communications plans to raise awareness of the project and encourage Virginians to participate in programs.

Create and maintain comprehensive project documentation. Monitor and measure project performance using appropriate systems, tools, and techniques.

Work closely with the President of the MDC to develop the program and operational plan during the Organizational Planning Process.

Actively contribute to and participate in the Memorialization Committee and manage Committee leadership responsibilities including leading Memorialization meetings.

Identify opportunities for community project collaboration across organizational initiatives and committees.

Cultivate, solicit, and raise matching funds for future phases of the project.

Establish partnerships with university research centers to conduct a comprehensive program evaluation using the Rubric assessment framework and produce evaluation reports.

Supervisory Responsibilities:

Manage and support the Arc of Enslaved Communities (ARC) consultant and support staff

Skills Required

Required Qualifications and Skills:

Minimum of a Master’s degree in African-American studies, public history/humanities, anthropology, social sciences, historic preservation, museum studies, or equivalent discipline.

Program Management, preferably in museum management or community engagement.

Grant and Financial administration and reporting.

Minimum 2 years’ experience supervising and managing projects.

Excellent verbal and written communication skills.

Excellent interpersonal skills with an emphasis on relationship building.

Excellent organizational skills, attention to detail with a proven ability to meet deadlines.

Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.

Strong leadership skills and ability to prioritize tasks to delegate them when appropriate.

Ability to function well in a high-paced environment.

Proficient with Microsoft Office Suite or related software.

Physical Requirements:

Work on-site at Montpelier during regular business hours.

Ability to work outdoors in inclement weather and adverse field conditions.

Must be able to lift up to 40 pounds when required.

Hold a valid drivers license.

Work Schedule

Full-time, days.

Comprehensive benefits package to include retirement plan matching on day one and an inclusive & collaborative culture. Generous PTO and all national holidays.

Additional Info

Apply here:

https://recruiting.myapps.paychex.com/appone/MainInfoReq.asp?R_ID=4878414&B_ID=91&fid=1&Adid=0&ssbgcolor=273A5B&SearchScreenID=17293&CountryID=3&LanguageID=2

www.montpelier.org