• Job Description

  Req#: 134466

  Job Details

  Level: Senior

  Job Location: The Perot Museum of Nature and Science - Dallas, TX

  Salary Range: Undisclosed

  Description

  Russell Reynolds Associates has been exclusively retained for this search. Given the need for confidentiality throughout this process, prospective candidates are invited to reach out directly to our search consultants with a CV and brief explanation of interest at PerotMuseumCMO@russellreynolds.com or evan.sharp@russellreynolds.com.

  At the Perot Museum of Nature and Science, one can race a T-rex, challenge friends in robot competitions, explore the astonishing links between dinosaurs and modern-day birds, experience a simulated earthquake, journey through the universe, and test what it means to “be human”. Everything from dinosaurs to DNA to diamonds is packed into five levels of hands-on discovery and adventure to inspire the life-long learner in all of us. The Perot Museum is a place where families can learn together and individuals can take a break from their daily routines to ponder the vast
  mysteries of science. Visitors can wander, either to get lost or to find their way, as they discover something new and fascinating. The Museum reminds us that the universe is grander than ourselves, older than we can fathom, and that the world actually revolves around the sun, and not us. It inspires its community through exhibits, marvels, and presentations. It exhilarates and entertains visitors of all ages because, after all, it’s never too late to learn.

  The mission of the Perot Museum of Nature and Science is to inspire minds through nature and science. Focusing on its collection-based research, exhibits and educational programs (both on an off-site), the Museum is dedicated to instilling and advancing an understanding of the natural and manmade world in children, families, students, teacher and lifelong learners in the City of Dallas and throughout North Texas. The 180,000 square-foot museum features five floors of public space with 11 exhibit halls including a children’s museum complete with outdoor play space, as well as a Paleo Lab, where fossil preparators work on the latest finds of the Perot Museum’s Paleo team.
  

  The Perot Museum’s vision is to be an extraordinary resource and catalyst for science learning through innovative, highly accessible experiences that broaden understanding of our world and improve community achievement. Last year – fiscal year 2022 – marked the completion of the first remarkable decade of the Perot Museum of Nature and Science — 10 years of inspiring minds to ask more questions, make more discoveries, and experience science and nature in extraordinary ways. Having inspired more than 10 million minds since their inception, the Museum continues to build on its mission as its team delivers STEM learning experiences to all communities, both in the Museum and beyond its walls. Just like its visitors, the Museum, too, has learned a lot in the past 10 years, and its teams are using that knowledge to create learning opportunities that reach a wider audience and achieve more meaningful outcomes. Through constructive dialogue with the communities it serves, the Perot Museum has identified critical needs that the organization is well equipped to meet, and in response, has made great strides to increase access to Museum experiences and activities, advocate for greater STEM support throughout regional schools, and better serve new audiences and visitors. The need for informal STEM learning experiences is greater than ever, and the Perot Museum stands ready to deliver.
  

  The Perot Museum has an annual operating budget of $25MM with approximately 140 staff and nearly 1000 volunteers. The Museum has an endowment of $28MM and just over $36MM in cash and board designated funds. It reaches just over a million people a year with over 100,000 of those served through offsite school programs, community outreach and TECH Truck programming.

  History
  In 1936, the Dallas Museum of Natural History was established in the historic Fair Park district as part of the Texas Centennial and was one of the first natural history museums in the region. Seventy years later, the museum merged with two other Dallas museums – the Science Place and the Dallas Children’s Museum – to create the Museum of Nature and Science at Fair Park. In 2008, the Museum’s Board announced the Pritzker Prize Laureate Thom Mayne would design a new facility for the Museum at Victory Park in Dallas. When the children of Ross and Margot Perot announced a $50-million gift in honor of their parents, the Museum was renamed the Perot Museum of Nature and Science. After surpassing a $185 million fundraising goal more than a year ahead of schedule, the Perot Museum of Nature and Science opened on December 1, 2012.

  STEM Education

  The Perot Museum is a critical partner to school systems throughout the state and region. The Museum provides support
  to students and teachers by offering the opportunity to explore new ideas through tangible, interactive exhibits, in which they study everything from dinosaurs to DNA. Programming includes tactile exploration areas, discovery stations, workshops, demonstrations, lectures and symposia, field trips, labs, summer camps, and more. Online activities, interactive media, and digital educational programs extend the reach of the Perot Museum beyond its walls. The Museum serves over 230,000 school students annually.

  While COVID resulted in a dramatic increase in learning loss for students, particularly in STEM-related subjects, the
  benefits of informal science learning, such as what the Perot Museum provides, are well documented. Study after study concludes that informal science learning increases student interest, aptitude, and engagement, while also leading to better learning outcomes and a rise in awareness of STEM career paths. The Museum provides the critical resources needed to drive these outcomes for students and to enable them to maintain a competitive edge in a world increasingly dominated by STEM professions.

  Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Inclusion at the Perot Museum
  The Perot Museum of Nature and Science’s mission to “inspire minds through nature and science” is one the Museum believes in strongly and supports unconditionally. It is simple, direct, and guides the Board and staff’s thinking on all decisions. That mission derives from a belief that a shared understanding of nature and science has underpinned most of human progress through the millennia, and that as the challenges humankind faces grow in multitude and magnitude, such understanding will be critical to continued progress. Thus, fostering an environment for all where inquisitiveness about the natural world can grow and flourish is an essential component of the Museum’s mission.

  Towards that end, from the day the Museum opened in 2012, it has had a stated commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion. Over its first ten years, the Museum is proud to have inspired the minds of millions of school children and other visitors of widely diverse backgrounds from across North Texas and beyond. Yet, they know that they can do even better. There are still significant parts of the community that the Museum has not yet reached, and they recognize that this keeps the Museum from fully delivering on its mission. So, the Museum has rededicated itself to taking the power of its mission to the next level for the benefit of all.
  

  The Perot Museum of Nature and Science proactively strives to:

  • Welcome diversity in all its forms, including but not limited to race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, ability, religion/spirituality, national origin, and socioeconomic status.
  • Seek out the perspectives of their diverse constituents to better understand their needs and to discover where they can do more to engage the entire community.
  • Remove barriers from those with the least privilege by intentionally assuring that the entirety of their programming, exhibits, policies, and organization are inclusive and equitably accessible to all.
  • Assure that the Board, executive leadership, and staff all reflect the rich diversity that is their community.
  • Work to undo any systems of injustice and inequality they may find within their institution.

  Qualifications

  
  

  The Opportunity

  Since the Perot Museum opened in Dallas’s Victory Park in December 2012, it has attracted record numbers of new and returning visitors, become a cherished community and civic institution, and connected Dallas to new frontiers of scientific discovery. Rooted firmly in its mission to inspire minds through nature and science, the Perot Museum recognizes its vital role in preparing the next generation of STEM workers, supporting K-12 schools and educators, and serving as a trusted science resource for all of North Texas. Through its exhibitions and programs, the Museum offers accessible entry points for a lifetime of scientific discovery. It welcomes visitors from all communities and actively reaches out to all neighborhoods throughout the DFW region.

  Led by a Board of civically-minded individuals, the Perot Museum has paused to consider its next decade and stands ready to launch new initiatives that will ensure its world-class standing among its science museum peers. As this new chapter in the Perot Museum’s story unfolds, it will continue to be a beacon of inspiration for the changing communities of which it is a part and the wider world to which it is powerfully connected.

  The Role

  Recognizing the critical nature of proactively, authentically, and consistently engaging and developing its audiences and stakeholders, The Perot Museum is seeking a dynamic Chief Marketing Officer (CMO). Reporting to the Chief Executive Officer, Linda Silver, this leader will oversee all marketing efforts, and will bring deep brand and digital marketing expertise. They will be adept at driving creative and entrepreneurial thinking, establishing strong brand recognition in the market, and will be recognized, internally and externally, as a strong advocate and leader for the organization. They will foster new ideas and implement initiatives to meet Perot Museum’s goals in increasing the profile of the organization at the local and national level.

  The CMO will build on the organization’s successes to date, while enabling the future-oriented programs, initiatives, and work to further Perot Museum’s impact as a leading science museum across its education, engagement, and community programs. In doing so, this leader will be committed to communicating, elevating, and reinforcing the Museum’s guiding principles and making Perot Museum a leading destination for audiences of all ages.

  As a strategic leader and member of the senior leadership team, this individual will play a critical role, serving as an organizational strategist and leader first and foremost, then leveraging their functional expertise to support and drive broader institutional aims.

  Responsibilities will include, but not necessarily be limited to, the following:

  • Strategy & Vision: collaboratively, working in partnership with the rest of the leadership team, developing an overarching marketing and communications strategy that aligns with Perot Museum’s vision, is comprehensive in nature, and fully leverages the institution’s history, assets, and future ambitions; contributing as an organizational strategist and leader, including as advisor to the CEO, Chief Development Officer, other senior executives, and the Board of Directors.

  • Team Leadership: managing, coaching and developing a team of colleagues with various degrees of marketing experience and functional expertise; ensuring cohesion and coordination so the whole is greater than the sum of the parts.

  • Brand Marketing: helps build a strategy and execution plan to raise awareness of and engagement with Perot Museum’s programs and community efforts, reinforcing the institutional brand and building channels through which audiences and stakeholders can participate; increase revenues through innovative approaches to diverse audience development and retention as well as improving visitors’ knowledge of science and nature.

  • Digital Marketing: leverages technology and data to create dynamic digital marketing experiences in all the channels Perot engages its visitors and learners; brings strategic vision on how to deploy desktop and mobile experiences, email, social media, and CRM strategies in order to drive visitor acquisition and retention strategies; can deftly manage partnerships (internally and externally) to drive capitalize on media trends; is a trusted advisor on digital across the organization.

  • Communications: reinforcing and protecting reputation through creative storytelling and issues management; maintaining relationships with critical media outlets while identifying emerging outlets and influencers (across the owned, earned, paid spectrum).

  • Given the nature of the position, Perot Museum expects that this leader will collaboratively set strategic goals alongside the CEO and Board and articulate existing strengths, identify areas for growth, and operationalize a plan to ensure progress and enhanced impact through marketing efforts.

  Candidate Profile

  The ideal candidate will be an individual with an appreciation for Perot Museum’s mission. This role does not necessarily require experience directly in museums or arts and culture, although an affinity for, and understanding of, the industry would be additive, as would an appreciation for the nuanced nature of marketing in the non-profit sector.

  This position requires an accomplished leader with a reputation for having been a driving force in building strategic marketing capabilities within an organization. The successful candidate will have in-depth knowledge of the full suite of marketing best practices, a track record of working collaboratively as an executive counselor, and the credibility that comes with success in these areas.

  This individual will be a self-starter who is comfortable with leading initiatives from inception through successful execution, owning both the “big picture” and “the details.” They will be a “doer” who is hands-on and execution-oriented, and able to function in a rapidly changing environment. This requires a high degree of initiative and creativity, as well as the ability to manage multiple tasks, work under pressure, and meet deadlines. The ideal candidate will need credibility, gravitas, a strong executive presence, and influencing skills to communicate the value of strategic marketing.

  In terms of the performance and personal competencies required for the position, we would highlight the following:

  Setting Strategy

  • The ability to create and articulate an inspiring vision for the organization’s marketing efforts.
  • The inclination to seek and analyze data from a variety of sources to support decisions and to align others with the organization's marketing strategy.
  • An entrepreneurial and creative approach to developing new, innovative ideas that will stretch the organization’s approach to marketing.

  Executing for Results

  • The ability to set clear and challenging marketing goals while committing the team to improved performance; tenacious and accountable in driving results.
  • Comfortable with ambiguity and uncertainty; the ability to adapt nimbly and lead others on the marketing team through complex situations.
  • A risk-taker who seeks data and input from others to foresee possible unintended circumstances from decisions; someone who takes smart risks.
  • A leader who is viewed by others as having a high degree of integrity and forethought in their approach to making decisions; the ability to act in a transparent and consistent manner while always taking into account what is best for the organization.

  Leading Teams

  • The ability to attract and recruit top marketing talent, motivate the team, delegate effectively, celebrate diversity within the team, and manage performance; widely viewed as a strong developer of others.
  • The ability to persevere in the face of challenges and exhibit a steadfast resolve and relentless commitment to high standards.
  • A leader who is self-reflective and aware of their own limitations; leads by example and drives the organization's performance with an attitude of continuous improvement by being open to feedback and self-improvement.

  Relationships and Influence

  • Naturally connects and builds strong relationships with others, demonstrating strong emotional intelligence and an ability to communicate clearly and persuasively.
  • An ability to inspire trust and followership in others through compelling influence and active drive.
  • Encourages others to share the spotlight and visibly celebrates and supports the success of the team.
  • Creates a sense of purpose/meaning for the team that generates followership beyond their own personality and engages others to the greater purpose for the organization as a whole.

• About the company

  The Perot Museum of Nature and Science is a natural history and science museum located in Dallas, Texas.

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