Cultural Institutions Group

Job Opportunities

Opportunities at Cultural Institutions Group members.

Chief of Staff and General Counsel

The Chief of Staff and General Counsel (the “COS”) serves as a critical strategic advisor to the Director and Chief Curator in developing, organizing, coordinating, and implementing both creative and operational initiatives and plans across the organization. This is a unique position that intersects both administrative and legal functional expertise to serve as a thought partner to the senior leadership team and an ambassador for the Director and Chief Curator with Studio Museum Staff, Board of Trustees, elected officials, strategic partners, and other external stakeholders. The COS is an essential executive role that helps ensure the Museum achieves its programmatic aspirations and financial goals, while also supporting the Museum’s internal culture and cultivating its staff, all in furtherance of the organization’s mission, vision, and values.

In the chief of staff capacity, the COS oversees the administration of the Director’s Office's key activities, including, but not limited to, serving as a point of contact between the Director’s Office and internal and external stakeholders, providing oversight and guidance to special projects as requested by the Director and Chief Curator, Board communications and activities, external affairs, and office administration. The COS also coordinates and participates in the implementation of long-range strategic plans by working closely with the Director, Board of Trustees, and senior leadership team.

In the general counsel capacity, the COS provides executive support and counsel, oversees the Museum’s legal and crisis management issues, provides strategic guidance on business affairs, and serves as legal counsel with a particular focus on governance matters. The COS is an experienced attorney responsible for overseeing all of the Museum’s legal issues, including, for example, contract negotiations, compliance with exempt organization law, tax, and trust, and estate matters, intellectual property issues, employee and labor relations, and legal issues related to exhibitions, art acquisitions, dispositions, and loans, as well as managing outside counsel.

The COS is a strong leader who works with the Director and Chief Curator to set strategic goals and oversee their Museum-wide execution on an active basis. They are a critical and creative thinker, with an aim toward problem-solving to achieve goals and devise solutions to help set the Museum on a path for future sustainability and growth.

The COS oversees the day-to-day functional responsibilities of the Director’s Office, government and community affairs, Board relations, and legal and governance matters, including the conduct of Board and committee meetings.

 

Essential Job Duties and Responsibilities

Strategy and Execution; Operational Excellence

  • Supporting the Director and Chief Curator in strategic decision-making, strategic planning, and implementation of goals across the Museum, while representing the Director and Chief Curator with internal and external stakeholders in meetings and communications, as needed;

  • Oversee and manage all Board of Trustee activities including but not limited to coordinating all events and meetings, managing Board communications, including Board, committee, and individual Trustee communications, supporting committee activities and projects as the Director or Board shall require; serve as a liaison to the Museum’s Board of Trustees;

  • Working with the Director and Chief Curator on pursuing strategic partnerships and other collaborative programs to help increase the Museum’s visibility, in furtherance of its mission;

  • Working with the Director and Chief Curator and outside consultants on drafting internal and external communications responding to controversy and other crises that may impact the Museum;

  • Liaising with outside lobbying counsel on cultivating relationships with elected officials and community stakeholders, including managing the Museum’s participation in the Cultural Institutions Group (CIG) and its relationship with the Department of Cultural Affairs and other city agencies, in an effort to secure funding for operational and capital project needs;

  • Work independently and in collaboration with Studio Museum Senior Leadership to implement the strategic initiatives of the Board of Trustees and the Director and Chief Curator, specifically those related to capacity building and special projects;

  • Work closely with various Studio Museum teams to research, draft, and produce collateral materials for various key projects and strategic initiatives;

  • Responsible for the management of the administrative functions of the Director’s Office, including providing direction and support to the Executive Assistant to the Director and Chief Curator.

 

Maria Cristina Coleman