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REPORTS TO: Chief Executive Officer (CEO)聽
LOCATION: 212 West 83rd Street, New York, NY 10024 (Transitioning to 361 Central Park West)聽
WEBSITE: www.CMOM.org
ABOUT THE CHILDREN鈥橲 MUSEUM聽
The Children鈥檚 Museum of Manhattan (CMOM) is a dynamic, mission-driven cultural institution dedicated to聽nurturing creativity, curiosity, and lifelong learning in children and families. Through interactive exhibitions,聽educational programs, and community partnerships, CMOM serves diverse audiences across New York City聽
and beyond, creating meaningful experiences that inspire and empower young minds.聽
Founded in 1973, the Children鈥檚 Museum of Manhattan (CMOM) is a premier NYC institution for children and聽families. Currently operating in the Upper West Side with 250,000+ annual visitors, CMOM is preparing for a聽period of unprecedented growth and strategic evolution as we prepare to launch a new museum (scheduled聽for late 2028/early 2029) in our new home (7 floors, 80,000 square feet) at 361 Central Park West to welcome聽
in 500,000 visitors each year.聽
ABOUT THE POSITION聽
The Children鈥檚 Museum of Manhattan (CMOM) seeks a visionary, dynamic, and experienced Chief Operating聽Officer (COO) to step into a leadership role during a historic, once-in-a-generation moment of transformation聽and scaling. Serving as the primary strategic partner to the Chief Executive Officer, the COO will play a critical聽
hand in maturing the operational systems of this beloved organization as it moves into its next chapter and聽doubles its footprint, staff, visitors, and operating budget.聽
Working in close collaboration with CEO and Executive Leadership Team, and CMOM staff broadly, the COO聽will lead the evolution of CMOM's operating plan, organizational structure, and team culture for our new聽landmark home at 96th Street. This executive will unify and elevate our day-to-day operations, directly聽managing an expanding operating team (Visitor and Guest Experience, Buildings Operations, Clean Team,聽Exhibits Maintenance, Security, Technology, and Human Resources) to ensure a culture of operational聽excellence, deep staff engagement, and mission delivery.聽
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES聽
Strategic Leadership & Partnership聽
路 Serve as a primary strategic partner to the CEO, translating institutional vision into scalable,聽sustainable operational strategies.聽
路 Work in collaboration with Executive Leadership team and CMOM staff broadly to develop alignment聽across departments.聽
路 Present regularly to the Board of Directors (& committees as appropriate) to provide transparent聽operational updates, governance support, and data-driven insights.聽
路 Lead the organizational maturityof CMOM by professionalizing systems, workflows, and policies to聽support a budget and operation twice its current size.聽
Operational & Team Excellence聽
路 Oversee all functional areas of Operations including Visitor Services, HR, IT, Security, and Maintenance聽across current and future sites.
路 Develop, manage, and optimizethe comprehensive Operations team budget to align with scaling聽objectives.聽
路 Support high-profile special events and public programming in close coordination with the聽Development and Educational teams.聽
Technology & Human Resources Optimization聽
路 Modernize and optimize technologyenterprise-wide to increase organizational efficiency, data聽accessibility, and information accuracy.聽
路 Lead a people-centered People Operations strategyfor an expanding team of 60+; architect talent聽acquisition pipelines, transparent compensation structures, and inclusive benefits models that聽operationalize equity, cultivate a culture of trust and mutual respect, and ensure staff thrive as the聽organization scales.聽
Transition & Scale Execution聽
路 Serve as an executive leader of the Transition Team responsible for the successful grand opening and聽ongoing operations of the new Museum at 96th Street and Central Park West.聽
路 Design and execute a comprehensive blueprint for transitioning staff, assets, and workflows to the聽new museum.聽
路 Formulate a clear, actionable staffing and deployment model tailored to the unique operational聽demands of the new, scaled facility.聽
QUALIFICATIONS聽
The spirit of CMOM is collaborative, creative, and entrepreneurial. The ideal candidate will bring an inspiring,聽results-driven leadership style alongside a proven track record of guiding institutions through massive聽inflection points of growth and change.聽
路 Education: Bachelor's degree required; Advanced degree in Business, Nonprofit Management, or聽related field preferred.聽
路 Experience: 10+ years of executive operating experience at a nonprofit, cultural institution, or public facing organization.聽
路 Leadership: 5+ years of senior executive management experience, with a proven ability to lead, mentor, and inspire multi-disciplinary staff through periods of profound transformation.聽
路 Scale & Growth: Demonstrated success in scaling organizations, professionalizing complex operations,聽and managing organizational transitions.聽
路 Crisis & Judgment: Proved sound judgment and the ability to make rapid, high-stakes operational聽decisions in a fast-paced, public-facing environment.聽
路 Integrity & Ethics: Highest standards of professional ethics, personal integrity, and sound judgment聽
路 Resourcefulness: Ability to drive strategic change by maximizing resources and rallying teams around聽proactive problem-solving.聽
路 Communication: Exceptional interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills; ability to聽influence and build trust with board members, external stakeholders, and frontline staff.聽
路 Availability: Position requires 5 days in-person, which will include weekends as required by high聽attendance periods, marquee events, and special programs (offset by time off on weekdays).聽
路 Technical Skills: Proficiency in Microsoft Office and experience auditing/implementing enterprise聽software platforms.聽
COMPENSATION聽
$200,000-$250,000 annually聽
BENEFITS聽
Our company offers a comprehensive benefits package including vision, dental and medical (free medical聽coverage for employees, with premium plans available for dependents), 403B, life insurance, EAP, Paid聽Holidays, Personal Time Off, Vacation leave, and Sick leave. We also offer a range of voluntary benefits, such聽as FSA, critical illness, accident insurance, legal services, and pet insurance. As a CMOM employee, you are聽eligible for free admission to other New York City cultural institutions.聽
The Children鈥檚 Museum of Manhattan is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We encourage people from all聽backgrounds, ages, abilities, and experiences to apply.聽
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Learn more about this Employer on their Career Site
