Chief Executive Officer – Queensland Maritime Museum

Position Description

The Position: Responsibilities and Priorities

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Queensland Maritime Museum will drive the organisation to be

financially independent and achieve its vision of connecting people with the maritime heritage of

Queensland and the world. Their energy, passion and leadership capability will enable them to grow

income through increased community connections and attendance, engage its volunteers and members

while enriching the Museum's maritime story by creating an enjoyable and memorable destination for

local and overseas visitors.

The Chair and the Board have recently completed the development of QMM's Strategic Plan for the next

three years, and the CEO will have the key responsibility of delivering on the Strategic Plan through the

following priorities:

• Build a strong and collaborative partnership with the Board, relevant Government and

community organisations to establish credibility as the Museum's business and heritage leader;

• Have a unified vision with the Board for the Museum to achieve financial independence by 2021

and beyond. The ability to articulate the vision must be combined with the drive to achieve

results;

• Serve as a visible spokesperson for the Museum with stakeholders, the media, members,

volunteers and the public;

• Model and encourage locally, nationally and internationally collaborations that underscore the

unique position of Queensland Maritime Museum and increase visitor numbers;

• Lead and manage a large volunteer workforce to ensure they contribute their skills and time to

ensure the longevity of the Museum, its collection and the positive visitor experience; and

• Embody a passion for maritime heritage and for QMM which enables the continuation of an

inspired collection and dynamic exhibitions.

Success in this role requires moving the organisation ahead while preserving those cultural qualities

from which the organisation has derived its success. The ideal candidate is a hands-on leader and

motivator committed to fostering a positive and forward thinking environment.

The Person: Skills and Characteristics

The person is a proven self-starter with positive energy, passion and the capability to solve problems

calmly. Their enthusiasm will inspire others and they have natural ability to confidently communicate at

all levels. They will effectively lead a team of committed people to ensure the long-term financial

viability of the organisation.

Experience in curating and/or managing a museum collection is desirable, but not essential. What is

important is the ability to work in partnership with those with the necessary expertise to ensure the

Museum's ongoing success.

Selection Criteria

1. Proven business acumen with experience in designing and delivering income generating and fundraising programs that delivers sustainable financial success

2. Strong stakeholder management skills with corporations, community groups and government to access funding and support for improvements to the museum

3. Excellent presentation skills to represent the Museum in the media and public forums 4. Experience in inspiring and leading a volunteer workforce through organizational change 5. Ability to work collaboratively with other Museums and organisations

6. A passion for and extensive knowledge of Australian maritime history or the ability to acquire

such knowledge quickly

The Museum is open 362 days a year and holds functions outside of usual business hours, as such a

flexible schedule to attend evening and weekend activities is essential.

Key Performance Indicators

The CEO’s success is regularly monitored against the following measures.

• Financial performance – income targets and cost containment

• Safety Record

• Visitation

• Visitor Experience – visitor feedback, social media ratings and comments

• Quality of Exhibits – visitor engagement and feedback

About Queensland Maritime Museum

Queensland Maritime Museum is a company limited by guarantee with public benevolence status. It

was founded in 1971 and is situated on the banks of the Brisbane River at the southern end of South

Bank Parklands. The Museum contains extensive collections of historical maritime artifacts, books,

documents and photographs. The collection is displayed to the public in the galleries and grounds of the

Museum under the broad headings of Navigation, Lighthouses, Ship Models, Marine Engines, Vessels

and the Dry Dock.

QMM is a self funded organisation staffed by volunteers and three paid employees, a Chief Executive

Officer, an Operations Supervisor and part time Marketing Manager. The CEO reports to a nine person

Board comprising of four appointed Directors and five elected Directors from the membership. There

are over 400 members. There is a strong volunteer workforce some of the members are also volunteers

and they bring a wealth of experience to the role as many of them are retired persons, many still using

the skills of their trade or profession. There are retired ship masters, marine engineers, and ex naval

personnel. There are persons skilled in carpentry, painting, boilermakers, fitters and turners, motor

mechanics, boat builders and people from management and other fields all working to restore and

maintain the museum’s collection.

Others are learning skills in preservation of historic artifacts and how to display them. In the library we

have volunteers cataloguing books, photographs and drawings as well as doing research into maritime

history. In addition, there are those who look after the entrance, selling tickets and souvenirs, and those

who guide tour groups and aged persons, as well as the very many school excursions that come to the

museum to learn a little of our maritime history.

Today, QMM is ready for the next leap in its journey, with the ambition to secure its position as part of

Australia's and Queensland's maritime landscape and a cultural hub in the Brisbane and South Bank

precincts. It has recently re-established its Board and is now ready to include a dynamic CEO to

complete the leadership composition to create an innovative and exciting Museum representative of its

potential.