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About The Role

The Associate Director of Audio-Visual Services leads the Museum's Audio-Visual Department in delivering exceptional technical support for exhibitions, performances, events, and venue rentals across all museum locations. This role requires a strong leader who can effectively manage day-to-day operations while maintaining the highest standards of service delivery for both internal stakeholders and external clients.

This position requires strong team leadership and project management skills to coordinate complex audio-visual installations and live events. The Associate Director will build and mentor a high-performing technical team, establish clear workflows and communication protocols, and ensure proactive planning and execution of all AV services. Success in this role requires balancing the technical demands of museum exhibitions with the dynamic needs of a multipurpose cultural venue that hosts lectures, performances, corporate events, and community programs.

The ideal professional brings proven experience leading technical teams in enterprise or large nonprofit environments, with a track record of fostering accountability, clear communication, and timely project delivery. Experience in museums or cultural institutions is highly valued, particularly in supporting curatorial visions and collaborating with artists to bring exhibitions to life through innovative audio-visual solutions.

If you’re excited about joining a team of dedicated professionals to make excellent, detail-oriented work while centering a safe experience for employees and visitors, we’d love to learn more about you.

Responsibilities

Leadership & Operations Management

+ Build, lead, and mentor a high-performing audio-visual team, establishing clear performance expectations and fostering accountability through regular feedback and professional development opportunities

+ Develop and maintain comprehensive project plans for all AV installations and events, implementing tracking systems to ensure on-time delivery and proactive communication with stakeholders

+ Create and enforce standard operating procedures, technical documentation, and training programs to ensure consistent service quality across all team members and contractors

+ Manage departmental budget, vendor relationships, and resource allocation while delegating appropriately within team members' defined responsibilities

Technical Service Delivery

+ Oversee AV support for the museum's diverse programming including exhibitions, performances, lectures, corporate rentals, and special events across all locations

+ Partner with curatorial and installation teams from concept through deinstallation, collaborating with artists to translate their visions into executable technical solutions

+ Design, specify, and maintain AV systems for both permanent installations and temporary exhibitions, ensuring reliable operation and optimal visitor experience

+ Coordinate with internal stakeholders and external production partners to deliver seamless technical execution for high-profile events while maintaining flexibility for last-minute requests

+ Develop maintenance protocols, contingency plans, and rapid response capabilities to ensure consistent system operation and minimize service disruptions

+ Stay current with emerging technologies and museum best practices, recommending innovations that enhance artistic presentation and audience engagement

+ Implement and enforce safety standards

FLSA STATUS: Full Time, Exempt

REPORTS TO: Director of Technology

COMPENSATION: $95,600 - $106,200

WORK SCHEDULE

This role is typically scheduled to work Monday – Friday at SAM’s downtown location, with days spent at the Seattle Asian Art Museum and Olympic Sculpture Park locations as appropriate. This role requires flexibility to support evening and weekend events as needed. Regular presence during standard business hours is essential for team management and stakeholder coordination.

BENEFITS

Benefits include a fully employer paid HMP medical plan or an employee contribution PPO plan, dental, vision, and basic life insurance/LTD/AD&D, Flexible Spending Account, Short Term Disability, Supplemental Dental Insurance and participation in SAM’s 403b retirement plan. Following 1 year of service and 1,000 hours worked SAM makes a guaranteed 3% employer contribution regardless of participation and provides an employer match program. Additional benefits include paid time off for vacation, PSST, bereavement leave, and jury duty, 11 scheduled holidays, 1 paid floating holiday, a subsidized unlimited Orca card, onsite fitness facility, and an EAP. FT Staff also receive a Patron level membership to SAM, a Tier III membership to the American Alliance of Museums and discounts to museum shop and programming.

About SAM

Seattle Art Museum’s vision is to be the museum for all of Seattle—a bold, dynamic hub of creativity, belonging, and cultural leadership, shaping the future of art and community.  To create a welcoming community where people find inspiration and discover our common humanity through exceptional art and dynamic, engaging programs. Art is always at the start and heart of what we do. Collecting, conserving, and displaying extraordinary works of art is the governing motivation of our museum. So too is fostering a vigorous exchange of ideas while cultivating connection with the broad array of communities we serve. As the leading visual arts institution in the Pacific Northwest, SAM shares its global connections, powerful exhibitions, and dynamic programs to engage, educate, and inspire. SAM is a vibrant, three-site organization that is supported by 365 employees, 10 executive leaders, and more than 200 volunteers.

WE ARE LOOKING FOR

Required Qualifications

+ Bachelor's degree or equivalent combination of education and experience

+ Nine years of progressive experience in audio visual technology with at least 5 years in a people management role

+ Demonstrated success leading technical teams in enterprise, large nonprofit, or cultural institution settings

+ Experience supporting live events in multipurpose venues

+ Proven project management experience with ability to handle multiple complex projects simultaneously

+ Excellent planning, financial management, and organizational skills

+ Strong management and supervisory skills; ability to motivate teams, track record of improving team performance, and operational efficiency

+ Experience managing vendor relationships

+ Expertise in current AV technologies including digital projection, sound reinforcement, video production, and lighting systems

+ Proficiency with both Windows and Mac platforms and their integration with AV systems

+ Excellent written and verbal communication skills with ability to translate technical concepts for non-technical stakeholders

+ Ability to remain calm and solution-focused in high-pressure situations

+ Physical ability to lift and move equipment up to 50 pounds

+ Flexibility to work evenings and weekends as required for events

+ Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, Zoom, Asana, Slack and internet-based research

+ Ability to pass and maintain security background check clearance

Preferred Qualifications

+ Experience in museums, galleries, or cultural institutions supporting art exhibitions, or theatrical or performance venues

+ Experience with venue management and rental operations

+ Knowledge of accessibility standards and assistive listening technologies

+ Experience managing union and non-union technical staff

+ Knowledge of museum best practices for AV in gallery environments

+ Familiarity with museum collection management systems and exhibition planning processes

+ Project Management Professional (PMP) or similar certification

+ CTS (Certified Technology Specialist) certification

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Celebrating difference. At Seattle Art Museum, our members, visitors, and local community come from all walks of life, and so do our employees, volunteers, and interns. The plurality of our identities and experiences strengthens our mission: connecting art to life. Our mission and vision call us to be responsive to a multitude of cultural contexts and lived experiences, and as such, our Strategic Plan directly addresses the role art plays in empowering and elevating social justice movements, and promoting structural change to further equity in our society. SAM is particularly dedicated to racial equity in the workplace, because we know that people of color are the most impacted when it comes to both historical and present inequities. We know that equity is not a single fixed destination, it’s ongoing reckoning. As SAM continually strives to be a more inclusive and equitable workplace, we are particularly interested in engaging with those who have been historically underrepresented in the museum field. We are dedicated to building a diverse workplace, and a sense of belonging for each and every employee, because we know our organization is at its best when we celebrate difference.

SAM is an equal opportunity employer. We are an equal opportunity employer, and consider qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, age, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), marital status, ancestry, sensory, physical, or mental disability, genetic information, military or veteran status, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, citizenship or immigration status, or other applicable legally protected characteristic. If you need assistance applying for a role due to a disability or additional need, please let us know at [email protected]. The Seattle Art Museum will consider reasonable accommodations for all employees with disabilities to perform the essential functions/duties of the role. If you need an accommodation during the application or interview process, please contact [email protected]. For candidates, we ask that, if possible, you wait until you're invited to a screen, online technical assessment or interview before requesting an accommodation.

We encourage you to apply. We are dedicated to building a diverse workplace, and a sense of belonging for each and every employee, because we know our organization is at its best when we include, celebrate and embrace difference. We encourage you to submit an application, even if your experience doesn’t feel like a 100% match with the position. We know applying for a job can be intimidating, and research tells us that womxn and folks of color are less likely to apply if they don't see themselves meeting or exceeding every single qualification listed. We encourage you to apply, even if you feel unsure about whether you meet every requirement in this job post. You could very well be a great fit for this role or others.

Requirements for employment. In order to be employed by the Seattle Art Museum, you must reside in the state of Washington. Employment at SAM is contingent upon successful clearing and maintenance of clearance in both a federal and state criminal background check.

Want to learn more? If you haven't already, check out our Careers page for more on working at SAM.

Though we'd love to be able to reply to every question that crosses our desk, due to the high volume of applications we receive, our HR team is unfortunately unable to offer a response to inquiries requesting search status updates, inquiries about hiring timeline, or requests to be put in touch with directly with the Hiring Team. If your experiences and capabilities are well suited to an open role, our Recruiter or the Hiring Manager will reach out directly to schedule an interview. Thanks for your understanding!

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