Position Overview
The Spencer Museum of Art explores the capacity of art to spark curiosity, inspire creativity, and create connections among people. The Museum, located on the University of Kansas campus in Lawrence, houses an internationally known collection that is deep and diverse, currently numbering approximately 48,000 artworks in all media.

The Assistant to the Director is responsible for managing the day-to-day operations of the Director's office. Primary duties include coordinating the Director's schedule and travel and assisting with special projects and events. The Assistant to the Director may also prepare collection- and program-related materials and facilitate data analysis and preparation for meetings and presentations. Additionally, this position will provide support at the Welcome Desk for visitor experience activities as needed, including possible weekend days and Thursday evenings.


Job Description
50% - Administration

• Serve as the Director's liaison between the Provost's office, SMA staff, and the communities of the SMA.
• Work in partnership with the Director and relieve the Director of administrative, clerical, scheduling (including adapting when priorities shift), and logistical details by overseeing day-to-day operations.
• Arrange meetings, prepare agendas, attend and document meetings, and provide follow-up support.
• Arrange and process all travel for the Director, including working with the Museum's Operations department and Campus Administration & Operations Shared Service Center (CAO-SSC) to complete travel authorizations and financial transactions using a University credit card.
• Research and summarize disparate materials into succinct and accurate reports and documents; assist with editing documents for the Director and the institution at large.
• Draft letters, memos, and other correspondence and prepare reports for the Director, synthesizing museum-wide information of exhibitions, events, and programming.
• Develop proficiency with all Museum databases and software programs for the purpose of gathering, synthesizing, and organizing information.
• Monitor relevant news and information sources to gather noteworthy happenings in the community, university, and art/museum fields to share with the Director; draft relevant correspondence as directed.
• Assist administrative staff with general office duties, including answering main telephone line and distributing mail.
• Provide strong technological support for the Director, including Microsoft Outlook and Microsoft Office Suite to create materials for lectures, talks, and presentations.

35% - Development and Events

• Work with the Advancement and Planning Department as needed in coordinating advancement-related tasks.
• Assist in maintaining donor files and database relative to the activities of the Director; track correspondence, information, and meetings related to donors, donor prospects, and foundations electronically using appropriate Museum database and filing systems.
• Serve as a point of contact for donors, staff, and KU constituencies in relationship to Director.
• Provide planned and impromptu tours of the collection and facility to visitors and guests of the Director.

• In collaboration with the Advancement and Planning Department, help organize and staff receptions and events (catering, invitations, and other logistics) for donors, prospects, and both advisory boards. Set up and strike equipment and track attendance.
• Arrange and facilitate donor events, including identification of attendees, facilitating the creation and mailing of invitations, marketing of activities, and event planning and execution.
• Manage logistics for twice annual National Advisory Board meetings, including scheduling meetings, preparing agendas, catering orders, managing board membership, taking minutes, and archiving meeting materials.
• Serve as backup on Saturdays and Sundays at the SMA Welcome Desk for the Public Program and Visitor Experience Manager (Sundays) and External Affair and Membership Coordinator (Saturdays), including overseeing all onsite operations at the Museum's Welcome Desk during weekend public hours, and other weekday/weekend hours as needed, including but not limited to welcoming and orientating guests, overseeing shop sales, and capturing visitor feedback.
• Support weekday and weekend events and public programs as needed and available, including managing logistics, assisting with set up and striking equipment, and help managing vendors.

10% - Special Projects and Research

• Conduct and organize research on the museum collection, art museum trends, and other content-specific areas, as needed.
• Produce visual aids that summarize and present content and data.
• Work collaboratively with interdepartmental museum teams on projects related to museum administration and special initiatives.
• Assist the Director with course-related administrative tasks, in the event of the Director teaching a course.

5% - Other Duties as Assigned

• Participate in museum- and campus-wide initiatives and training.
• Attend all staff meetings.
• Assist and participate in other initiatives as they arise and in concert with supervisor.

Required Qualifications

1. Bachelor's degree and a minimum of 7 years of full-time office administrative experience, OR high school diploma or GED equivalence and a minimum of 10 years of full-time office administrative experience.
2. Excellent writing and editing skills, as evidenced by application materials.
3. Two years of experience creating written reports or documents that synthesize multiple sources of information.
4. Two years of experience using Microsoft 365 (Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint) and Adobe Acrobat Pro, with demonstrated ability to independently troubleshoot common technical issues (e.g., file formatting, printer connectivity, video conferencing), as evidenced in application materials.
5. Work history of managing multiple tasks or projects with minimal errors or missed deadlines, as evidenced in application materials.
6. Confirmation of availability to work evenings until 8:00 p.m. on Thursdays and weekend hours, as required, as evidenced in application materials.

Preferred Qualifications

1. Experience in creating visual materials (e.g., charts, infographics, slide decks) that effectively present qualitative and quantitative data, as evidenced in application materials.
2. Professional experience involving maintaining schedules, records, or tracking systems, as evidenced in application materials.
3. One year of experience planning and booking domestic and/or international travel, including transportation, lodging, and itineraries.
4. One year of experience using and maintaining databases (e.g., CRM, donor management, collection management systems) and familiarity with data entry, queries, and reporting functions.
5. Experience (professional or academic) locating, evaluating, and synthesizing information from digital and/or library sources as evidenced in application materials.
6. Six months of experience (volunteer, intern, or paid) working in an art museum or similar arts or cultural institution.

Contact Information to Applicants
Ryan Waggoner
wag44@ku.edu
785-864-6797
Additional Candidate Instruction
In addition to the online application, the following documents are required to be considered for this position:

• Cover letter describing how you meet the required and preferred qualifications.
• Resume
• List of three (3) professional references

Only complete applications will be considered.

Application review begins June 16, 2025. and will continue until a qualified pool of applicants are identified.

Advertised Salary Range
46,000-47,000
Application Review Begins
23-Jun-2025
Anticipated Start Date
01-Jul-2025
Primary Campus
University of Kansas Lawrence Campus
FTE
1.0
Reg/Temp
Regular
FLSA Status
Nonexempt
Employee Class
U-Unclassified Professional Staff
Work Location Assignment
Hybrid
Disclaimer
The University of Kansas prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex, national origin, age, ancestry, disability, status as a veteran, sexual orientation, marital status, parental status, gender identity, gender expression, and genetic information in the university's programs and activities. Retaliation is also prohibited by university policy. The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding the nondiscrimination policies and is the Title IX coordinator for all KU and KUMC campuses: Associate Vice Chancellor for Civil Rights and Title IX, civilrights@ku.edu, Room 1082, Dole Human Development Center, 1000 Sunnyside Avenue, Lawrence, KS 66045, 785-864-6414, 711 TTY.