Special Assistant (Director of Olana State Historic Site)

Olana State Historic Site Director

The Taconic Region of the NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation is one of 11 Park Regions in New York State operating 180 State Parks and 37 Historic Sites. The Taconic Region covers four counties : Westchester, Putnam, Dutchess, and Columbia. Facilities consist of 13 parks, 6 Historic sites, 2 golf courses, 5 swimming facilities and an environmental educational center and includes more than 40,000 acres of land. Each facility is host to numerous seasonal and annual programs, events and holiday tours.

Olana State Historic Site is the 19th century home, studio, and designed landscape of Hudson River School artist Frederic Edwin Church (1826-1900), his wife Isabel and their four children. The 250-acre historic estate features a Persian-inspired mansion filled with original sketches, studies, and paintings by one of the mid-19th century's most famous artists. The diverse decorative arts collection includes objects from around the world.

Visitors to Olana enjoy guided house and landscape tours; view changing exhibits; enjoy outdoor activities in the picturesque landscape; and take part in programs and special events for all ages. A Visitor's Center offers an introductory film, exhibits, and a museum shop. Family and group activities are available regularly at the Wagon House Education Center. Guided walking and vehicle tours, as well as self-guided audio tours of the landscape, lead visitors to the Church's first home on the property, the family's farm, a lake created from swampland, the site of Church's first studio at Olana, and several planned views. House and landscape tours are provided by The Olana Partnership, a private not-for-profit partner, that facilitates programming for the site through a cooperative agreement and in coordination with the site director. The Frederic Church Center for Art and Landscape will open in the Fall of 2024 as a new reception area for the site. Olana is the home to an extensive and valuable New York State Historic Collection.

Duties :

The selected candidate will be the highest-ranking State Official at the Olana State Historic Site and is responsible for all aspects of Olana's cultural, historic and natural resources including the overall administration and management of the facility and collections, security, and maintenance.

Duties include, but are not limited to :

• Coordinating with partner entities, such as The Olana Partnership, that operate under agreement with the state to provide programming, tours, lectures, museum shop operation, fundraising and visitor services.
• Ensuring all activities at the site meet New York State standards for interpretation, operations, and care of an historic collection.
• Managing the overall administration of the site, collections and maintenance of the historic house and grounds.
• Recruiting, training, scheduling, supervising, and evaluating state staff; working with volunteer groups.
• Inspecting and evaluating facilities to determine the need for routine or emergency maintenance and major capital improvements, overseeing maintenance and repair projects in collaboration with the maintenance manager and region.
• Working with regional and agency staff on historic site development plans.
• Acting as a consultant on projects, including coordinating and chairing meetings, and serving as a resource and advisor to the public, local governments, federal and state agencies, and other interested parties.
• Overseeing the scheduling and use of historic site facilities.
• Reviewing and approving expenditures and preparing and administering state-funded allocations for operation of the site.
• Preparing a variety of administrative and financial reports.
• Collaborating with The Olana Partnership in planning exhibit development and participating in selecting appropriate objects for inclusion in exhibits in historic buildings. Ensuring that The Olana Partnership meets the Agency's requirement that all activities at the site are accessible to diverse audiences and is consistent with 'Our Whole History' initiative.
• Developing, implementing, and coordinating emergency preparedness and response procedures for patrons and employees and documenting all emergencies and expenditures consistent with state finance law.
• Maintaining responsibility for overall site security and the security of the historic collections.
• Ensuring safety of patrons and employees.

Minimum Qualifications :

Bachelor's degree and five years of relevant experience. Substitutions : four years of specialized experience or associate's degree and two years of specialized experience may substitute for bachelor's degree; J.D. or master's degree may substitute or one year of specialized experience; Ph.D. may substitute for two years of specialized experience. Your degree must have been awarded by a college or university accredited by a regional, national, or specialized agency recognized as an accrediting agency by the U.S. Department of Education / U.S. Secretary of Education. If your degree was awarded by an educational institution outside the United States or its territories, you must provide independent verification of equivalency. Relevant experience includes but is not limited to : work with historic programming and interpretation, collections care and management, coordination with volunteers and friends groups, museum or historic site operations, and research related to historic events and locations. A well-qualified candidate will have at least two (2) years of experience at the supervisory level. Excellent communication skills and experience working collaboratively with a variety of constituents and organizations. Experience developing and presenting information and ideas to a diverse audience. Experience coordinating teams at multiple levels within a company / agency to complete an overall mission.

Additional Comments :

Salary within the posted range will be commensurate with experience. This is an appointment to a position in the exempt jurisdictional class. All exempt appointments require completion of a background check prior to appointment, and completion of an annual Financial Disclosure Statement. Incumbents serve at the pleasure of the appointing authority, and the employment relationship can be altered at any time by either party. Must possess and maintain a valid driver's license that allows the candidate to operate a vehicle in New York State as a term and condition of employment. Must be able to work daytime, evenings, weekends, and holidays as operationally necessary. Onsite for-rent housing may be available and may be discussed at the time of interview. The NYS Office of Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation offers a generous benefits package that includes but is not limited to : Paid Time Off, Health Care Benefits, Additional Benefits. To learn more about our benefits, visit : https : / / parks.ny.gov / employment / benefits.aspx. Additional location pay is available for the following counties : Bronx, Kings, Nassau, NYC-Manhattan, Queens, Richmond, Rockland, Suffolk, and Westchester, Dutchess, Orange, and Putnam. This position may require a background check and / or medical exam prior to appointment.