Memorialization Project Director

Project Director - Job Description

The purpose of the Memorialization Project Director role is to develop, direct, and complete various multidisciplinary projects including archaeological (survey, monitoring, testing, data recovery), interpretation of the landscape (ie, the East Woods), museum programs, historical interpretations of the Constitution, public history, civic engagement, and educational projects in a team environment.

The Memorialization PD will oversee the Montpelier Descendants Committee (MDC) -The Montpelier Foundation (TMF) Memorialization project, the ARC planning phase, and education programs coordinating people and processes to ensure that project deliverables are delivered on time and produce the desired results.

The successful candidate will be the principal for project organization, timeline, and deliverables, working from the offices of The Montpelier Foundation (TMF). Reporting to the President of MDC (and potentially, an Executive Director of MDC), with input from TMF staff. Projects are located in Central Virginia. Below is a list of responsibilities related to this position:

Responsibilities:

• Develops recommendations for hiring, work allocation, and problem resolution related to Memorialization and the Arc of Enslaved Communities project.
• Works in collaboration with TMF Archaeologist and staff to coordinate on-site logistics for archaeological projects and resolve problems to ensure the timely, safe, and effective completion of project objectives.
• Develops detailed project planning activities, including identifying appropriate equipment, resources, and personnel needed for project budgets and research design.
• Establishes and maintains relationships with third parties/vendors. Coordinate internal resources and third parties/vendors for the execution of projects.
• Develops project scopes and objectives, involving all relevant stakeholders and ensuring technical feasibility. Measure project performance using appropriate systems, tools, and techniques.
• Ensures that all projects are delivered on time, within scope, and within budget.
• Performs risk management to minimize project risks.
• Creates and maintain comprehensive project documentation.
• Collaborates with The Montpelier Foundation’s staff.
• Educates members and makes presentations to Committees, MDC Board members, and the community as needed.
• Works closely with the President (and Executive Director) of MDC to develop the program and operational plan during the Organizational Planning Process.
• Leads the MDC Memorialization Committee meetings.
• Works with Marketing/PR Partner to develop communications plans to raise awareness of the project and encourage Virginians to participate in programs.
• Identifies opportunities for community project collaboration across organizational initiatives and committees.
• Cultivates, solicits, and raises matching funds for future phases of the project.
• Establishes partnerships with university research center(s) to conduct a comprehensive program evaluation using the Rubric for Engaging Descendant Communities in the Interpretation of Slavery at Museums and Historic Sites (the Rubric) assessment framework, and produce evaluation reports.

Required Qualifications and Skills:

• MA or MS in anthropology, archaeology, or closely related field (Ph.D. preferred);
• Minimum 2 years experience supervising and managing projects, and preparing technical reports;
• Program Management experience, preferably in archaeology research and/or Museum management;
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills;
• Excellent oral and written communication and organizational skills;
• Strong leadership skills and the ability to prioritize tasks and delegate when appropriate;
• Successful management and completion of projects on-time, and within-budget;
• Experience using GPS, GIS (Tablet, ArcGIS 10);
• Ability to generate, organize, and maintain accurate field records that meet state and federal standards and guidelines.

Working Conditions and Environment:

• Work on-site during regular business hours;
• Ability to perform fieldwork in adverse conditions (hot and cold temperatures, arid and/or wet environment, with hills and streams) and carry up to 40 pounds.

Background:

The Montpelier Descendants Committee (MDC) has reached an important milestone in power-sharing that serves as a national model for inclusive organizations. After becoming the first organization to enact the Rubric, a gold standard for engaging Descendant communities developed by scholars and Montpelier Descendants, the MDC followed up with another first: achieving structural parity with the Board of The Montpelier Foundation. Because of this, the Montpelier Descendants Committee has become the first independent, descendant-led organization to establish itself as an equal co-steward of a major historic site in America. Building on this strong foundation, we are moving forward with an ambitious, impactful set of two projects. The Memorialization Project and the Arc of Enslaved Communities Project will position the Montpelier Descendants Committee, Montpelier, and Virginia as national leaders in memorializing enslaved communities and immersively telling the whole truth of our history. (share media links that capture the importance of these achievements).

The first project, Memorialization, entails the creation of a national memorial at Montpelier’s Enslaved Community Cemetery. The project is committed to significant broader engagement beyond the physical site, and given the significance of Montpelier as the site of the creation of the US Constitution, it will become a national monument to enslaved people in the United States. This project is an equal partnership between The Montpelier Foundation (TMF) and the Montpelier Descendants Committee (MDC). While the project has not formally begun, it builds on substantial preparatory work by both organizations.

The second project, the Arc of Enslaved Communities, is an 850-square-mile heritage area radiating from the spine of the Southwest Mountains into a historic region of central Virginia that encompassed one of the highest concentrations of enslaved Americans during the formative years of the United States. These enslaved communities formed the socioeconomic, cultural, and intellectual backbone of an ecosystem that produced, amongst other things, two iconic blueprints of the American experiment in democracy, the US Constitution (at James Madison’s Montpelier) and the Declaration of Independence (at Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello). The ARC project will identify historic sites of enslavement within the Arc and link them by creating a National Trail, providing the public with unprecedented physical access to emerging historical research and interpretation.