Director

Space Expo 

Space Expo, the Netherlands’ premier space museum, was opened in 1990 by Queen Beatrix and Prince Friso. The museum was established as the official visitor center for ESA ESTEC, and since 2015, Space Expo has held official museum status. The museum organization is an independent foundation and receives no subsidies. Space Expo is one of the few museums in the country that is entirely self-supporting, generating its own revenue through ticket sales, educational programs, events, and proceeds from the sale of food and beverages and items from the museum shop.  

Organization 

Over the past five years, the museum has undergone significant changes that were necessary to prepare it for the future. The organization has been restructured and professionalized. For example, the exhibition now features a number of new, interactive elements, and there are concrete plans for further updates. There is also a clear focus on content, operations, education, marketing, and sales.  

Goals 

Space Expo faces major challenges but also has big ambitions. In recent years, visitor numbers have grown to over 120,000 per year. Space travel is extremely popular, and a feasibility study has shown that this offers plenty of opportunities for further growth.  

Space Expo therefore aims to evolve into a Space Experience Center at the heart of the NL Space Campus. This will be achieved in close collaboration with ESTEC, the technological hub of the European Space Agency (ESA). In this role, the museum will serve as an information and education center where people of all ages—schoolchildren, students, general visitors, and professionals—can fully immerse themselves in the infinite world of space and space exploration. In the museum—the showcase of Dutch and European space exploration—the relevance of space exploration is explained in detail, and visitors are given a glimpse into the future. Issues such as how humanity benefits from space exploration and whether space exploration can be used to solve environmental problems are addressed in an engaging and interactive manner.   

The position 

To achieve this goal and take the next steps in our future plans, Space Expo is looking for an enthusiastic and dedicated director who will have overall responsibility for the museum and serve as the public face of Space Expo. 

The director reports to the board and may be assigned administrative duties. The director oversees the four members of the management team. Space Expo has a permanent team of nearly 11 FTEs working in the office and on the exhibition floor. This permanent team is supplemented by on-call staff. In total, Space Expo employs 55 people.  

The director's responsibilities are as follows: 

• Coaching, guiding, and inspiring the management team so that they can fulfill their responsibilities to the best of their ability and continue to grow.  
• Overseeing progress, innovation, and operations at the museum and within the teams.  
• Identifying opportunities and developing strategies to achieve the objectives.  
• Building a strong network and managing stakeholders are essential for establishing strategically relevant alliances, particularly with ESTEC/ESA.  
• Building the brand, fostering audience loyalty, and generating publicity are key elements in guiding Space Expo into the future.   
• Developing a clear vision for future plans and translating this into concrete steps and actions. 

The profile 

The new director meets the following criteria: 

• You are a true team player. The museum’s success is due to the dedication, expertise, and ideas of all its employees.  
• As a director, you are able to coach and motivate the management team so that they can make the most of their experience. You know how to assign responsibilities within the management team and are able to delegate.  
• You are able to stay on course and focus on objectives, decisions, progress, implementation, efficient processes, and results.  
• You are energetic and decisive. 
• You are enterprising, opportunity-driven, and passionate. You know how to engage existing and new partners with the museum, its exhibitions, and its future plans. 
• Stakeholder management is second nature to you. You have strong interpersonal skills, are proactive, and have a keen understanding of organizational dynamics. 
• You have a solid understanding of the museum and events sector and are well-versed in the Dutch funding and grant landscape. 
• You are enthusiastic, have perseverance, and are able to adapt and communicate effectively at various levels.  
• Space Expo is part of the international space industry. It is therefore important that you have a good command of the English language, both spoken and written. 
• Creativity and innovation are key pillars for you in taking the museum to the next level.  
• You place a high priority on hospitality.  

Procedure 

Space Expo is offering the new director a challenging and varied full-time (32–40 hours) position, starting with a one-year contract and the prospect of permanent employment.  

The salary depends on your knowledge and experience. The museum offers its own terms of employment, including 24 days of vacation, 2 additional days off, and a generous pension plan.  

Space Expo adheres to the Diversity & Inclusion Code and is committed to ensuring that the organization reflects society as a whole.  

Information & Application 

Applications, including a resume and cover letter, may be sent by email to the chair of the board, Gaele Winters, at gwinters@space-expo.nl. Would you like more information about the position? If so, please contact outgoing director Barbara Hoppel at bhoppel@space-expo.nl. 

The application deadline for this position is November 15, 2024. 

Recruitment agencies are asked to refrain from contacting us regarding this job opening.