Chief Human Resources Officer

An Invitation to Apply

Chief Human Resources Officer

The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and Foundation

New York, New York

THE OPPORTUNITY

The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and Foundation (the Guggenheim) seeks a seasoned human resources leader to serve as its next Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO).

The CHRO will be a prominent leader for the institution and its constituents and report to the Chief Operating Officer. Charged with providing comprehensive oversight, planning, and management of all human resources functions of the Guggenheim, the CHRO will be a champion of the organization's core values and strategic commitment to attract, retain, advance, and support a broadly diverse workforce of the highest level of excellence that thrives in a respectful and equitable workplace culture.

As both a champion of and advocate for inclusion, the CHRO will preserve the traditions and core values of the Guggenheim while serving as a change agent and influencer within its infrastructure.

An exceptional human resource professional, the successful candidate will possess a broad knowledge of and experience in employee and labor relations, compensation design and strategy, recruiting, coaching and training, organizational development, and best practices in promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace.

The CHRO will act as a trusted strategic and tactical partner to leadership and will provide strong mentorship to the human resources team, which will seek support and guidance as plans unfold.

The Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation was established in 1937 and is dedicated to promoting the understanding and appreciation of modern and contemporary art through exhibitions, education programs, research initiatives, and publications.

The Guggenheim international constellation of museums includes the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York; the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Venice;

the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao; and the future Guggenheim Abu Dhabi. An architectural icon and temple of spirit where radical art and architecture meet, the Solomon R.

Guggenheim Museum is now among eight Frank Lloyd Wright structures in the United States recently designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site.

It's an exciting time to join the Guggenheim, with the new leadership of director and chief executive officer Mariët Westermann, and a passionate executive team dedicated to leading the institution into its next chapter of innovation and excellence.

The next CHRO will develop and oversee a strong department that is involved, trusted, and depended upon to guide the institution in human resources, diversity, equity, and inclusion matters, and one that produces results and generates broad and positive internal and external impact and respect.

Structural change management experience will be critical, as well as cultural

redirection that will promote communication, inclusiveness, honesty, and a team-oriented philosophy. With employees represented by two unions, experience in negotiating and managing labor relationships is required.

ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION

Background

The Guggenheim has a rich history, which originated when American industrialist Solomon R. Guggenheim began collecting important works by artists Kandinsky, Klee, and Chagall in 1927 and soon after started offering small exhibitions of newly acquired works intermittently for the public in his private apartment at New York’s Plaza Hotel.

That collection became the basis for The Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation (the Foundation ) in 1937, formed by a charter of the Regents of the University of the State of New York and endowed to operate one or more museums for the promotion and encouragement of art and education in art and the enlightenment of the public.

The Foundation’s Museum of Non-Objective Painting opened in 1939 and began to expand its collection. In the early 1950s, the Museum changed its institutional name to The Solomon R.

Guggenheim Museum as a memorial to its founder, who died in 1949 and signified a shift beyond solely non-objective modern and contemporary painting.

In 1959, another milestone was reached with the opening of the Museum’s signature Frank Lloyd Wright building on Fifth Avenue’s Museum Mile.

The collection continued to expand, most notably to Peggy Guggenheim’s collection, which continues to be housed in her palazzo on the Grand Canal in Venice.

This critical acquisition expanded the reach of the Foundation outside of the United States.

Agreements were signed in the early 1990s between the Basque Government and the Foundation to create a Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain, which opened in 1997.

In 2007, the Foundation and officials representing the Emirate of Abu Dhabi signed agreements to collaborate to develop and operate an 860,000-square-foot Gehry-designed Guggenheim Abu Dhabi Museum on Saadiyat Island.

Construction on this significant enterprise began in 2021, and the museum is expected to open in 2026.

The Foundation wholly owns the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and its World Heritage Site, the landmarked and historic Frank Lloyd Wright building on Fifth Avenue, and the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice.

The Guggenheim Museum Bilbao and future Guggenheim Abu Dhabi Museum are collaborators of, but not controlled or owned by, the Foundation, and their fiscal activities are separate.

The Foundation provides guidance with respect to the development of the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi Museum permanent collection, its formation and operation, and art, public, education, and exhibition programming.

The Foundation has an operating budget of approximately $68 million, an endowment of $93 million, and $25 million in Board-restricted funds.

The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum

An internationally renowned art museum and one of the most significant architectural icons of the 20th century, the Solomon R.

Guggenheim Museum in New York is at once a vital cultural center, an educational institution, and the heart of the international constellation of museums.

The Museum maintains a premier collection of late 19th- to early 21st-century art. The permanent collection continues to grow and evolve by adding major collections and individual acquisitions and commissions.

In addition to gifts and bequests, ongoing Museum acquisitions are supported by affinity groups, including the Asian Art Circle, Collections Council, International Director’s Council, Latin American Circle, Middle Eastern Circle, Photography Council, and Young Collectors Council.

Since its opening, the Museum has mounted scores of special exhibitions, including artists’ retrospectives, thematic surveys, and site-specific installations.

The Guggenheim Museum has garnered distinguished awards for its exhibitions, scholarly publications, and education programs.

The Museum also engages audiences and serves as a dynamic 21st-century education and public engagement hub, offering innovative public programs in the visual, performing, and literary arts.

The Museum has a highly dedicated, internationally recognized staff of approximately 300 full-time and part-time employees working in New York City.

Vision, Mission, and Values

Vision : Aligned with artists since inception, adventurous, inquisitive, and courageous, the Guggenheim creates connections to the future with transformative experiences that amplify the power of many imaginations.

Mission : Committed to innovation, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation collects, preserves, and interprets modern and contemporary art and explores ideas across cultures through dynamic curatorial and educational initiatives and collaborations.

The Foundation engages local and global audiences with its constellation of architecturally and culturally distinct museums, exhibitions, publications, and digital platforms.

Values :

• Collaborative - working together we recognize every role and achieve our goals with respect and generosity.
• Accountable - we listen actively, empowering our teams and taking responsibility for our actions.
• Experimental - We are progressive, inquisitive, and bold, supporting and learning from the risks we take.
• Open - We are inclusive, open-minded, and welcoming, seeking new ways to engage and inspire curiosity.

LEADERSHIP

Mariët Westermann will join the Guggenheim as director and chief executive officer on June 1, 2024. Westermann will lead the flagship institution in New York and the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice.

She will also work closely with the directors of the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao and the future Guggenheim Abu Dhabi. Westermann currently serves as the vice chancellor of NYU Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates and has a background leading higher education and charitable organizations.

Westermann is accomplished in the arts and humanities, particularly as a scholar of Dutch art, beginning with her undergraduate degree from Williams College and her master’s and PhD degrees from NYU’s Institute of Fine Arts which she later led.

Early in her career, Westermann was on faculty at Rutgers University from 1995 to 2001 and served as associate director of research at the Clark Art Institute before she joined NYU in 2002 as a faculty member and later director of the Institute of Fine Art.

Westermann went on to serve as the first provost of NYU Abu Dhabi before serving as the executive vice president of the Mellon Foundation, returning to NYU in 2019.

ROLE OF THE CHIEF HUMAN RESOURCES OFFICER

The CHRO will be an accomplished human resources leader who can celebrate the traditions, history, culture, and values of the Guggenheim while simultaneously leading a forward-thinking, well-respected, and effective human resources function.

Recognizing the work already underway in changing the infrastructure, there will be a continued emphasis on embedding and celebrating a culture that is focused on equity and inclusion.

An exceptional communicator, the incoming CHRO will demonstrate an ability to reposition the human resources function within the Guggenheim by engendering trust and collaboration across the employee base, leadership, and board members.

Reporting to the Chief Operating Officer, the CHRO will establish strong partner relationships with the Chief Financial Officer, Deputy Director, General Counsel and Secretary, and the Executive Team based on knowledge of the Guggenheim’s vision, mission, values, strategy, operating plan, and performance.

The next CHRO will lead, develop, inspire, and be an important member of a reinvigorated human resources department to prioritize and advance communication, inclusiveness, honesty, and a team-oriented philosophy.

The CHRO will foster an environment of strategic thinking around employee engagement.

Specific responsibilities, key opportunities, and challenges include :

Continue to establish the CHRO function as a respected and vital role in the organization; be a support mechanism to all the Guggenheim’s over 300 employees and, the Director and CEO, and her leadership team.

Oversee, monitor, and develop comprehensive HR strategies, policies, and practices that support the organization's goals and needs and that create a diverse, respectful, welcoming, and inclusive work environment for all employees.

• In partnership with management, lead strategic thinking and best in class planning and execution related to human resources, change management strategies, and related organizational development and structure.
• Oversee and coordinate the recruiting and selection process, with special emphasis on designing and implementing strategies and protocols to build the capacity of all departments to interview, hire, and retain a broadly diverse workforce.
• Oversee compensation and benefits strategy to ensure equitable treatment and industry alignment and make presentations as appropriate to the Director and CEO, and leadership.
• Manage the renegotiation and implementation of collective bargaining agreements and relationships with the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 30 and United Auto Workers Local 2110.
• Liaise with employee benefits providers; participate in contractual negotiations, benchmarking, and program implementation.
• Lead a development / performance management culture that aligns with the Guggenheim’s values and objectives and oversee a system of regular staff evaluation to ensure applicability and relevancy to the institution and the functional and personal goals of the staff within the Guggenheim.
• Develop and implement strategies to retain and develop employees who are top performers.
• Work closely with leadership to implement innovative staff orientation and onboarding programs in addition to coaching, counseling, and training / professional development opportunities.
• Educate managers and supervisors on progressive discipline and performance improvement processes as appropriate. Conduct investigations in close collaboration with the Deputy Director, General Counsel and Secretary, and appropriate management when employee complaints or concerns are brought forth.
• Champion an environment that continues team building and increases communication across the organization.
• In partnership with the Chief Operating Officer and Deputy Director, General Counsel and Secretary, ensure the Guggenheim’s compliance with federal, state, and local legal requirements (EEO, ADA, FMLA, ERISA, OSHA, etc.

Keep job knowledge up to date by participating in industry- related organizations and conferences and maintaining and expanding professional networks.

Manage HR operations and systems, including building and overseeing a team of HR professionals that focuses on recruiting, employee benefits, and general HR issues.

QUALIFICATIONS AND CHARACTERISTICS

The successful candidate will bring many of the following competencies and characteristics :

• High level of emotional intelligence; evident interpersonal skills and the ability to work collaboratively and collegially and to garner trust within a multi-faceted arts organization across multiple locations and a variety of stakeholders while effecting and leading change where needed;
• A leader who is goal-oriented; one who understands what needs to be done and ensures successful execution;
• Demonstrated track record leading, implementing, and communicating large-scale change management initiatives in a complex organization;
• Experience in building and implementing a robust employee relations strategy and structure within a complex, matrixed environment and ensuring that all related matters are communicated and documented accurately and managed appropriately;
• Experience in leading labor management discussions, negotiations, and implementation of Collective Bargaining Agreements and in managing grievances;
• Some experience in a global environment specifically in talent acquisition;
• Demonstrated experience in the learning and development space to lead and develop an agenda focused on individual and team-based development, resilience, and human resources, as well as support the senior leadership team;
• Active affiliation with a broad range of professional networks and organizations and ongoing community involvement;
• Excellent listening, verbal, and written communication skills; ability to influence across all levels of the organization;
• unparalleled personal integrity, discretion, and tact;
• An accessible, supportive colleague who leads with empathy, flexibility, and resilience. In addition, strong candidates will offer :
• Fifteen plus years of progressive leadership experience and responsibilities in human resources positions;
• Minimum of a bachelor’s degree or the equivalent, preferably in human resources, organizational development, or a related field;
• Experience with private sector and non-profit cultural organizations welcomed.

Compensation and Location

This is a permanent, full-time position in New York City with a targeted starting salary range of $250,000 - $310,000 and will be commensurate with experience.

Applications, Inquiries, and Nominations

Confidential inquiries, nominations / referrals, and applications (including resumes and letters of interest responding to the opportunities and challenges outlined above) should be sent electronically to the Isaacson, Miller executive search team via the link below.

Dan Rodas, Partner Rachel Brown, Senior Associate

Isaacson, Miller

The Guggenheim is dedicated to creating paths that lead to a more inclusive and diverse institution. We encourage inquiries from applicants who will reflect the plurality of our culture and our global audience.

The Guggenheim does not discriminate on the basis of age, race, creed, color, religion, marital status, gender identity and / or expression, sexual orientation, veteran status, national origin or disability status.

Department : Human Resources

This is a full-time position