Submit applications through the University of Missouri's Job Openings page. Select Staff positions under the Academic & Staff Positions tile and search for positions by Job ID or position title.
Executive Director
Location: State Historical Society of Missouri, Columbia, MO
Job ID: 53602
Nature of Work
Nominations and applications are invited for the full-time position of Executive Director, State Historical Society of Missouri (SHSMO), headquartered on the campus of the University of Missouri in Columbia, with research centers in St. Louis, Kansas City and Rolla, and on the campuses of Missouri State University in Springfield and Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau. The State Historical Society of Missouri is the preeminent research institution in Missouri for the study of state and local history. It receives the majority of its funding from the state of Missouri but is also a 501(c)3 organization that seeks and benefits from private donations. The organization’s total annual operating budget is approximately $6 million.
The Executive Director oversees the operational, financial, programmatic, and development activities of the State Historical Society under policies established by the organization’s Board of Trustees and the board’s Executive Committee. The Executive Director supervises a staff of approximately 40 full-time and 10 part-time employees and provides editorial oversight for the Missouri Historical Review, the Missouri Encyclopedia and other periodic publications produced by the organization. The Executive Director assumes primary responsibility for fundraising for the organization, including advocacy for the organization’s annual state appropriation from the Missouri General Assembly.
The Executive Director serves on a variety of statewide advisory boards related to history, including the Missouri Board on Geographic Names, the Missouri Historical Advisory Board and the Missouri Local Records Board. The Executive Director also serves as a resource for Missourians and local historical societies in their search and advocacy for the study and preservation of Missouri history.
Salary will be commensurate with responsibilities and experience. Benefits package includes health, dental, life and disability insurance, and retirement benefits, provided through the University of Missouri. A tax-deferred annuity program is available.
Anticipated start date is May-October 2025
Key Responsibilities
- Fundraising from private and/or external sources
- Engaging with Missouri lawmakers, advocating for public funding for SHSMO
- Engaging with University of Missouri officials in furthering the mission of SHSMO
- Promoting Missouri history through talks/presentations to outside constituencies
- Engaging in the research and writing of Missouri history
- Serving as editor-in-chief of the Missouri Historical Review
- Meeting with, interacting with and supervising SHSMO staff members
- Monitoring the SHSMO budget
- Writing or supervising the writing of public and private grants
- Engaging with donors to solicit manuscripts and other research materials
- Engaging with and providing advice to local historical societies
- Representing SHSMO on statewide boards (such as Missouri Local Records, State Record Commission, State Board on Geographic Names)
Preferred Qualifications
A Ph.D. degree in history, preferably American history, with coursework in or a record of research and writing on some aspect of Missouri history. The successful candidate will possess an established record of scholarship, including publications in peer-reviewed journals and/or the publication of one or more scholarly books published by a refereed press.
Knowledge, Skills & Abilities
Candidates should possess qualities of leadership and vision, and the demonstrated ability to work effectively with State Historical Society trustees and employees, University administrators and college and departmental leaders, scholars, students, state and local elected officials, and the general public in assessing and shaping policies and programs.
Hiring Range: $150,000-$175,000
Work Hours: Monday-Friday, and nights and weekends as needed.
Questions: For any questions regarding this position, please send email to shsmocenter@shsmo.org.
Library Information Assistant
Location: State Historical Society of Missouri, Columbia, MO
Job ID: 53540
Full/Part Time: Part-time
The State Historical Society of Missouri seeks a part-time Library Information Specialist to assist in the preservation of newspapers and assit research center patrons.
Key Responsibilities
- Perform quality check of the scanned newspapers.
- Perform quality check of downloaded digital newspapers.
- Assist in performing advanced editing of scanned and born-digital images.
- Assist with quality check of processed microfilm.
- Maintain up-to-date records of the microfilming process.
- Assist in the Research Center with patrons.
Salary: $15.00-$15.50 per hour
Hours: Up to 20 hours per week between Tuesday-Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.