Head of Facilities

Head of Facilities

In the spirit of respect and friendship, the Bata Shoe Museum recognizes that the land on which we are situated has been the ancestral home of many nations, including the Wendat, the Anishnaabeg, the Haudenosaunee, and the Mississaugas of the Credit, since time immemorial. Today, this area remains home to many, diverse Indigenous communities, including First Nations, Inuit and Metis peoples. As a staff, we at the Bata Shoe Museum are grateful to have the opportunity to meet, work and learn together on this land.

Located in Toronto, Canada, the Bata Shoe Museum regularly displays over a thousand shoes and related artifacts, chosen from a collection of nearly 15,000 objects, in architect Raymond Moriyama’s iconic, award-winning building. The mission of the Bata Shoe Museum is to communicate the central role of footwear in shaping the social and cultural life of humanity. Through acquiring, conserving, researching, interpreting, and exhibiting material evidence of the history of footwear and shoemaking, the museum illustrates the changing habits, lifestyles, culture, and customs of the world’s inhabitants. The Bata Shoe Museum’s international collection of nearly 15,000 artifacts spans 4,500 years of history.

It is within this context that they invite nominations and applications for the role of Head of Facilities, instrumental to the ongoing growth and success of the organization.

The Head of Facilities will manage the museum’s infrastructure and physical space, being responsible for preventative and ongoing building maintenance, operational and capital budgets, and asset management. The incumbent must understand the technical aspects of the property, support day-to-day business operations, ensure efficient operation of facilities, mitigate risk, and ensure that the facilities meet and exceed the needs and expectations of visitors and staff and safeguards the collection. Along with the Director and Deputy Director, they will work with the Board and other departments, to ensure the successful advancement of cross-functional initiatives. This position is central to the success of all aspects of the museum and requires close cooperation and collegiality with all departments, whilst ensuring the museum is a welcoming place.

Qualifications

Among the qualifications being sought in candidates, the incoming leader must have a deep and abiding commitment to advancing reconciliation, equity, diversity, and inclusion in all its forms and must believe, intrinsically, in the importance of leading with curiosity and welcoming ideas that can later be synthesized and turned into reality. While all candidates are encouraged to apply and, in so doing, share how they see themselves adding value to the Bata Shoe Museum environment, the following credentials and/or experiences are seen as possible markers of the candidates most likely to realize success in the role: A) several years of experience in progressively senior roles in facility management, work within museums would be seen as an asset; B) a proven understanding of the technical/engineering aspects of building systems; C) a history of team work as well as independent work; D) the ability to navigate complexity and provide compelling solutions to challenges that arise; E) a history of delivering excellent work in a range of environments and circumstances and a reputation for being recognized as a leader who adds tremendous value to everyone they work with; D) possessing a deep and abiding commitment to advancing BSM’s anti-racism, equity, diversity and inclusion efforts.

Compensation

Bata Shoe Museum provides a competitive compensation ($95,000 - $105,000), plus employer paid benefits, vacation and personal days.

How to Apply

Bata Shoe Museum is partnering with BIPOC Executive Search to ensure an applicant list that is diverse and is as intersectional as possible. All interested applicants can send their résumé to Melissa Sumnauth or Laurie Toulouse by e-mailing ltoulouse@bipocsearch.com.

The Bata Shoe Museum condemns racism, injustice and violence. We have taken time to reflect on how we can effectively and meaningfully make change. We acknowledge that as a museum, we have a responsibility to support diversity, inclusion and accessibility through the work done within our own institution and outside our doors and are committed to this. We acknowledge that we must listen more, learn more, and engage in difficult but necessary conversations. We acknowledge that we have a responsibility to use our platform to amplify minoritized voices. We are committed to prioritizing the education of our board and staff on the issues of diversity and inclusivity. We are committed to changing our museum to be more inclusive to those who have felt marginalized and excluded from being part of a museum community. We are committed to having diverse voices be heard in our exhibitions and our programming. We are committed to providing space for community engagement. We are committed to supporting minoritized business owners. We are committed to making a difference and are actively working on a plan of action. Being silent is being complicit.

In accordance with the AODA Act, for applicants living with a disability accommodation will be provided throughout the search process. Should accommodations be required, please make Laurie Toulouse aware by using the above address.

We thank everyone for their expression of interest—and are truly appreciative of the time individuals put into applying—but with the limitations of time only those selected for an interview will be contacted.