Share the excitement of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, with public audiences and deliver compelling campaigns that ultimately increase attendance and revenue for this major cultural destination. The Advertising Manager works with advertising vendors and marketing team members to fulfill promotional strategies and campaign directions.

This position requires someone with a passion for understanding the advertising landscape and determining how to best communicate with MFAH audiences. It also requires an organized, detail-passionate individual who can deliver assets and meet constant deadlines. This same individual will coordinate departmental marketing plans, assuring that communication is strong between the marketing team and various colleagues.

Responsibilities       

          Media Buying and Delivery of Assets

• Develops a deep understanding of the paid advertising landscape in Houston and in the greater art world, regionally and nationally.
• Seeks data from vendors regarding reach, audience, and value.
• Maintains professional relationships with vendors through ongoing conversations and negotiations in order to seek best advertising value for the Museum.
• Working closely with marketing leadership, creates advertising plans for exhibitions, programming, festivals, etc., that fit within the department’s strategy and budget.
• Negotiates cost of placement, schedules, and books advertising with vendors.
• Works with Graphic Design Department and video production team to create compelling assets.
• Follows through with delivery of assets, including copy, graphics, videos, etc.
• Confirms that all vendors have fulfilled expectations and reports back to colleagues on reach and results.
• Contributes to regular reports regarding paid advertising.
• Handles “cold calls” from advertising vendors

            Paid Social Advertising and Content Creators

• Builds schedule and budgets, for paid social media with the Museum’s digital advertising agency.
• Creates and delivers engaging paid social media content to the agency, working in collaboration with the Digital Content Creator. This will include words, headlines, images, and videos.
• Working with the Associate Head, Creative Production, identifies and seeks relationships with high- and local-level influencers.
• Invites or appoints them to signature events, exhibition previews, and earned-income experiences that promote the brand.
• Incorporates those content creators into media budgets and plans, tracks the return on investment, and helps build a strong bank of content creators.

Skills, Knowledge and Abilities

• Passion for communicating, plus strong ability to reach external audiences with compelling advertising public
• Strategic thinker, highly organized, with an aptitude for looking ahead and creating schedules for promotion
• Tech-savvy, with demonstrated expertise in various platforms
• Excellent writing abilities, with a mastery of how to tell a story and convey complex subject matter in a few words
• High EQ skills, with the ability to work well with leadership, colleagues, and guests
• Interest in arts and culture a strong plus and editing experience, with a mastery of storytelling
• Ability to meet demanding deadlines, manage multiple projects at once, and interact with a broad variety of internal departments and external entities
• Strong understanding of best practices, metrics and analytics to help form opinions and recommendations

Education and Experience

• Bachelor's degree in marketing, advertising, or business preferred, or a combination of experience and education from which comparable and demonstrable knowledge, skills and abilities have been achieved.
• 5+ years related work experience, including in the fields of marketing, advertising, or business.
• Advertising experience is preferred but not essential

Submission should include:

1. Cover letter
2. Resume
3. Portfolio, including relevant samples of work you are particularly excited to share and believe sets you apart from all others who will apply for this position.
   1. Metrics or measures of execution, success, or areas of where desired improvements were achieved.

About the MFAH

The MFAH is an organization comprised of 600+ employees and 1,000+ docents and volunteers. The museum is more than 100 years old and ranks nationally among the top 10 art museums in exhibition space, memberships, endowments, and attendance, with 1M visitors annually. Our multifaceted institution includes multiple gallery buildings, a sculpture garden, two art schools, three eateries and two house museums for decorative arts. The encyclopedic collection numbers more than 70,000 works of art in a wide range of media.

As an employer, MFAH offers a supportive, collegial and inclusive work environment and a competitive benefits package.

Position Available:

Title:                                        Advertising Manager

Classification:                          Exempt - Salaried

Schedule:                                 35-hour work week – 9 am to 5 pm

Pay Rate:                                 Please see “Compensation” below

Work Location:                        Museum of Fine Arts, Houston

Working Conditions and Physical Demands

Work will primarily be performed in an office environment.  Work will involve extended sitting and computer use.  With or without reasonable accommodation, the individual selected must have the capacity to perform effectively all essential functions. In addition to the other demands mentioned, the demands of the job may or will include:

• Must undergo and meet company standards for background and reference checks.
• Required ability to handle multiple tasks concurrently.
• Extensive computer usage.
• Seeing, hearing, speaking, and writing clearly in order to communicate with staff, guests and others.
• Frequent sitting, standing and walking, which may be required for extended periods of time.
• Good vision or corrected by use of glasses and/or contacts for reading and viewing abilities.

Equal Opportunities for All

At the MFAH, we believe that diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusivity are fundamental to our organization. We welcome all candidates whose experience has prepared them to contribute to our organization and our pledge for workplace diversity, inclusion, and excellence.

Our commitment to our policy and practice of nondiscrimination represents more than good intentions. It provides for employment decisions that are made without regard to race, creed, color, age, gender, sexual orientation, religion, national origin, gender identity or expression, genetic information, disability, or veteran status, or any other protected characteristic as established by law or any other reason unrelated to your ability to join and contribute to our organization and support our mission to provide a museum experience for all.

Research shows that women and individuals from underrepresented backgrounds often apply to jobs only if they meet 100% of the qualifications. We recognize that it is highly unlikely that an applicant meets 100% of the qualifications for a given role. Therefore, if much of this job description describes you, then you are highly encouraged to apply for this role.

The MFAH is equally committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals interested in employment with the organization. As part of this commitment, we want to ensure that persons with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation needed to 1) participate in the job application or 2) interview process; 3) perform essential job functions; and/or 4) participate in the benefits and privileges of employment with the MFAH. If reasonable accommodation is needed, please contact the human resources department: HR@mfah.org

Benefits:

The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, offers an excellent benefits package that includes:

• Medical Insurance: Employee and dependent coverage through a choice of managed health care programs
• Dental Insurance: Employee and dependent coverage through two plan choices
• Vision Insurance: Employee and dependent coverage through a vision program
• Group health, dental and vision insurance coverage available and effective the first of the month following employment with the MFAH for this role.
• Life Insurance & AD&D: Employee coverage at no cost to the employee
• Long Term Disability: Employee coverage at no cost to the employee

The MFAH provides a generous schedule for time off under the following benefit categories:

• Paid Time Off - Used for absences from work such as vacation, illness of short duration, and personal reasons. Hours are accrued biweekly, based on employment status, length of service, and hours worked
• Reserve Time Off - Used for extended illnesses. Employees accrue up to 6 days per year, up to a maximum of 120 days
• Holidays - Full-time employees receive eleven paid holidays per year
• Volunteer Time Off - The MFAH supports activities that enhance and serve the communities in which we live and work. Employees receive up to 40 hours of paid time off annually to give back and volunteer.

Other Benefits

• Staff may contribute to the MFAH Retirement Savings Plan. Eligible staff contributing to the plan may receive up to a 5% matching contribution from the MFAH after one year of service.  (We also recognize prior nonprofit service which will provide for an accelerated employer match!)
• Roth IRA also available!
• MFAH Membership – Staff receive a free Family-level membership
• Discounts – Staff receive discounts on purchases at the Museum shop and all on campus eateries and courses for you or your family at the Glassell School of Art.
• Metro commuter subsidy available upon request

Compensation:

Salary will be commensurate with the applicant's experience and the needs and requirements expressed in the job description.  The MFAH has set the pay range for this job and level as a general guideline and not a guarantee of the compensation amount or salary. Additional factors considered in extending an offer include (but are not limited to) responsibilities of the job, education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities, the needs and requirements expressed in the job description, as well as internal equity, and alignment with market data, and any related regulations or other laws.

Application Procedure

Qualified applicants should apply online, which will be the most effective way to ensure consideration.  Application materials should include:

1. Cover letter
2. Resume
3. Portfolio, including relevant samples of work you are particularly excited to share and believe sets you apart from all others who will apply for this position.
   1. Metrics or measures of execution, success, or areas of where desired improvements were achieved.

If you prefer, a list of references will be accepted but not required at this early stage in the process.  Applications or letters of interest sent via mail, fax, or direct email to a staff member will not ensure consideration.