Senior Director of External Affairs

Job Description Who We Are

Founded in 1965, UC Irvine is a member of the prestigious Association of American Universities and is ranked among the nation's top 10 public universities by U.S. News & World Report. The campus has produced five Nobel laureates and is known for its academic achievement, premier research, innovation and anteater mascot. Led by Chancellor Howard Gillman, UC Irvine has more than 36,000 students and offers 224 degree programs.

It’s located in one of the world’s safest and most economically vibrant communities and is Orange County’s second‑largest employer, contributing $7 billion annually to the local economy and $8 billion statewide.

To learn more about UC Irvine, visit (Use the "Apply for this Job" box below)..

The UC Irvine Langson Orange County Museum of Art is a newly unified museum that brings together the academic depth of UC Irvine with the public presence of a major regional art institution. Led by Museum Director Kathryn Kanjo, the museum brings together two renowned institutions under a shared vision of public access, scholarship, and meaningful cultural engagement across Orange County and beyond.

The museum cares for a collection of more than 9,000 works tracing California art from the nineteenth century to today. As the museum moves toward a single, consolidated home, its work will be centered in the 53,000‑square‑foot public‑facing building in Costa Mesa designed for exhibitions, programs, and community gathering—bringing together education, research, and public engagement under one roof. As part of the University of California, the UC Irvine Langson Orange County Museum of Art connects artists, students, scholars, and the public through exhibitions, programs, and collaborations that spark curiosity, deepen understanding, and inspire connection.

The museum is entering an exciting new chapter, guided by a vision of curatorial excellence, accessibility, and service to the region’s vibrant cultural landscape.

The UC Irvine Langson Orange County Museum of Art seeks a strategic and creative leader to serve as Senior Director of External Affairs. Reporting directly to the Museum Director, this senior position is responsible for developing and executing a comprehensive external affairs strategy that advances the museum's visibility, reputation, and audience engagement across local, regional, and national audiences. The Director will lead an integrated team encompassing marketing, communications, graphic design, and social media and digital content, while also providing strategic direction for museum advancement and fundraising.

This position plays a critical role in shaping how the Langson presents itself to the world and in building the relationships and public presence essential to the museum's long‑term growth and impact.

• Strong knowledge of current and emerging industry requirements and best practices in areas of marketing.
• Strong skills in strategic planning to effectively organize resources, establish priorities, and achieve desired results, including a proven track record of developing and executing integrated external affairs strategies in a museum, cultural institution, university, or a comparable nonprofit or public sector organization.
• Strong skill in managing staff including selection, training, evaluating and mentoring staff at all organizational levels; skill in taking corrective action with staff as required.
• Strong interpersonal communication and political acumen to effectively work with internal customers and external constituencies, including the ability to work effectively within a complex organizational environment, including navigating matrixed or dotted‑line reporting relationships.
• Strong market research, analytical, and problem recognition / avoidance / resolution skills.
• Strong skills to produce results and achieve predetermined goals within budget and time constraints, including strong project management skills with the ability to manage competing priorities, meet deadlines, and lead multiple concurrent initiatives.
• Strong knowledge of applicable University policies and state and federal laws regarding copyright…