Executive Director, Wittliff Collections

Job Opportunities at Texas State University Executive Director, The Wittliff Collections

Posting/Functional Title Executive Director, The Wittliff Collections

University Pay Plan Title

University Pay Plan Title Dir, Wittliff Collections

Location

Location San Marcos

Department

Department Wittliff Collections

Recruitment Type

Job Type

Job Type Full-Time

Funding Source

Funding Source Permanent

Monthly Salary

Monthly Salary Commensurate with experience

Job Category

Job Category Exempt

Required Qualifications:

Applicants must specifically address how they meet these required qualifications to meet the requirements of the position.

• Master’s degree in a relevant field.
• Knowledge of historical and contemporary Southwestern and Texas literature.
• Minimum of seven years of progressively responsible leadership experience in a museum, archive, research library, or cultural institution.
• Demonstrated success in major gift solicitation ($5M+) and leading multi-million dollar capital campaigns.
• Strong knowledge of advancement best practices.
• Excellent communication, interpersonal, and relationship-building skills.
• Ability to work collaboratively with stakeholders, including board members, donors, staff, and community leaders.
• Extensive experience in developing and executing long-term strategic plans and institutional roadmaps.
• Proven ability to manage complex departmental budgets and develop diverse revenue growth strategies.

Preferred Qualifications

• Knowledge of the literature, photography, or music of the Southwest and Mexico.
• A documented history of securing funding from major state and federal agencies (e.g., NEA , NEH , IMLS ).
• Experience managing in-house publications or book series, including the editorial and production process.
• Experience working within a higher education advancement framework, navigating the specific compliance and reporting structures of a university system.
• Familiarity with leveraging digital collections or social media to build a national brand for a physical archive.

Job Description

Responsible for providing creative leadership, direction, and development of The Wittliff Collections, with a primary focus on institutional advancement. This includes staff hiring, leading capital campaigns and major gift fundraising, in-house publications, public programming, and book series for both collections.

Job Duties

• Cultivate and meet donors and work with University Advancement on capital campaign.
• Provide budget management and revenue growth strategy.
• Conduct acquisitions research and secure funding for high-value additions.
• Oversee marketing and internal publications to build a compelling case for philanthropic support.
• Prepare active schedule of exhibitions and public events designed to cultivate donor relationships.
• Develop, lead, and evaluate short-range strategic planning and long-term capital campaign goals for The Wittliff Collections.
• Activate the work of The Collections Advisory Board to expand the donor network and solicitation efforts.
• Prepare statistical and narrative data for state and federal agencies, granting foundations, and major donors.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Additional Information to Applicants

Job Open Date

Job Open Date 01/12/2026

Job Close Date (posting closes at midnight)

Job Close Date (posting closes at midnight) 01/19/2026

Open Until Filled No

Normal Work Days

Normal Work Hours Start 8:00AM

Normal Work Hours End 5:00PM

Posting Notices

Legal and Required Notices

Texas State University is committed to a policy of non-discrimination and equal opportunity for all persons regardless of race, sex, color, religion, national origin or ancestry, age, marital status, disability, veteran status, or any other basis protected by federal or state law in employment, educational programs, and activities and admissions.
Employment with Texas State University is contingent upon the outcome of record checks and verifications including, but not limited to, criminal history, driving records, education records, employment verifications, reference checks, and employment eligibility verifications.

In accordance with federal law, all new employees must complete the Form I-9 and provide acceptable documentation verifying their…