Assistant Director; Virginia Quilt Museum

Job Listing:
Assistant Director (Virginia Quilt Museum)

Employee Classification:
Full-Time, exempt

Reports to:

Executive Director

Salary Range: $40,000 – $42,000

Location:

On-site at The Virginia Quilt Museum in Dayton, Virginia

Travel: 0-10%, primarily in Virginia, occasional regional travel required

Hours:

Tuesday - Saturday 9:00 am - 5:00 pm are the expected work hours, some flexibility for evening events is needed. Evening events are planned well in advance.

About The Virginia Quilt Museum The Virginia Quilt Museum (VQM) is the only museum dedicated to quilting in the Mid-Atlantic region. The museum’s mission is to cultivate and preserve the quilting arts in Virginia. The Virginia Quilt Museum’s goal is to inspire and engage a diverse community by building and preserving quilt collections, sharing historical and contemporary exhibitions, and providing education opportunities for all ages.

VQM has a permanent collection of 300 plus quilts, over 60 sewing machines, and welcomes over 6,000 visitors each year. The museum has two floors of exhibition space and rotates exhibitions three to four times a year. Along with exhibitions the museum hosts both in-person and virtual programs and events. In 2026 the museum will participate in the semi quincentennial of the American Revolution with a six month exhibition Stitching Together History: 250 Quilts Commemorating the Commonwealth of Virginia.

The Virginia Quilt Museum is seeking an Assistant Director to manage the day to day running of the Museum. This position will manage the museum’s gift shop, manage programs and events, run the volunteer program, coordinate group tours, and assist with development activities. This role requires a creative and strategic thinker with outstanding organizational skills, strong interpersonal instincts, and an ability to thrive in a small but very active working environment.

The ideal candidate is tech-savvy, detail-oriented, excels at customer service, and is comfortable working with little supervision. This person must be comfortable interacting with visitors of all ages along with working with staff, volunteers, and Board members. The successful candidate is able to think critically, and must be approachable, enthusiastic, and able to multitask and prioritize effectively.

• Works closely with the Executive Director and Boards members to select and develop programs for the museum
• Handles all administrative aspects of programs including creating registration forms, adding programs to VQM website, and coordinating advertising with VQM’s marketing firm
• Communicates with speakers and teachers to schedule programs
• Is the point of contact for visitors with questions about programs
• Tracks programs registration
• Ensures that classroom is setup and ready for programs and events

• Places orders for inventory from vendors and consignors
• Researches new inventory and evaluates sales trends
• Prices items and stocks gift shop
  • Seasonally changes gift shop displays
• Packages and ships all online shop orders
• Communicates with consignment artists on a routine basis
• Recruits and supervises volunteers, work study students, and community service volunteers
• Schedules volunteers and fills in at front desk or gift shop when volunteers are not available
• Trains volunteers and keeps volunteers up-to-date on museum happenings
• Maintains and updates written training materials as necessary including monthly docent notes

• Enters memberships and gifts into Little Green Light database
• Prints and mails acknowledgement letters and membership cards weekly
• Assists Executive Director with writing and updating appeal and acknowledgment letters
• Respond to all requests for group tours and presentations
• Schedules staff and/or volunteers for tours and presentations
• Completes contract with group and makes sure payment is completed

• Keep museum stocked in all supplies including office supplies, exhibition items, paper products, and cleaning supplies
• Update museum website with new programs, exhibitions, and events
• Assists with exhibition changes