Executive Director - Junior Museum & Zoo (JMZ)

Job Description:

Executive Director - Junior Museum & Zoo (JMZ)

Description

Description


Do you have a passion for leadership, education, animal care, and creating memorable experiences for children and families? Do you thrive in fast-paced, mission-driven environments that blend hands-on learning, zoo operations, and public service?

The City of Palo Alto Community Services Department is seeking an experienced, collaborative, and visionary professional to serve as the Executive Director for the Palo Alto Junior Museum & Zoo (JMZ) - one of the Bay Area’s most unique and beloved institutions.

This leadership role provides strategic oversight, operational management, and long-term planning for a dynamic and highly visible division that includes an accredited zoo, children’s museum, educational programs, camps, special events, birthday parties, and community engagement initiatives.

The Junior Museum & Zoo serves thousands of children and families annually through hands-on science learning, animal experiences, camps, classes, outreach programs, and community events. The facility currently is open to the public six days per week, generates more than $3 million annually in revenue, and includes over 35 staff members across education, animal care, guest services, operations, and administration.

Some key responsibilities include:

• Department Leadership: Provide strategic leadership, operational oversight, and long-range planning for the Junior Museum & Zoo.
• Staff Management & Culture: Lead and support multidisciplinary teams while fostering a collaborative, inclusive, and high-performing culture focused on safety, accountability, innovation, and exceptional guest experiences.
• Program & Operations Oversight: Oversee the planning, implementation, evaluation, and continuous improvement of zoo, museum, educational, conservation, and community engagement programs.
• Community & Stakeholder Engagement: Develop and maintain partnerships with schools, community organizations, volunteers, donors, sponsors, and professional organizations, and represent the organization within the community.
• Financial & Resource Management: Manage departmental budgets, financial resources, grants, contracts, and capital improvement projects to ensure fiscal sustainability and operational effectiveness.
• Strategic Planning & Continuous Improvement: Analyze operational and program data, identify opportunities for improvement, and implement strategies that enhance services, efficiency, and community impact.
• Compliance & Accreditation: Ensure compliance with City policies, safety standards, regulatory requirements, and Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) accreditation standards.
• Safety & Animal Welfare: Promote a safe, welcoming, and engaging environment for staff, volunteers, guests, and animals.

The ideal candidate will be a professional, solutions-oriented, and highly collaborative leader with strong operational and people management skills, experience leading multidisciplinary teams, and a passion for education, conservation, and public service. The successful candidate will bring experience working with educational programming, community engagement, zoo animals, conservation initiatives, and/or youth-focused services. They will demonstrate the ability to lead through change, build strong internal and external partnerships, and support a positive workplace culture focused on accountability, communication, innovation, and continuous improvement.

Bring your experience leading complex, fast-paced, mission-driven operations across education, animal care, and public engagement. Apply today!

Compensation (MGMT): Comprehensive compensation plan. To learn more, click here .

Benefits: The City offers a fantastic benefits package including:

• Schedule: Option of a 9/80 work schedule with every other Friday off
  
• Professional development: Tuition reimbursement, leadership training, and career growth opportunities
  
• Education benefits: Potential enrollment for dependents in the Palo Alto Unified School District (pilot program, subject to change)
  
• Childcare support: $10,000 in childcare subsidies (pilot program, subject to change)
  
• Commute benefits: Incentives for walking, biking and taking transit to work. The City of Palo Alto participates in the Clipper Bay Pass program (Employee Cost: $5 per month).
  
• Defined-Benefit Retirement Plan: with competitive pension benefits
  

To learn more about benefits, clickhere.

Essential Duties

Essential and other important responsibilities and duties may include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Supervises staff to include: prioritizing and assigning work; conducting performance evaluations; ensuring staff are trained; and making hiring, termination and disciplinary recommendations.
• Coordinates, supervises, and evaluates day-to-day operations of an assigned major program; ensures compliance with applicable internal and external requirements.
• Coordinates the development, implementation, and supervision of program goals, objectives, policies, procedures, activities, and strategic initiatives; assesses consequences and outcomes of program initiatives.
• Performs regular inspections of program sites to ensure the safety of staff and patrons.
• Develops and recommends program plans and priorities.

To review full job description, click here.

Minimum Qualifications

Sufficient education, training and/or work experience to demonstrate possession of the following knowledge and skills, which would typically be acquired through:

• Bachelor's degree in a related field and five years of progressively responsible, directly related experience; or, an equivalent combination of education and experience sufficient to successfully perform the essential duties of the job such as those listed above.
• Master's degree in a related field preferred.

Desired Qualifications

• Master’s Degree in degree in Recreation, Museum Studies, Zoology, Biology, Education, Public Administration, or Environmental Science.

Licensing Requirements:

Depending on area of assignment, positions may require:

• Valid California Driver's License.
• First Aide/CPR Certification (Must be obtained within first 6 months of hire)

Supplemental Information

Recruitment Timeline:

• Applications Close: Wednesday, July 1st
• Panel Interviews: Week of July 13th
• Final Interviews: Week of July 27th

The Selection Process:

• Recruitment status notifications will be sent via email or text (please enroll in text alerts when applying).
• Updates can also be found on your governmentjobs.com account.
• Applicants will be screened throughout the posting process and highly qualified candidates may be invited to interview at any time.
• The screening process for this position may include a virtual recorded interview and/or panel interviews preceding final interviews with the hiring manager or their designee.
• More than one position may be filled through this posting.

Our online application system is provided by NeoGov. If you have problems while applying online, please contact NeoGov's Live Applicant Support at (855) 524-5627 between 6:00 AM and 5:00 PM Pacific Time, Monday - Friday.

The City of Palo Alto is an Equal Opportunity Employer. In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, the City will provide reasonable accommodation to qualified individuals with disabilities and encourages both prospective and current employees to discuss potential accommodations with the employer.

See our Benefits at a Glance Bookletfor more details.
Learn more about our Compensation Plan HERE.

Closing Date/Time: 7/1/2026 11:59 PM Pacific

Salary:

$115,252.80 - $172,889.60 Annually