Chief Marketing and Growth Officer

Chaloner has partnered with the Tenement Museum on their search for a Chief Marketing and Growth Officer.

About the Museum

The Tenement Museum welcomes you into the homes of immigrants, migrants, and refugees and shares their stories to inspire connections between the past and present and to build a more inclusive and expansive American society. In our two historic tenements, visitors and K-12 students explore the homes of diverse families with roots all over the world, who lived in New York City between the 1860s and the 1980s. We offer interactive guided tours of our buildings and the iconic Lower East Side neighborhood.

The Museum welcomes more than 220,000 visitors annually and operates with a staff of 60 full-time and 60 part-time employees and a $13 million operating budget. With a beloved retail shop, a robust portfolio of public programs, and a growing digital presence, the Tenement Museum stands at an exciting inflection point. The current strategic plan calls for expanded investment in marketing, development, and audience growth. The incoming Chief Marketing and Growth Officer will be a founding architect of that next chapter.

The Role

The Tenement Museum seeks a growth-minded, collaborative, and mission-driven Chief Marketing and Growth Officer (CMGO) to join its Senior Leadership Team. Reporting directly to the President, the CMGO will be a strategic partner to colleagues across the organization, helping to build a shared culture of marketing and sales that deepens audience engagement, grows revenue, and amplifies the museum's mission. Situated in one of the world's most dynamic cities, this role carries enormous opportunity to re-engage New Yorkers, attract new and diverse audiences, and position the museum as an essential destination for locals and visitors alike. This is both a big-picture leadership role and a hands-on position that requires someone equally comfortable setting strategy and rolling up their sleeves to execute it.

A central part of this role is driving earned revenue and visitorship. The CMGO will have direct responsibility for growing ticket sales, membership, retail performance, and events revenue, and will be a key partner to the Chief Development Officer in supporting philanthropic growth. The CMGO will oversee the museum's marketing, visitor services and retail team and manage outside vendors including designers, PR firms, and digital specialists. This leader will partner closely with the senior team, including the President, Chief of Staff, and Chief Development Officer, and will work closely with colleagues already driving digital projects and development integration to build a cohesive, organization-wide approach to engagement.

The ideal candidate is energized by growth and the prospect of building something. They bring a genuine passion for the museum's mission, a deep curiosity about New York City's evolving audiences and tourism landscape, and an entrepreneurial mindset that turns compelling stories into measurable results.

Core Responsibilities

Audience Development and Revenue Growth

• Develop marketing strategies that drive ticket sales, membership, retail revenue, events, and philanthropic support.
• Develop strategies to re-engage New York City residents and shift the perception of the museum as a destination for repeat visits, membership, and ongoing programming, not just a one-time field trip.
• Identify and cultivate target audiences, including New Yorkers, domestic and international tourists, school and college groups, repeat visitors, members, donors, and media.
• Leverage the museum's CRM (Salesforce) and data infrastructure to build segmented, proactive outreach to key audiences and convert existing visitors into long-term supporters.
• Co-create KPIs with senior leadership and staff that reflect seasonal needs and realistic growth targets, including metrics around repeat visitation, membership growth, New Yorker engagement, and revenue from events and public tours.

Vision, Strategy, and Storytelling

• Partner with colleagues to build a shared, organization-wide culture of marketing rooted in the museum's mission and stories.
• Develop and guide a marketing and communications strategy that is both ambitious in vision and grounded in the realities of the museum's audiences and seasons.
• Champion the museum's brand with consistency and creativity, ensuring its voice is compelling and cohesive across every platform and touchpoint.
• Stay curious and connected to what is happening in New York City and beyond, understanding tourism trends, cultural moments, and civic conversations, and finding ways to bring the museum into them authentically.

Content, Digital, and Communications

• Oversee the creation of emotionally resonant content that reflects the centrality of immigrant, migrant, and refugee stories to American life.
• Lead digital marketing, social media, email marketing, and web strategy.
• Build and execute a media and public relations strategy that positions the museum as a premier destination and a vital civic voice.
• Cultivate and leverage strategic partnerships to expand reach and connect with new communities.

Events and Cross-Functional Partnership

• Partner with the President, Chief of Staff, and Chief Development Officer on cultivation events, donor stewardship, and public programs.
• Collaborate with the Education, Curatorial, Visitor Services, and Development teams to ensure integrated and consistent messaging and to facilitate the operational changes that new marketing strategies require.
• Contribute to strategic planning as a senior leader and trusted partner to the President and Board.

Team and Vendor Leadership

• Lead, mentor, and develop the museum's marketing staff and build out the function over time.
• Manage outside vendors including but not limited to digital and marketing/PR firms, designers, filmmakers, and other specialists.
• Develop and oversee the marketing and communications budget, allocating resources to maximize impact.

What You Bring

• A genuine passion for the Tenement Museum's mission and a belief in the power of immigrant, migrant, and refugee stories to shape a more inclusive America.
• 15 or more years of progressively responsible experience in marketing, growth strategies, audience engagement, with demonstrated success in a senior leadership role.
• Proven ability to develop and execute marketing strategies that grow audiences and drive revenue, ideally within cultural institutions, museums, nonprofits, or mission-driven organizations.
• A track record of growing earned revenue across ticket sales, membership, retail, and events, with the business acumen to manage and optimize multiple revenue streams.
• Fluency in digital marketing, social media, CRM systems (Salesforce a plus), web analytics, and SEO.
• Data-driven decision-making: you set goals, measure outcomes, and adjust strategies based on what you learn.
• An entrepreneurial mindset and hands-on approach: you are energized by building, not just managing, and comfortable operating in an environment of growth and change.
• Experience with change management and the ability to bring colleagues along as an organization shifts its approach to marketing and audience engagement.
• Media relations and public relations experience desired, with established or readily buildable relationships with relevant press.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to craft narratives that resonate across diverse audiences.
• A deep understanding of and enthusiasm for the museum's stories, programs, and the communities it serves.
• Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively with senior leadership, boards, and cross-functional teams.

Why Join Us

This is a rare opportunity to lead marketing for one of the country's most distinctive and beloved cultural institutions at a genuine moment of momentum. The Tenement Museum has a new strategic plan, a newly preserved national historic landmark, and an expanded exhibition that explores race and identity in American tenement life. The stories this museum tells have never been more urgent or more resonant.

The incoming CMGO will join a passionate and mission-driven Senior Leadership Team, with the full support of the President and Board to build something meaningful. The infrastructure is in place, the audience is there and ready to be activated, and the mission is compelling. What is needed now is a leader with the vision, drive, and hands-on energy to take this institution's marketing to its next level.

Compensation and Benefits

The Tenement Museum offers a salary range of $180,000 to $200,000, commensurate with experience, along with a comprehensive benefits package including:

• Comprehensive Medical, Dental, and Vision insurance
• 403(b) Retirement Plan with up to 5% matching contribution
• Generous Vacation, Personal, and Sick Days
• Flexible Spending Account and Transit Checks
• Employee Assistance Plan
• Paid Parental Leave

The Tenement Museum is an equal opportunity employer committed to building a diverse, inclusive, and welcoming workplace.

Interested candidates should apply by using the application form. Chaloner will review all applicants and, upon qualification, contact you to determine next steps.