Overview:    

The History

The Children’s Museum of Rock County (CMRC) is a volunteer-powered emerging museum. CMRC has been in the works in one form or another since 2006 when members of the Leadership Development Academy identified a children’s museum as a pressing community need.

The (then) Janesville Children’s Museum was set to launch in 2008/09 until the Great Recession hit in autumn 2008 and General Motors announced the closure of the Janesville plant in December 2008. As one of the major employers of the area, this closure had an indescribable impact on the local economy and plans for a children’s museum were put on hold.

In 2018, CMRC secured a starter space at Uptown Janesville (Janesville Mall) due to the generosity of the owner, RockStep Capital. Plans to start hosting programming and building out this space were put on hold when the 2020 COVID protocols were put into place.

During that same year, local stakeholders began expressing interest in building the children’s museum in the downtown area. At this stage the Board of Directors began retooling efforts and explored various location possibilities, eventually landing on 100 W. Milwaukee Street, a historic bank building. 

The Building

The museum will be located in the historic First National Bank at 100 W. Milwaukee Street. This architectural cornerstone of downtown Janesville was originally built in 1907, then rebuilt in 1912. The building served as a premier financial institution for the community for 110 years, most recently by JP Morgan Chase.

Preservation of the original bank building’s facade serves as an important representation of the community, its values, and its history. As such, construction of the Children’s Museum will consist of restoring and repurposing the bank building to serve as an “anchor,” while demolishing the 1970s drive-up addition to construct more usable space.

Additionally, its location near the heart of Janesville, a central spot in Rock County, is optimal for serving the community. The adaptive reuse of 100 W. Milwaukee Street will not only give it new life, it also will play a major role in the revitalization of downtown Janesville. 

The Rock Renaissance Area Redevelopment and Implementation Strategy (ARISE) assesses the redevelopment opportunities in downtown Janesville and along the Rock River. The ARISE Plan provides guidance on these development strategies, priorities, needs, and opportunities. Construction of a children’s museum at 100 W. Milwaukee Street falls neatly into this plan supporting three (3) out of four (4) of the plan’s goals:

1. Make the downtown the heart of the community and a fun, vibrant and healthy place to live, work and visit for a wide spectrum of the community.

2. Preserve the historical character and authenticity of the downtown.

3. Facilitate new investment and redevelopment with a market driven and action-oriented strategy.

Moreover, this project supports objectives identified in the City of Janesville’s 2021-2025 Strategic Plan by drawing people downtown and encouraging diversity in the development of downtown businesses and activities while also establishing a niche experience.

The development of this location was specifically identified in a 2021 downtown market opportunity study as the highest development priority among various catalyst sites and as an ideal space for a children’s museum with the museum itself serving as a key, near-term driver for the continued revitalization of downtown.

The Community

Janesville is located in Rock County, Wisconsin. Janesville is the most central city in the county, largest city in the county (63,575 pop.), and serves as the county seat. It is conveniently located within driving distance of Madison, Milwaukee, Chicago, and several cities in-between.

The city has a strong history of industry and is well known for its abundance of beautiful parks and recreational areas. Handy boat launches, numerous ball fields, playgrounds, two public golf courses, tennis courts, over 2,600 acres of parkland and 25+ miles of paved bike trail are just some of the amenities enjoyed by Janesville residents. Janesville Area Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Janesville is also located along a stretch of the Ice Age Trail and hosts several festivals, events, and activities throughout the year.

Popular attractions include:

• Live music in the park during summers

• Rock County 4-H fair (the oldest 4-H fair in the country!)

• Janesville’s Jolly Jingle

• Rotary Botanical Gardens

• Rock County Historical Society

• Art Infusion

• Rock Aqua Jay ski shows

• …and much more! 

The Vision

PLAY is our motto. The CMRC is dedicated to helping families grow through play. It is a place where children, their families and community are encouraged to experience the joy of learning through play in their environment and beyond.

What does that mean to us?

PLAY…

• …is the process by which children learn.

• …reflects the cognitive, social, emotional and physical needs of children.

• …should be engaging and fun.

• …is ageless.

• … is inclusive; all children, their families and community members will be welcome to visit the museum.

With these values in mind, our organization plans to achieve the following four (4) goals by opening a children’s museum in our community:

1. Promote the joy of learning through play.

2. Encourage families to engage in child-centered play together.

3. Provide solid educational beginnings for the next generation in a safe and inclusive environment.

4. Provide a stimulating and educational venue for the community.

This vision has directed the development of our project including choice of location, building design, exhibit design, marketing, capital campaign activities, and so much more. Our latest goal is to bring a talented executive director on board to see this vision come to life in a state-of-the-art children’s museum. 

Overview:

The Executive Director will play a pivotal role in shaping the future of the new Children's Museum of Rock County, which is dedicated to providing an enriching and engaging educational experience for children and families. The Executive Director will be expected to assemble, build, and lead a dynamic team, oversee strategic planning, and champion the mission of inspiring curiosity, exploration, and lifelong learning in young minds. This individual will need to fully understand museum operations from the bottom up, periodically working on the museum floor and assisting with specialized programming. They will be responsible for managing the resolution of operational issues at all levels, including filling staffing gaps as needed. The Executive Director is expected to promote the museum through targeted community outreach that best serves the museum’s mission. The Executive Director is responsible for all aspects of fundraising, including directing the Board of Directors in campaign efforts, researching and submitting grants, and creating beneficial partnerships with organizations and individuals that will symbiotically assist in the growth of the Children’s Museum of Rock County. The Executive Director is expected to grow the museum year over year through these fundraising efforts and will be accountable for the financial growth and stability of the museum. 

Qualifications:    

Education

• 4-year College degree, preferably in business, education, museum studies, or a related field

• Master’s degree or equivalent experience preferred 

Work Experience

• Previous experience in a children’s museum (or equivalent) management position

• Five (5) years in the education sector, preferably in early childhood education, including focus on the business administration side of education.

• Proven leadership experience in a museum, educational environment, business, or non-profit organization.

• Hands-on operations management experience, including policy and regulation compliance. 

Skills

• Demonstrates passion for children and educational development.

• Strong business organizational skills, including creating and reviewing financial documents, creating and presenting key data points to the Board of Directors, writing accountability documents for grants awarded, maintaining accurate inventory, creating and adhering to budgets outlined by the Board

• Ability to recruit, build, and lead a successful staff.

• Ability to create strategic business plans

• Past success in grant writing and awards

• Can design successful fundraising campaigns

• Excellent communication skills, including both writing and public speaking

• Working knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite, QuickBooks, DonorPerfect or similar CRM software, and/or ability to learn critical software applications

• Ability to conduct and attend meetings and events during and outside of standard business hours, including evenings and weekends

• Strong sense of continuous improvement

Job Type:

Full-time

• Schedule: Monday to Friday, 8-hour day shift. Weekends as needed as museum is open seven days per week

• Work Location: In person – Janesville, WI 

• Salary & Benefits Package: $93,000 to $125,000 per year

• Package could include health insurance, PTO, retirement, health club membership, cell phone, others, and is subject to negotiation

CMRC is an equal opportunity employer. 

Job Responsibilities:    

The Executive Director is in the top leadership position of the Children’s Museum of Rock County (CMRC) and is responsible for the mission, the strategic direction, and the operations of the organization. The Executive Director has responsibility for the day-to-day management of the museum and has full profit and loss responsibility. Priorities include planning, operations, financial management, marketing, and community relations, subject to Board oversight. The Executive Director works closely with the Board of Directors to develop and implement the strategic plan; establish policies, procedures, and goals; provide leadership and support for the staff, committee members, and volunteers. 

SPECIFIC RESPONSIBILITIES:

Leadership

• Provide effective leadership to the museum, ensuring efficient operations and an exceptional visitor experience.

• Assemble and lead an effective team to fulfill the mission of the organization.

• Work closely with the Board of Directors, providing regular updates, reporting, guidance and support in executing the museum’s strategic plan

• Foster a culture of excellence, teamwork, and continuous improvement by ensuring smooth operational management of administration, human resources, program planning, and facilities.

Strategic Planning

• Develop and execute a clear and compelling strategic vision for the museum, in alignment with its mission and goals, while ensuring fiscal responsibility and sustainability.

• Develop and implement strategic planning for long-range visioning and corporate structure in cooperation with the Board of Directors, Staff, and Consultants.

Finance, Budget, Fundraising

• Responsible for budget development, financial planning, and resource allocation to ensure the museum’s economic health and long-term sustainability.

• Provide monthly compilations and coordinate annual review or audit of financial statements.

• Maximize profitability of earned revenue sources including admissions, memberships, gift shop, classes, field trips, cafe, special events, and venue rentals.

• Assume overall responsibility for all required fundraising.

• Lead the organization’s team in fundraising efforts, grant applications, and donor cultivation to secure financial support for the museum’s programs, exhibits, events, camps, and capital projects.

Community Relations

• Serve as the public face of the museum cultivating relationships with local government, educational institutions, community organizations, and donors to build partnerships and enhance the museum’s impact.

• Develop and maintain donor and prospect relationships.

Marketing

• Serve as the Museum’s public relations presence and voice in the community.

• Implement marketing strategies to promote the museum and its programs ensuring maximum visibility and participation.

Operations

• Overall management of CMRC.

• Provide effective leadership to all museum departments, including curatorial, educational, administrative, and visitor services, ensuring efficient operations and an exceptional visitor experience.

• Oversee museum operations while leading, empowering, motivating and mentoring team members by providing consistent direction, communication, organizational alignment, professional development/training, and visioning.

• Establish and monitor key performance indicators to measure the impact and effectiveness of museum programs and initiatives.

• Oversee the development of innovative and engaging educational programs and exhibits that align with the museum’s mission and cater to the museum’s targeted age groups and backgrounds. 

Personnel

• Responsible for development and maintenance of policies and procedures manuals, including personnel policies, with management team and subject to board oversight.

• Final authority for hiring and termination of employees, within budget limitations.

• Final authority as to disciplinary action of employees.

• Oversee maintenance of personnel files.

• Perform annual performance and salary reviews for staff.

Facilities

• Oversee the maintenance and improvement of the museum’s physical infrastructure, ensuring a safe and welcoming environment for visitors.

• Oversee development and maintenance of Safety Plans (Fire, Weather, Emergency, Lost Child, Intruder, MSDS, etc.).

Reporting & Record Keeping

• Maintain standardized reporting and evaluation measures based on identified objectives.

• Maintain and retain all corporate records; ensure security, integrity and confidentiality of all data.

• Conduct monthly board meetings and maintain communications with Board of Directors.

Other Tasks - As Assigned