Head of Scenic Set Design

About Wndr

WNDR Museum is an immersive experience located in the vibrant West Loop of Chicago. Our mission is to ignite curiosity, creativity, and wonder within everyone who walks through our doors. We foster a culture of innovation, inclusivity, and endless possibilities, providing a dynamic and interactive environment for exploration.

About The Role

WNDR is seeking its next visionary. Part Scenic Set Designer, part Creative Director, part Storyteller, and part mad scientist. This role will be the force behind the WNDR narrative and story; contributing to and leading the interactive design as we efficiently optimize our team to push boundaries, inspire and enchant.

Essential Functions

• Visionary Leadership as WNDR’s in-house ‘experience design and execution lead’; responsible for maintaining high experiential and aesthetic standards throughout the Company
• Contribute actively to the ideation, story development, planning, design, and execution of permanent WNDR exhibits (and “Journey,” as currently articulated), temporary, permanent, and traveling exhibits – and the guest experiences that result
• Conceptual storytelling and content master planning for the Company’s future-forward and provocative point of view
• Leader of all exhibit-related work, art, and the conceptual narrative and creative premise
• Driving the conceptual and artistic direction of WNDR Company and experiences, ensuring that each WNDR location delivers an unparalleled, multi-sensory experience that resonates with our diverse audience
• Assist in organizing project costs and managing budgets
• Oversee the entire exhibit lifecycle, from ideation/stress testing and design to fabrication and installation, ensure projects are completed on time, within budget, and exceed our experiential standards
• Work closely with cross-functional teams, including marketing, operations, and finance, to align on strategic goals and leverage insights to drive visitor engagement and satisfaction
• Work with the C-suite to help curate, identify team needs and prospective contractors/freelance and at times full time members
• Help to lead and inspire a team of designers, technologists, and content creators
• Ensure each assignment is completed with appropriate oversight, supervision and planning
• Work with marketing and C-suite to cultivate relationships with artists, designers, and technology partners nationally to fortify the Company’s offering, relevance and value proposition; ensure our creative “product” leads the industry
• Foster an atmosphere of smart risk-taking that places a high value on creativity, the need to experiment, room for trial and error at the early stages of the development process; the capacity to explore new and compelling methods of building experiences; and the essential and critical role of good storytelling – all while being ever-mindful of the most efficient and strategically effective means to create/deliver/operate and maintain creative projects
• Manage outside design resources and partnerships, ensuring design progress reviews occur on a regular cadence; that creative meets the highest professional standards; that interests and creative needs of WNDR are fully addressed; and that outside design resources receive consistent and detailed feedback on their work and expenses/budgets
• Work closely with the CEO/President, CXO, Marketing Leader and CFO to ensure every exhibit project delivers on the WNDR way – it is successful, inspires awe & enchantment, has been meticulously vetted to achieve the most efficient use of funds, is delivered on schedule and most importantly– achieves pride across WNDR
  
  

QUALIFICATIONS & PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:

• Proven Creative Leadership in a scenic design role, ideally within a theater company, museum, or interactive art environment
• A strong understanding of business operations, including budget management, financial forecasting, and P&L responsibilities
• Exceptional skill in storytelling, design thinking, and creating cohesive, immersive experiences that engage and inspire
• Ability to think strategically and execute meticulously, with a passion for pushing the envelope in creating innovative, interactive experiences
• Strong leadership and collaboration skills, with the ability to inspire a team and work across departments to realize the vision of WNDR venues
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to articulate complex ideas to a variety of audiences
• Proven ability to conceptualize ideas verbally and artistically; articulate ideas clearly through compelling stories in a variety of visual formats, (formal and informal); and integrate ideas into a cohesive guest experience
• Self-starter with developed organizational skills to manage working in a fast-paced, multi-project environment
• Strong collaborator and motivator who is skilled at cultivating a diverse team’s talents, ensuring that they’re doing their very best work; and setting high and consistent standards for design, storytelling, quality, and creative process
• A skilled public speaker with strong oral and written skills
• Strong and consistent initiative
• Exceptional and agile problem-solving skills
  
  

At WNDR, we are passionate about finding self starters who can help us grow our organization. We encourage you to apply, even if your experience doesn’t match every detail of the job description. If we don’t see something that immediately fits, we will keep your resume on file for future opportunities.

WNDR Museum warmly welcomes people of all ages, identities, ethnicities, beliefs, religions, and backgrounds to join our team. WNDR Museum is an equal opportunity employer, fully committed to achieving an inclusive and diverse workplace and we strongly encourage nontraditional candidates to apply. We hold ourselves to our commitment and continuously strive to attract, engage, and grow with our talented team.

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