Chief Executive

The Whangārei Art Trust is entering an exciting new chapter, bringing together arts, culture, heritage, tourism and community impact under a unified strategic vision. We are seeking an exceptional Chief Executive to lead the next phase of organisational development, cultural integration and long-term sustainability. The successful candidate will lead the integration of the Hundertwasser Art Centre and Whangārei Art Museum into a single, high-performing organisation, bringing together people, culture, operations and strategy to deliver the Trust’s vision for a sustainable and thriving future.

This is a high-profile leadership position requiring a strategic thinker, a strong people leader and a commercially astute executive who can successfully navigate complexity, stakeholder relationships and community expectations.

About the Role

Reporting to the Trust, the Chief Executive will:

• Lead the integration of teams, systems and operations across the organisation

• Deliver the Trust's strategic vision and long-term objectives

• Build a high-performing, collaborative and engaged culture

• Strengthen organisational sustainability through sound commercial and financial leadership

• Maintain and develop critical stakeholder relationships, including local government, the Hundertwasser Foundation in Vienna, iwi, community partners, and funding bodies

• Act as the public face of the organisation and confidently engage with media and external audiences

• Drive continuous improvement and lead organisational change initiatives

• Identify opportunities to strengthen Whangārei's position as a destination for arts, culture and tourism

• Ensure the ongoing care, maintenance and enhancement of the Whangārei Art Museum collection and the City’s wider art collection

• Ensure the organisation remains a vibrant, financially sustainable and community-focused cultural destination for future generations

About You

We are looking for an experienced executive who can demonstrate:

• Experience in a Chief Executive, General Manager, Executive Director or equivalent senior leadership position
• Strong commercial and financial acumen
• Proven success leading organisational transformation and change
• Demonstrated ability to build and maintain trusted and enduring relationships with external stakeholders, funding partners, Boards, iwi and Māori organisations
• Strong people leadership capability with experience building engaged high-performing teams
• Strategic thinking combined with practical execution
• Demonstrated resilience, sound judgement and the ability to operate confidently in complex and highly visible environments
• Confidence engaging with media and managing public scrutiny
• Excellent communication, influencing and relationship-building skills
• Experience within the arts, cultural, tourism, museum, visitor economy or not-for-profit sectors is desirable but not essential
• An understanding of community-led and purpose-driven organisations

Why Join Us?

• Build a sustainable, thriving and truly unique Northland destination for future generations
• Competitive salary package
• Professional development opportunities
• Engaged and committed Trust
• Flexible workplace
• Leave a lasting legacy for Whangārei and the wider Northland community

How to apply

Please apply through Seek or for a confidential discussion, contact Anne Herbert from Streamline HR at [email protected].

CLOSING DATE: Monday 16th November