Organization
Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco (FAMSF), comprised of the de Young Museum in Golden Gate Park and the Legion of Honor in Lincoln Park, is the largest public art museum in San Francisco. FAMSF welcomes more than 1.5 million visitors annually and is among the most visited museums in the United States with the third largest membership base in the country. Highlighting over 5,000 years of global art history, the de Young Museum and Legion of Honor showcase world-class exhibitions across the Bay Area—from ancient masterpieces to modern contemporary works. Together, their collections and programming remain deeply rooted in San Francisco’s rich cultural heritage and civic pride.
FAMSF Director and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Thomas P. Campbell leads an innovative program and strategic plan centered around art and community. The museums annually host a prolific and comprehensive lineup of exhibitions and educational programs. For the remainder of the 2026-27 season, visitors can experience a variety of exhibitions including Treasures of the Pharaohs which includes 130 works spanning 3,000 years of history; Azzedine Alaïa: Sculpting Fashion, the first US retrospective of one of fashion’s most celebrated couturiers; A Gallery of Their Own which features a variety of photography, print, and drawings from women artists exclusively; the first solo U.S. museum exhibition from painter Nengi Omuku; and Andrew Wyeth: Spectacular Freedom, featuring nearly 80 watercolor works, many of which have never been on view. These exhibitions, in addition to the plethora of art on display, offer visitors the opportunity to experience artistic perspectives, historical periods, and creative practices in many different forms.
The de Young Museum collections include the most comprehensive survey of American art in the American West, international textile arts and costumes, photography, and art of the Americas, Oceania, and Africa. In 2005, the museum’s expansion and new facilities by Herzog & de Meuron reframed the museum by engaging it with the surrounding park and creating a setting that explores the diversity and intersection of different cultures. The Legion of Honor, built in 1924, is situated on the headlands of Lands End overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge. Its collections include The Thinker and other masterworks by August Rodin, European decorative arts and paintings, Ancient art, and one of the largest collections of prints and drawings in the country. The Penny and James Coulter Objects Conservation Center, the Sardegna Paintings Center, the George and Marie Hecksher Textiles Conservation Center, and the Paper Conservation Center support and complement the museums’ collections, providing preservation and scientific study that is both culturally sensitive and authentic.
FAMSF provides an expansive variety of community-centered public programs and educational opportunities for visitors, educators, and learners of all ages. FAMSF’s commitments to engage new and diverse audiences include Free Saturdays, a free general admission day for Bay Area residents; the annual de Youngsters Day Out; and concerts featuring the 1924 Legion of Honor Spreckels Organ. FAMSF encourages meaningful artistic experiences, uplifts educators, and collaborates with community groups, schools, and city organizations through a rich array of programs.
The Corporation of the Fine Arts Museums (COFAM) is a private 501(c)3 organization that raises funds for and manages most of the day-to-day operations of the museums. COFAM has a 47-member Board of Trustees led by Board Chair David Spencer, and Thomas P. Campbell serves as Director and CEO. FAMSF has an 11-member Board of Trustees led by President David Spencer.
Community
San Francisco is home to over 825,000 residents and one of the world’s most distinctive and innovative metropolitan cities. The San Francisco Bay Area is a popular destination for those seeking gorgeous landscapes, some of the world’s finest wines, waterfront towns, nightlife, and diverse cuisines, coupled with top-tier educational institutions, distinguished arts and culture organizations, and innovative workforce options. The nine-county Bay Area is home to approximately 7.8 million ethnically diverse residents; approximately three-fifths of the region’s residents are Latinx/Hispanic, Asian/Pacific Islander, and African American. San Francisco is situated on the ancestral lands of the Ramaytush people, Arts and culture are central to the region’s identity. The Bay Area is home to major cultural institutions, internationally recognized festivals, and a strong ecosystem of artists, arts organizations, and music education institutions. Community engagement in the arts is deeply valued, supported by robust K–12 arts education and a thriving adult amateur music-making community.
Golden Gate Park, San Francisco’s largest public park, anchors the city’s cultural and recreational life, housing major museums, gardens, and gathering spaces. Together, these qualities make San Francisco and the Bay Area an inspiring place to live, work, and lead, particularly for those drawn to creativity, social impact, and community-centered leadership. The Bay Area is a global hub for cutting-edge technology and a major center for Climate Tech and Cleantech, home to hundreds of companies developing sustainable products and environmental solutions. The region features one of the densest concentrations of premier research universities and federal research laboratories in the nation, anchored by Stanford University, UC Berkeley, UCSF, and several national labs. San Francisco remains a global epicenter for AI, software, life sciences, and biotech, while continuing to serve as the financial services capital of the West Coast.
Sources: bayareaequityatlas.org; visitcalifornia.com; goldengatepark.com; census.gov; worldpopulationreview.com; sfchamber.com; culturedata.org
Position Summary
The Director of Digital Experience (DDE), reporting to the Chief Marketing Officer, is responsible for spearheading the development, implementation, and evolution of integrated digital programs that enhance the visitor’s experience of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. The DDE leads an overall team of eleven members and has six direct reports across a comprehensive range of digital initiatives supporting the museum. Through the leadership of all digital platforms, the DDE increases the public’s awareness of, and engagement with the museum’s brand, exhibitions, collection, educational content, and public programs, including support of the Museums’ earned and contributed revenue goals.
This role leads deployment of key initiatives across all digital channels, including website, social media, web apps, film, and exhibition content, aligned with the goals of the Marketing, Communications, Visitor Experience, Curatorial, Public Programs, Collections, Development, and other teams. The DDE is responsible for the strategic evolution of digital content, including digital storytelling, film, the museum visitor journey (Bloomberg Connects), deployment of digital exhibition features, and digital collections access and management. They play a key role in supporting the museum’s financial health by ensuring positive online user experiences, including earned and contributed revenue generated through digital enterprise. The DDE is also a partner in driving change and innovation, driving digital transformation initiatives across the organization, enabling the Museums to be more agile, efficient and financially sustainable.
The DDE is a key partner to museum leaders of the Museums’ digital enterprise systems, digital databases (including the Collection), and digital asset management systems. They work closely with the IT and Data Services team to align project management, data integration, testing, and reporting. The DDE develops and leads budgeting, resource allocation, quality control, and long-range planning for all digital initiatives. They work with Corporate Partners to find digital solutions for collaborations and special initiatives. Near-term large-scale digital initiatives include modernization and accessibility of the digital Collection assets, the modernization of e-mail, and the updating of the website to reflect the contemporary brand of the Museums and an improved visitor journey.
As a broad-thinking leader, the role manages a diverse portfolio of teams without requiring hyper-detailed expertise in every subject matter, focusing instead on integrated digital strategy, product scoping, development, launch, and risk management. The DDE provides supervision, mentorship, and performance management for direct reports, fostering accountability, clarity of roles, and strong leadership across teams. They cultivate and sustain a high-performing, service-oriented departmental culture grounded in collaboration, mutual respect, and shared responsibility.
Role and Responsibilities
Strategic Leadership
- Envisions, develops, and implements a comprehensive digital experience roadmap for the Museums that supports key institutional strategic priorities, especially those aimed at raising the institution’s profile and enhancing audience engagement with its collection and programming. Ensures that digital initiatives are fully integrated with the strategic-planning process, including leadership commitment and resource allocation.
- As a member of the leadership team, drives digital innovation, fostering a culture of iteration and experimentation, and championing the use of digital technology across the organization. Builds internal leadership alignment across the museum and attends and presents at Board of Trustee meetings as needed. Collaborates with the Development team to identify funding opportunities to support digital initiatives.
- Leads and coordinates digital product initiatives including website redesigns, the creation of new web features, management of the digital visitor guide platform (Bloomberg Connects), exhibition-enhancing digital experiences and mobile applications, in collaboration with stakeholders from across the institution, with the goal of enhancing overall visitor engagement. Sets digital project priorities and timelines, identifying resources, outlining deliverables, and communicating expectations internally.
- Based on the FAMSF mission, brand identity, audience goals, and overall content strategy, generates and executes a dynamic digital content strategy for the Museums, crafting engaging narratives and digital engagement opportunities around the Museums’ collections, exhibitions, and programs. Oversees the successful execution of FAMSF’s digital content strategy, including web content, social media campaigns, video production, and interactive experiences, with a focus on Museum storytelling for a general audience.
- Embrace other Strategic Leadership responsibilities as needed.
Digital Operations & Technical Leadership
- Oversees the management of key digital technology databases, including the collections information database (TMS, The Museum System) and digital asset management system (Media Studio), to ensure data integrity and smooth integration with FAMSF’s website and other digital platforms. Responsible for delivering projects on time and on budget and reporting on necessary grant compliance.
- Acts as the primary point of contact for large-scale web and interactive projects with outside agencies and internal teams. Creates project proposals and timelines, writes RFPs, identifies agencies, vendors, and tech partners for the museums. Oversees production timelines, budgets, creative and technical requirements for projects ranging from special microsites to larger web refreshes and video initiatives.
- Oversees digital user research, A/B testing, and data analysis, providing relevant data-driven recommendations to iterate on digital product and content offering. Supervises processes for SEO/GEO management, Google Analytics, and social media analytics tracking. Reports on key performance indicators for each department. Tracks key metrics and optimizes results throughout the year.
- Consults and collaborates with colleagues on the IT and Data Services teams on hosting services for the Museums’ web applications, and partners across the Marketing division to optimize cross-departmental usage and seamless integration of digital tools and technology: CRM (Salesforce), ticketing systems (Ticketure), Image rights and collection management (TMS, Media Studio).
- Embrace other Digital Operations & Technical Leadership responsibilities as needed.
Departmental Leadership, Financial Management & Digital Innovation
- Ensures all public-facing digital products and platforms adhere to modern web accessibility standards, inclusive design practices, and scalable framework models.
- Directly manages and supervises a team including: Web Product team, Web team, Digital Media Production team, Social Media team, Film team, Collections Information Services team, Digital Asset Management team, and others, as needed. Promotes cross-functional communication, shared problem-solving, and transparency across departments to strengthen institutional effectiveness.
- Manages the cohesive department budget and tracks each subcategory budget to ensure initiatives are delivered on time and within budget. Collaborates with Development and corporate giving on grant reporting and solicitation.
- Keeps abreast of technology trends, early adoption opportunities, and best practices (including pilot use-cases for emerging technologies like AI tools). Identifies tech firms and start-ups for the museums to partner with in order to execute the digital roadmap. On behalf of FAMSF, participates and presents at national and international conferences and coverings around art, tech, digital engagement, and immersive and interactive experiences to build the institution’s reputation as a leader in the field.
- Embrace other Departmental Leadership, Financial Management & Digital Innovation responsibilities as needed.
Soft Skills
- Excellent written, oral, and interpersonal communication skills and the ability to work effectively with diverse individuals and groups.
- Ability to communicate complex development or technical issues/needs to leadership and other decision makers.
- Ability to work simultaneously on multiple projects, achieve organizational goals, maintain commitments, and meet strict deadlines in a highly demanding and fast-paced work environment.
- A high level of initiative, problem-solving skills, and project management capabilities.
- Ability to analyze and integrate information from relevant sources, utilize data analytics, and incorporate changes or make appropriate decisions.
- Ability to respond to changing circumstances and priorities in a focused and timely manner, and to proactively address issues as they arise.
- Experience and proven ability to diplomatically build consensus, navigate diverse stakeholder priorities, and work effectively within a cross-departmental team.
- Proven track record of building and managing a large team, highly diverse portfolio of direct reports with a demonstrated ability to coach, inspire, and uplift a multi-disciplinary team without needing to be a niche subject-matter expert in every discipline.
- Strong communicator with proven success advocating for teams and building support across an organization.
Qualifications
A bachelor’s degree from an accredited college/university or equivalent experience is required, alongside seven years of experience leading digital product and content initiative teams in a mission-driven environment. Experience developing and implementing long-term digital strategies for public-facing brands or institutions, including comprehensive multi-year digital plans aligned with institutional strategic goals, supported by detailed plans to guide cross-departmental coordination, resource allocation, and timely execution, is essential. Demonstrated experience acting as a digital product leader, taking digital tools from concept to launch, which may include: experience with emerging technologies and developing in-person tech activations that enhance a physical space; experience working with teams or developing digital products like websites, mobile apps, or interactive apps or screens (AR/VR, etc.); experience with and focus on storytelling through media for a general audience, whether that is through video, interactive experiences, social campaigns, etc.; experience with social media campaigns and strategy, with a working understanding of how digital platforms layer into traditional marketing media mixes; working understanding of the social media landscape and how different platforms interact/overlap; experience working with agencies to produce digital products and experiences.
Experience in museums or mission-driven institutions with matrixed leadership is a plus, as well as experience with TMS, Media Studio, Salesforce, Ticketure, enterprise email marketing platforms, and other technology platforms.
Compensation and Benefits
Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco provides a competitive and equitable compensation package. The range for the annual salary is estimated between $140,000 and $160,000. Employee benefits include paid vacation, sick leave, personal days, and holidays; health, long-term disability, and life insurance; a voluntary 401(k) retirement plan; and relocation assistance. The DEE is required to be onsite four days a week.
Applications and Inquiries
To submit a cover letter and resume with a summary of demonstrable accomplishments (electronic submissions preferred), please visit https://artsconsulting.com/opensearches/fine-arts-museums-of-san-francisco-seeks-director-of-digital-experience/
The Corporation of the Fine Arts Museums (COFAM) is the privately funded nonprofit corporation which supports the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, a department of the City and County of San Francisco. COFAM is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and is committed to a policy of nondiscrimination in all phases of employment in accordance with all federal, state, and local laws.