Historic Preservation / Heritage Organization Director

Impact: Community / Heritage Impact

Leads a historic preservation organization or heritage site, overseeing conservation, interpretation, fundraising, and public education about cultural heritage.

From people doing the work

My days are a mix of advocating for historic places, securing funding through grants and donations, and engaging with the community to share the importance of our shared heritage. It's very to see a historic building brought back to life or a community rally around a preservation effort. There's a constant balance between managing projects, leading a team, and managing the complexities of regulations and public opinion.

Drawn from National Trust for Historic Preservation, American Association for State and Local History (AASLH), Preservation Leadership Forum

Attribution: Composite

Composite · Synthesised from National Trust for Historic Preservation, American Association for State and Local History (AASLH), Preservation Leadership Forum

A day in the life of a Historic Preservation / Heritage Organization Director

People interaction
Extensive
Team vs solo
65% Team / 35% Solo
Client facing
Frequent
Impact visibility
High
Travel
Moderate
Schedule flexibility
Moderate
Remote work
Hybrid
Typical work hours
45-50
Stress level
Moderate

Historic Preservation / Heritage Organization Director salary, education and outlook at a glance

Median salary
$110,000
Entry-level
$70,000
Senior
$200,000
Growth by 2033
+2.0%
Demand
Declining
Freelance potential
Moderate
Salary growth potential
186%
Typical student debt
High

Skills you need as a Historic Preservation / Heritage Organization Director

Hard skills

  • Historic Preservation Standards
  • Grant Writing
  • Site Management

Soft skills

  • Community Advocacy
  • Donor Relations
  • Public Education

Technical complexity: Moderate

Tools of the trade

Core tools

  • National Register of Historic Places Criteria (Standard): Guides the evaluation and listing of historic properties, ensuring consistent preservation standards.
  • Secretary of the Interior's Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties (Standard): Provides guidelines for preserving, rehabilitating, restoring, and reconstructing historic buildings.
  • GIS Software (e.g., ArcGIS) (Software): Used for mapping historic sites, analyzing spatial data, and managing cultural resource inventories.

Commonly used

  • Grant Management Software (e.g., GrantVantage) (Software): Facilitates the application, tracking, and reporting of grants for preservation projects.
  • Collections Management Systems (e.g., PastPerfect) (Software): Manages and catalogs artifacts, documents, and other historical collections.
  • Donor Management Software (e.g., Blackbaud Raiser's Edge NXT) (Software): Helps track donor information, manage fundraising campaigns, and cultivate relationships.

Specialist tools

  • Project Management Software (e.g., Asana) (Software): Organizes and tracks preservation projects, tasks, and team collaborations.
  • Adobe Creative Suite (e.g., InDesign, Photoshop) (Software): Used for creating educational materials, publications, and promotional content.

How to become a Historic Preservation / Heritage Organization Director

Minimum education
Master's degree (Historic Preservation/Museum Studies/History)
Licensing
No
Years to mid-career
10-15
Years to senior
15-22
Career switching
Moderate

Where this career leads

How people arrive here

  • Museum Curator: Curators often possess deep knowledge of historical artifacts and their context, which is valuable in heritage organizations.
  • Urban Planner: Urban planners understand land use, zoning, and community development, which are critical for integrating preservation into broader planning efforts.
  • Archivist: Archivists manage historical documents and records, providing essential research skills for heritage organizations.

Where you can go from here

  • Cultural Resource Manager: This role involves managing cultural resources, often in government agencies or large consulting firms, building on preservation expertise.
  • Grant Writer (Non-profit): With strong fundraising experience, pivoting to a dedicated grant writer role for various non-profits is a natural progression.
  • Heritage Tourism Developer: Leveraging knowledge of historic sites and public engagement, this role focuses on developing tourism experiences around cultural heritage.

Typical progression

  1. Preservation Specialist
  2. Program Director
  3. Deputy Director
  4. Executive Director

Historic Preservation / Heritage Organization Director job outlook and future demand

Automation probability
Very Low
AI disruption risk
Very Low
Demand trend
Declining

Job satisfaction as a Historic Preservation / Heritage Organization Director

Overall satisfaction
7.2/10
Meaning
8.5/10
Work-life balance
5.5/10
Prestige
6.5/10
Social perception
High

Where practitioners gather

Professional organisations

Online communities

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