Job Listing: Assistant Director (Virginia Quilt Museum)

Title: Assistant Director

Employee Classification: Full-Time, exempt

Reports to: Executive Director

Salary Range: $40,000 – $42,000

Location: On-site at The Virginia Quilt Museum in Dayton, Virginia

Travel: 0-10%, primarily in Virginia, occasional regional travel required

Hours: Tuesday - Saturday 9:00 am - 5:00 pm are the expected work hours, some flexibility for evening events is needed. Evening events are planned well in advance.

About The Virginia Quilt Museum
The Virginia Quilt Museum (VQM) is celebrating 30 years in 2025. VQM is the only museum dedicated to quilting in the Mid-Atlantic region. The museum’s mission is to cultivate and preserve the quilting arts in Virginia. The Virginia Quilt Museum’s goal is to inspire and engage a diverse community by building and preserving quilt collections, sharing historical and contemporary exhibitions, and providing education opportunities for all ages. VQM has a permanent collection of 300 plus quilts, over 60 sewing machines, and welcomes over 6,000 visitors each year. The museum has two floors of exhibition space and rotates exhibitions three to four times a year. Along with exhibitions the museum hosts both in-person and virtual programs and events. In 2026 the museum will participate in the semiquincentennial of the American Revolution with a six month exhibition Stitching Together History: 250 Quilts Commemorating the Commonwealth of Virginia. A companion book to the exhibition will be published in early 2026 as well.

Position Summary

The Virginia Quilt Museum is seeking an Assistant Director to manage the day to day running of the Museum and to act as the museum’s bookkeeper. Along with bookkeeping, this position will manage the museum’s gift shop, run the volunteer program, coordinate group tours, and assist with development activities. This role requires a creative and strategic thinker with outstanding organizational skills, strong interpersonal instincts, and an ability to thrive in a small but very active working environment.

The ideal candidate is proficient with QuickBooks online, has bookkeeping experience, is tech-savvy, detail-oriented, excels at customer service, and is comfortable working with little supervision. This person must be comfortable interacting with visitors of all ages along with working with staff, volunteers, and Board members. The successful candidate is able to think critically, and must be approachable, enthusiastic, and able to multitask and prioritize effectively.

Key Responsibilities

Bookkeeping - 25%

• Record daily sales transactions and tracks gift shop inventory
• Manage accounts payable and receivable in QuickBooks online
• Close books monthly
• Work with outside accountant to file taxes and ensure compliance

Gift Shop Management - 20%

• Places orders for inventory from vendors and consignors
• Researches new inventory and evaluates sales trends
• Prices items and stocks gift shop
  • Seasonally changes gift shop displays
• Packages and ships all online shop orders
• Communicates with consignment artists on a routine basis

Volunteer Management - 20%

• Recruits and supervises volunteers, work study students, and community service volunteers
• Schedules volunteers and fills in at front desk or gift shop when volunteers are not available
• Trains volunteers and keeps volunteers up-to-date on museum happenings
• Maintains and updates written training materials as necessary including monthly docent notes

Development  - 15%

• Enters memberships and gifts into Little Green Light database
• Prints and mails acknowledgement letters and membership cards weekly
• Assists Executive Director with writing and updating appeal and acknowledgment letters

Schedules Group Tours - 10%

• Respond to all requests for group tours and presentations
• Schedules staff and/or volunteers for tours and presentations
• Completes contract with group and makes sure payment is completed

Administrative and Miscellaneous Tasks - 10%
                Assists with setup and tear down for all events and programs at the museum

• Keep museum stocked in all supplies including office supplies, exhibition items, paper products, and cleaning supplies
• Update museum website with new programs, exhibitions, and events
• Assists with exhibition changes

Qualifications

• College degree required, preferably in accounting or business
• Proficiency in QuickBooks Online
• Proven experience as a bookkeeper
• Management experience preferred
• Comfortable with Microsoft Office products, Google workspace, project management platforms, and fundraising databases
• Outstanding communication and public speaking skills
• Excellent organizational skills and aptitude in problem-solving
• Impeccable attention to detail
• Interest in quilting, fiber arts, and women’s history

The physical demands of this position include being able to lift 40 pounds, climb ladders, climb stairs, and stand for up to one hour at a time.

Benefits

• A reimbursable $300 a month stipend for qualified medical expenses
• Week between Christmas and New Years off as paid time off
• 3 additional weeks of paid time off
• 2 weeks of sick time

To apply please send a resume and cover letter to director@vaquiltmuseum.org by November 5, 2025 with the subject line Assistant Director.

Tentative Schedule for hiring this position:

Deadline to apply - November 5

Application Reviews - November 6 - 15

Interviews - November 18 - December 5

Start Date - Mid-December 2025 or January 2, 2026

Research shows that women and people from underrepresented groups often apply to jobs only if they meet 100% of the qualifications. We recognize that it is highly unlikely that someone meets 100% of the qualifications for this role. If you have bookkeeping experience and much of this job description intrigues you, then please apply for this position.