Exhibit Designer

Role Responsibilities

Shape how Albertans connect with their history and heritage. Bring stories to life through innovative exhibit design, creating engaging museum, historic site, and interpretive experiences that inspire, educate, and leave a lasting impact.

About the Role

As an Exhibit Designer, you will play a key role in transforming interpretive concepts into immersive, visitor-focused experiences across Alberta’s museums, historic sites, and interpretive centres. Working as part of a multidisciplinary creative team, you will lead exhibit design projects from concept through installation, developing engaging physical and interactive environments that support Heritage Division’s mandate to steward and share Alberta’s rich heritage. This role combines creative vision, technical expertise, project leadership, and strong collaboration to deliver high-quality experiences that connect Albertans with their stories and history.

You will be responsible for:

• Leading the design and development of museum exhibits, galleries, interpretive products, and related visitor experiences from concept through implementation.


• Translating interpretive plans, research, and content into creative, functional, and engaging exhibit designs, technical drawings, specifications, and production-ready plans.


• Collaborating with curators, interpretive planners, graphic designers, media producers, exhibit technicians, contractors, and other stakeholders to deliver integrated, visitor-centered experiences that achieve project objectives.


• Managing and coordinating exhibit design projects, balancing scope, budgets, schedules, resources, and competing priorities to ensure successful outcomes.


• Providing design leadership during fabrication, installation, maintenance, and renewal projects, ensuring quality standards and design intent are achieved.


• Designing a variety of interpretive and exhibit elements, including furniture, scenographic structures, interactive components, and other visitor-facing experiences.


• Researching, evaluating, and implementing innovative design solutions to address complex challenges while enhancing accessibility, engagement, and visitor experience.


• Driving accountability, continuous improvement, and excellence by taking ownership of project outcomes and supporting organizational goals that serve Albertans.

Please click on this link to view the job description for this position.

APS Competencies

Competencies are behaviors that are essential to reach our goals in serving Albertans. We encourage you to have an in depth understanding of the competencies that are required for this opportunity and to be prepared to demonstrate them during the recruitment process.

This link will assist you with understanding competencies: https://www.alberta.ca/system/files/custom_downloaded_images/psc-alberta-public-service-competency-model.pdf.

• Creative Problem Solving: Engages the community and resources at hand to address issues. Engages perspective to seek root causes. Finds ways to improve complex systems. Employs resources from other areas to solve problems. Engages others and encourages debate and idea generation to solve problems while addressing risks.  


• Build Collaborative Environments: Collaborates across functional areas and proactively addresses conflict. Encourages broad thinking on projects and works to eliminate barriers to progress. Facilitates communication and collaboration. Anticipates and reduces conflict at the outset. Credits others and gets talent recognized. Promotes collaboration and commitment.


• Systems Thinking: Takes a long-term view towards organization’s objectives and how to achieve them. Takes holistic long-term view of challenges and opportunities. Anticipates outcomes and potential impacts, seeks stakeholder perspectives. Works towards actions and plans aligned with APS values. Works with others to identify areas for collaboration. 


• Drive for Results: Takes and delegates responsibility for outcomes. Uses variety of resources to monitor own performance standards. Acknowledges even indirect responsibility. Commits to what is good for Albertans even if not immediately accepted. Reaches goals consistent with APS direction.

Qualifications

Required:  

• University graduation in a related field (i.e. Museum Studies, Interior Design, Industrial Design, Environmental Design, or related field) PLUS five years of related experience or equivalent as described below. 

Equivalency:

• Directly related education or experience considered on the basis of 1 year of education for 1 year of experience, or 1 year of experience for 1 year of education.

For Example: 

• 1 year of education for 1 year of experience.


• 1 year of experience for 1 year of education.

Related a minimum of 5 years of experience in exhibit design or related fields such as environmental, industrial, interior, or theatre design, and/or exhibit production.

The successful candidate MUST also have:

• Advanced proficiency with computer platform and design software packages (CAD, 3D modeling, etc.) Adobe Creative Suite, Microsoft 365, and comfort with learning new related software.


• Knowledge of environmental scenography, graphic design, media production, digital and mechanical interactive, museum object display, and audiovisual presentation, in order to integrate these various experiences and components into an overall design concept.


• Understanding of ergonomics, materials properties and characteristics, fabrication/manufacturing processes, drafting and aesthetics. 


• Experience leading complex, high-profile projects, or portfolios from strategy through execution and delivery. 


• Proven ability to lead multidisciplinary teams and drive accountability for outcomes, performance, and results. 


• Strong experience managing competing priorities, risks, budgets, resources, and stakeholder expectations. 


• Highly developed oral/written communication skills and visual/oral presentation skills.


• Strong interpersonal skills to work effectively with colleagues and stakeholders, product reps, suppliers, fabricators, designers, and interpreters.


• Knowledge of lighting design, techniques as well as special lighting requirements for artifacts and archival materials.


• Working knowledge of construction and fabrication methods, materials, hardware systems, finishes, assembly processes and installation techniques. 


• Theoretical and practical knowledge of accessibility standards.


• Effective project management skills and ability to manage own work independently.


• Class 5 driver's license (or equivalent) and ability to provide clear driver abstract

Assets: 

• Experience designing exhibitions within the museum or cultural sector is a strong asset, given the specialized nature of the role.


• Experience in project planning, including schedule and budget development, as well as proficiency in project coordination, is an asset.

Minimum recruitment standards outline the minimum education and experience required for appointment to a job classification. 

Refer to https://www.alberta.ca/alberta-public-service-minimum-recruitment-standards.

Notes

Additional Position Details:

• Term of Employment: Permanent, Full-time position.


• Hours of Work: 36.25 hours per week, 


• Location: Edmonton.

Recruitment Process:

• Candidates may be required to participate in a written assessment designed to evaluate their skills, knowledge, and experience.


• Cover Letter: Please provide a cover letter detailing how your skills, knowledge, and experience align with the requirements of the position. Failure to provide a cover letter will disqualify you from the competition. 


• Portfolio: Candidates must provide a portfolio of related work, showcasing relevant exhibit projects.


• Final candidates may be required to undergo a security screening


• Any costs associated with obtaining the required documents/checks as noted or interview travel expenses will be the responsibility of the candidate. Out-of-province applicants can obtain the required documents/checks from the province they currently reside in. 

Links and information on what the GoA have to offer to prospective employees.
 

• Working for the Alberta Public Service 


• Public Service Pension Plan (PSPP)  


• Alberta Public Service Benefit Information 


• Professional learning and development


• Research Alberta Public Service Careers tool 


• Positive workplace culture and work-life balance.