Historian

Overview

The City Historian plays a vital leadership role in preserving and promoting Sacramento’s cultural heritage. The City Historian oversees a wide range of programs, collections, and historic resources that shape how the community connects with its past. Reporting to the Director of the Convention and Cultural Services Department, this position provides strategic direction, professional expertise, and administrative oversight for The Center for Sacramento History – the City’s History Division.

IDEAL CANDIDATE:

The next Historian for the City of Sacramento will be a visionary leader, skilled collaborator, and trusted steward of the City’s diverse and complex past. This individual will approach the work with humility, integrity, and cultural competence, ensuring that Sacramento’s history is told inclusively, truthfully, and in a way that resonates across communities.

The Ideal Candidate will be a:

• Collaborative & Inclusive Leader
• Skilled Manager & Administrator
• Professional Expertise & Credibility
• Relationship Builder & Strategic Partner

Desired Attributes

• Humility, integrity, and cultural competence
• Visionary and strategic thinker
• Inclusive collaborator and community partner
• Strong interpersonal and people management skills
• Creative, politically adept, and trustworthy
• Deep knowledge of Sacramento’s history and cultural context

View the full recruitment brochure here:

Under general direction, the City Historian performs professional administrative functions in the direction and implementation of the Convention and Cultural Services History Division. The City Historian serves as the Director of the Center for Sacramento History; implements and prepares the division budget; ensure the program and maintenance objectives are accomplished; supervises and advises staff on archival and museum professional standards; and, consults with other division regarding preservation and historic interpretation.

General direction is provided by the Director of the Convention, Culture and Leisure Department. Responsibilities include the direct and indirect supervision of professional, technical, and clerical personnel and non-profit staff. The following duties are typical for this classification. Incumbents may not perform all the listed duties and/or may be required to perform additional related duties as required.

• Prepare, direct, assign, monitor, and evaluate the division, CIP, and special event budgets; review expenditures and authorize payments; negotiate contracts.
• Make recommendations on long-term policy and operational needs and other changes as necessary.
• Meets with the department director, division managers, and other key department staff to share information and discuss issues regarding projects, policies and programs, and to determine priorities and resource management issues on a regular basis.
• Manage and oversee the Sacramento History Museum and the Center for Sacramento History staff, programming, and all City collections on display.
• Serve as Executive Director of the Historic Old Sacramento Foundation and the Director of the Center for Sacramento History and the Sacramento History Museum; serve as the City and County professional historian.
• Establish division goals and objectives; determine priorities and adjust programs to meet department and City and County of Sacramento objectives.
• Oversee and participate in the acquisition, documentation preservation, and care for museum collections held in public trust.
• Provide public access to the public records of the City of Sacramento, County of Sacramento, and special districts; perform academic research and render decisions that are based upon research and applicable rules, regulations, policies, and programs; prepare written reports.
• Advocate for the enhancement of heritage tourism; develop tours, programs, and software applications for City and County collections that enhance heritage tourism for the Old Sacramento Historic District; enhance public knowledge of local history.
• Consult and advise on historic and regulatory services for Old Sacramento and documentary film productions; advise on matters of…