Museum Director, Hong Kong Palace Museum

About This Role

Leading the Hong Kong Palace Museum, this role involves developing overall strategy and programming to establish it as a prime destination for arts and culture. The director will oversee governance, steer collection and content development, and foster relationships with internal and external stakeholders, including the Palace Museum and other international institutions.

Responsibilities

• Lead the development of the museum’s overall strategy and plan overall programming to achieve the mission and vision of Hong Kong Palace Museum (HKPM)
• Oversee the implementation of governance and other policies for HKPM and ensure they align with the vision and mission set by the Boards of WKCDA and HKPM
• Steer the collection and content development of HKPM with engagement with internal and external stakeholders, including the Palace Museum, the WKCDA Board, the HKPM Board, donors, and sponsors
• Develop a close working relationship with the Palace Museum as the collaborative partner of the HKPM and engage the Palace Museum in providing expert advice on curatorial matters, its collections, exhibitions, programming, and merchandise
• Undertake necessary discussion and conclude agreements with the Palace Museum on matters related to the arrangement of exhibitions, including the selection of artefacts, loan period, loan fee, insurance and indemnity arrangement, conservation of collections on loan, and intellectual property rights
• Develop the destination planning, events programming, education/learning programmes, initiatives for professional development, cultural exchange programmes with the Palace Museum, and publication programmes
• Foster collaborative partnerships with other national/international museums and stay abreast of best programme and management practices
• Actively steer the fundraising function of HKPM and cultivate relationships with major stakeholders for fundraising, including major gifts, donations, and sponsorship for special projects, operations, and development of HKPM collections
• Promote the museum’s vision, branding, and programmes locally, in Chinese Mainland, and overseas. Represent the museum at national and regional conferences or other events
• Collaborate with local and non-local partners to organise programmes (including education, audience-building, research, collection, and exhibition) as well as preparations for the displays of the collections in the museum building
• Formulate the HKPM budget and Key Performance Targets, and oversee their implementation; take a leading role in developing the positioning of museum shops and restaurants and identify opportunities for developing new revenue streams
• Partner with other functional teams in WKCDA to establish an effective and workable balance as well as optimised interfaces regarding facilities management, safety and security, front-of-house services, and other corporate services such as human resources, finance, legal, and marketing
• Ensure the operation and administration of HKPM are in compliance with WKCDA Ordinance, internal policies, and statutory regulations
• Serve as principal advisor to WKCDA as well as other departments regarding HKPM issues

Requirements

• Recognised university degree relevant to museum studies, archaeology, fine arts, art history, art education, or a related field, preferably with postgraduate qualifications
• At least 20 years of experience in the museum field covering planning, design, and operation of Chinese/Asian or ancient art museums, including 10 years at senior executive level
• In-depth knowledge of Chinese art and culture
• Well-developed international networks with museums, art collectors, artists, art groups, donors, sponsors, institutions, and art academics
• Business acumen and ability to drive fundraising and revenue generation for HKPM
• Excellent language and communication skills - fluency in written and spoken English and Chinese (Putonghua essential)

Nice to have:

• Prior experience in working with Palace Museum and other Chinese art museums highly desirable

Important Details

• Application deadline: 14 August 2026

About the Company

The West Kowloon Cultural District Authority is dedicated to making the West Kowloon Cultural District a prime local and international destination for arts, culture, and entertainment.