Director of People and Culture

The organisation

Moco (Modern Contemporary) Museum represents an innovative concept within the museum world, inviting young generations to get to know art and the creators behind it. Its message ‘In art we trust’ showcases a deep sense of purpose, whereby art is a vehicle that invites visitors to open up. The founders are Kim and Lionel Logchies: a married couple with extensive experience in the world of art galleries, and a good sense of what an audience wants to see.

Moco aims to represent ‘the voice of the street’ – contemporary art that resonates with young generations who don’t necessarily have a history of looking at art, but who do interact with culture daily via music and (online) media. Activism, asking questions, and having an outspoken identity are some of the features that connect this audience and turn it into a community. Moco is always on the lookout for ways to cultivate this community and make it come to life.

The collections at Moco include world-class names of 20th– and 21st-century art (such as Banksy and Dalí), but there is also a lot of room for pieces by artists who are lesser known. Or for artists who are big in other parts of the world but not yet in the city where a Moco museum is located. All these pieces are showcased within a setting that further enhances the experience: lots of attention is paid to the location, the museum building and its look and feel. Without consciously trying to do so, Moco breathes inclusivity. During the lockdown, the Moco app guided fans and would-be visitors through a (partially virtual) outside exhibit to keep the audience engaged and entertained.  

Barcelona, London, Paris
Pre-COVID, 90% of the museum’s visitors in Amsterdam were foreign tourists. During the pandemic the museum managed to attract more local visitors: the split is now 50/50. The concept works for different types of audiences – and if the tourist market is an attractive one for Moco, it makes sense to address that market from other locations as well. 

Barcelona was selected as the first location for international expansion. The focus for future expansion will be on London and Paris. By 2025, Moco wants to be a household name among European locals and travelers alike.

The position

Moco is a relative newcomer in the museum world, and with its characteristic pink posters and its impressive collection of contemporary pieces the museum has proven that it is here to stay. The concept has been so successful that Moco now has ambitious plans to scale internationally. Safeguarding the company’s culture and building strategically fitting people policies are a key condition for success of this scaling. This will be the responsibility of the new Director of People and Culture. 

Tasks & responsibilities

The Moco-team is a tight-knit group of individuals who, above all, respect and appreciate each other. Although there is a formal hierarchy between for instance a member of the advisory board and a part-time giftshop salesperson, what characterizes the Moco team is the amicable interaction between colleagues.  

The upcoming expansion can only be successful if this culture is safeguarded as the company scales. Across (at least) four different countries, the Director of People and Culture will ensure that this is the case.

Of course, the strategic responsibility of the Director of People and Culture goes beyond safeguarding an existing company culture. To facilitate successful international expansion, a solid People strategy needs to be crafted. This includes writing all HR policies and a CSR policy that fit, on the one hand, the type of company and employees (namely, that of museum), and on the other hand an international, commercial scale-up. In building the culture, understanding the DNA within Moco is of high significance. The purpose and mission of the company need to be clear in every internal policy and way of working. Once the local teams are up and running, local HR managers will be responsible for the day-to-day HR operations and the Director of People and Culture can fully focus on these strategic questions.

Recruitment
However, before the Director of People and Culture starts building Moco’s People and Culture strategy, there is an immediate priority on recruiting and creating mature structures for the organization to thrive. Many staff vacancies are currently open, while certain global roles reporting into the board also need to be filled. To enable the enthusiastic and eager team, there is a clear need for applying more structure and introducing more accountability and continuity on delivering long-term projects. The Director of People and Culture will start by talking to potential candidates for these roles as well as, in parallel and most importantly, building the future-proof structures and processes for recruitment and people management at Moco.

Candidate profile

The ideal candidate for this role has experience in building up key HR structures from the start and can hit the ground running on this, ideally in an international, multi-location context. At the same time, they have the capabilities to think strategically about people and culture and create strategic policies that will allows Moco to achieve its international ambitions for 2025 and beyond.

Requirements*

• Experienced People or HR leader
• Expertise in culture-building
• Able to work with an international, multi-location team
• Experience in setting up HR structures

* Research shows that while male candidates feel confident enough to apply when they meet about 60% of the requirements, female candidates only apply when they tick every box. So if this role has your name on it, but you’re not sure about the criteria, we still want to hear from you.

Interested?

You can apply to this position by using the link below. Moco works with Top of Minds to fill this vacancy.