AMP: Artists' Meeting Place and Resource Collective

from Franklin Furnace

Please Touch Museum, the Children’s Museum of Philadelphia (PTM) was founded in 1976 and was the first children’s museum to focus exclusively on young children ages birth to seven. PTM is multidisciplinary, providing exhibits and programs in the visual and performing arts, including theater, music and dance, literacy, humanities, math and science. PTM’s exhibits are themed environments that are hands-on and interactive helping children to learn, develop and practice the skills they need to be successful 21st-century learners. The mission of Please Touch Museum is change a child’s life as they discover the power of learning through play. In 2008 PTM moved to Memorial Hall in Fairmount Park, a National Historic Landmark Building built for the 1876 Centennial Exhibition.

Position Summary:

The Manager of Education Programs will develop, plan, implement, lead, and evaluate age-appropriate, high-quality programs and develop resources that engage children and families/caregivers and make the museum personally relevant and engaging to all audiences. S/he will work closely with the Director of Education to execute the strategic vision for the department, and will oversee and provide ongoing training for full- and/or part-time staff who assist in program implementation. S/he will work with staff across Museum departments as well as the broader museum and education communities to grow audiences for programs through outreach to family, community, and school networks and align programs with best practices in the field. The Manager will also develop and support programs and resources for multigenerational audiences, people with disabilities, and professional development programs for teachers, early childhood professionals, and parents.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Develops ongoing programming for multigenerational audiences.

• Leads a team of full and/or part-time educators who implement programming on and offsite.

• Manages projects from the point of conception, through prototyping to training and implementation including all frameworks, materials, documentation, and final reports.

• Cultivates strong relationships, both internally and externally, to build a diverse collective of program partners. Actively engages with the museum education community locally and nationally in order to maintain knowledge of best practices in the field and align Museum programming accordingly

• Is a strong and informed advocate for learning and visitor experience across the Museum in programming and exhibits.

• Leads programming and outreach efforts to provide innovative participatory learning opportunities for diverse audiences.

• Supervises a staff of full time and/or part time Educators and creates a working schedule for direct reports with an eye to optimal visitor experience. Recruits, trains, and manages full and part-time program staff, including labs, discussion-based training sessions, and relevant readings, and conducts annual formal assessments and ongoing evaluation. Manages the schedule of full and part-time educators to ensure program coverage. Oversees day-to-day programs while engaged in long-term planning related to traveling and permanent exhibitions.

• Regularly leads programs for children of all ages, families, visitors with disabilities, and adults.

• Develops educational print and web content.

• Leads the development of education programs and resources at the Museum that align with education standards and best practices in museum education and early learning theory.

• Creates a cohesive, relevant, engaging, and varied calendar of programs each season, in collaboration with other Education staff and Director, Education.

• Collaborates with staff across the Museum to communicate in written documents, education programs/resources for clear messaging internally and externally of the value of the Museum experience.

• Develops new program ideas, content and curricula designed to further PTM’s mission and goals. Evaluates ongoing programs and adjusts content, timing, and other factors in response to visitor needs and interests.

• Actively monitors budget, maintains statistics, and creates reports as needed.

• Contributes to written didactics for exhibit content

• Other duties as assigned

Minimum Qualifications:

• B.A. or B.S. in in Education, Museum Education, Museum Studies, or related discipline. M.A., M.S., or M.Ed. preferred. • Extensive knowledge of best practices in museum teaching and learning theory for young children is required. • The successful candidate will demonstrate an understanding of the role of museum education in lifelong learning, 21st century skill-building, and learning through play.

• At least 3 years’ experience managing professional staff

• Excellent written and verbal skills; experience writing curriculum, educational didactics in museums, and promotional copy. Experience in informal learning settings, particularly with multigenerational audiences.

• Experience developing and leading programs for children in a museum setting required.

• Understanding of national and local curriculum and standards.

• Strong project management skills required in order to oversee day to day departmental operations, as well as long-term planning

• Working knowledge of programming for visitors with disabilities strongly preferred. Proven track record of proactively working to make institutions accessible and welcoming to a diverse group of visitors. • A proven track record for developing the highest quality museum programs for multigenerational audiences, with a special interest in early learning.

• Excellent communication for program facilitation, internal and external meetings, public speaking, conference presentations, interviews. Bilingual skills a plus

• Ability to maintain a creative, team-building, cooperative approach to developing and presenting education programs.

• Ability to manage a large diverse workforce focused on museum education and multigenerational learning. Ability to maintain a creative, cooperative approach, constructive approach to job performance

Please Touch Museum offers an excellent working environment; a comprehensive benefit package and competitive salary. To apply for this opportunity, please mail your cover letter, resume, accomplishments and salary requirements to: Senior Director of Human Resources, Please Touch Museum, 4231 Avenue of the Republic, Philadelphia, PA 19131: Email: employment@pleasetouchmuseum.org fax: 215-581-3182 Office telephone: 215-581-3189 EOE

Posted: Monday, January 23, 2017