Director of Education

Reporting to the Director of the Boston Athenum, the Director of Education will lead, implement, and oversee the institutions educational activities. The goal of this work is to inspire and engage both our members and our broader community. The Athenum seeks to welcome new audiences and to fuel curiosity on all fronts.

The Director of Education will be part of the Directors Senior Strategy group. Working in close collaboration with the Director of Marketing and Communications, the Director of Events, the Head of Reader Services, the Curatorial team, and other colleagues, the Director of Education will develop collections-focused programs aimed at internal audiences such as our members and external audiences such as local educational institutions; create and support academic programs and services; coordinate the training and organization of the docents; and perform other work typically centered in museum and library education departments.

Responsibilities:

General

• Help make the BA a center of cultural activity, understanding, and connections.
• Become deeply conversant with the Athenums collections and resources.
• Leverage the Athenums collections-related and research activities by linking those activities meaningfully to programs designed for internal and external audiences.
• Partner with the Advancement team to support fundraising efforts.
• Partner with relevant colleagues to support accessibility needs of relevance to education and exhibition programs.
• Advise on and develop appropriate tools for the assessment of the Athenums externally focused educational efforts.
• Participate in the supervision of researchers and other visitors to the special collections reading room in rotation with other colleagues.
• Manage administrative work relevant to areas of this roles responsibility including booking tours, scheduling docents, and invoicing private groups.

Programming

• Create unique programming and opportunities for internal and external audiences.
• Member of the internal programming strategy team.
• Participate in exhibition planning, bringing a trained educators perspective to exhibition development. Advise on potential audiences; review exhibition designs and scripts.

Outreach

• Lead the Athenums efforts at connecting with external communities through education.
  • Lead and coordinate instruction sessions based on primary sources. Partner with colleagues as appropriate to create best possible educational experiences for those attending sessions.
  • Establish connections with secondary school teachers. Evaluate opportunities to develop those connections through building partnerships with other organizations.
  • Establish connections with community colleges, colleges, and universities seeking to engage their students with the Athenums collections and with object-based learning.
  • Establish relationships with other cultural institutions.
• Manage the response to requests for tours and instruction.
• Manage the Athenums volunteer program.
  • Recruit and train docents for regularly scheduled tours, special tours and academic tours.
  • Engage our valuable volunteer group in other activities as appropriate.

Academic

• Create visitors guides, interpretive material, and educational guides as appropriate.
• In consultation with the curatorial team, develop ancillary materials related specifically to the exhibition programs.
• Develop and manage an annual two-day educators workshop which focuses on the use of primary sources as a teaching tool for grades 5-12; plan the accompanying keynote lecture; supervise a graduate student intern; partner with colleagues as appropriate.
• Participate in the Fellowship Search Committee and selection process.

Qualifications:

• Masters in a relevant field preferred
• Over 5 years of related experience
• Demonstrated enthusiasm for collections
• Object-based teaching experience is highly desirable
• Familiarity with standard approaches for object-based learning such as Visual Thinking Strategies
• Ability to use written and spoken language to enlighten and persuade
• Able to bring creativity to programming and presentation
• Excellent interpersonal skills
• Strong team player

Research shows that women and people from underrepresented groups often apply to jobs only if they meet 100% of the qualifications. We recognize that it is highly unlikely that someone meets 100% of the qualifications for a role. If much of this job description describes you, then please apply for this role.

Why work at the Boston Athenaeum?

The Boston Athenaeum is a dynamic, growing, changing institution. Following our recently completed renovation and expansion, we are committed to engaging a wider and more diverse audience. We are looking for a colleague who will be excited by the opportunity to use our strengths and advance the Athenaeums future as a central part of our cultural landscape.

Beyond the opportunity to work among the collections at one of the most distinguished libraries in the nation alongside a passionate and welcoming team, working at the Boston Athenaeum comes with plenty of other perks. Some of our benefits include:

• Paid time off and sick days.
• Competitive 401k package
• Paid parental leave.
• Comprehensive medical and dental insurance
• Life Insurance
• Short- and Long-Term Disability Insurance
• Complimentary membership
• Commuter benefits