Job Details
Amherst has taken a leadership role among highly selective liberal arts colleges and universities in successfully diversifying the racial, socio-economic, and geographic profile of its student body. The College is similarly committed to enriching its educational experience and its culture through the diversity of its faculty, administration and staff.
Job Description:
Amherst College invites applications for the Manager of Education position. The Manager of Education is a full-time, fixed-term position, starting at $55,847 per year - commensurate with experience. Given Amherst's distinction as one of the most diverse liberal arts colleges in the country, the successful candidate will demonstrate the ways in which they bring value to and will work towards supporting a broadly diverse community.
The Mead Art Museum seeks a creative, interdisciplinary, and learner-centered Manager of Education to work closely with the Head of Education, as part of a three-person education team, to expand Amherst College students' engagement with art and enrich work-learning experiences at the Mead. The Manager of Education leads instructional programs in the museum for college and K-12 groups, manages a diverse group of student staff, and expands experiential learning with partners on and around the Amherst College campus. As a manager of students, the Manager of Education serves as a creative leader and mentor for college students working as Student Museum Educators (SMEs) and interns. On the curriculum and instruction side, the Manager designs and leads K-12 programs and college class visits in alignment with the Mead's four-pronged approach to learning: critical thinking & visual thinking, culturally responsive pedagogies, revisiting the past & imagining better futures, and curricular alignment.
The Mead Art Museum Manager of Education also identifies and advocates for policies and programs that contribute to an inclusive museum experience. This position takes appropriate actions to support a diverse workforce and participates in the College's efforts to create a respectful, inclusive, and welcoming work environment.
Summary of Responsibilities:
Educational Programs
- Develop and lead school programs for current and future exhibitions and train and supervise SMEs who assist in this work
- Develop and lead "Mead on the Move" education partnerships with Amherst public schools and town partners (ie, First Grade Portraits, Fourth and Fifth Grade Cultivating Plant Memories, Summit Academy Art x Mental Health, and the town of Amherst Farmers Market), and train and supervise SMEs who assist in this work
- Develop, revise, and maintain records of K-12 and group curriculum for gallery and in-school programs, integrating both tried and true and experimental pedagogies from the field of museum education on an ongoing basis
- Manage the museum's tour and school and college group reservation system and monitor the departmental email account
- Support requests from college student groups for extra-curricular activities with the museum on a case-by-case basis
Student Museum Educator Program
- Manage the Student Museum Educator (SME) Program (includes hiring, training, and supervising 4-7 student staff). A core function of the job is to be an accessible and dedicated mentor to a diverse (age, major, experience level, etc.) group of student museum educators in curriculum development, K-12 gallery pedagogies and inclusive museum practice
- Collect and maintain relevant records of all Mead student staff such as onboarding forms, pre- and post-program surveys, and intern rosters in order to report on and understand the impact of Mead programs on student engagement and experience
- Host and plan student staff trainings and celebrations
- Coordinate museums summer internship, a collaboration with the Emily Dickinson Museum and Beneski Museum
Curricular Support
- Develop and lead curricular-aligned programs for college classes, and train and supervise SMEs who assist in this work
Cross-Functional Museum Work
- Support interpretive projects as a knowledgeable advocate for visitor centered-design across the museum, and integrate college students into label writing, signage, exhibition ideation, and visitor experience design whenever applicable
- Provide collaborative support to museum special events and public programs
Qualifications: Required
- Bachelor's Degree
- 1 to 3 years of minimum related experience
- 3 years' experience in public-facing museum work (ie, education, public programs, or visitor services)
- 2+ years' experience working with young adults and/or teens in group settings
- 3 years' experience leading educational or co-curricular programs (in museums or other settings, such as parks, zoos, summer camps, or schools) for K-12 student groups
- Strong cultural competencies working across a diversity of identities
- 2+ years' experience in curriculum design
- Interest in inclusive practice and transformation
- Excellent written and verbal communication and interpersonal and public speaking skills
- Able to work occasional evenings and weekends
Preferred
- Master's Degree in Art, Art History, Education, History, Museum Studies, Social Work, or related field
- Proficiency in more than one language
- Google Suite, primarily sheets, docs, chat, and email
- Asana Project Management
- Experience with Photoshop and InDesign or comparable design software
Amherst College offers many opportunities for professional growth and development, continued learning, and career advancement.
Amherst College is pleased to provide a comprehensive, highly competitive benefits package that meets the needs of staff and faculty and their families. Benefits are an important part of our overall compensation, so it is critical that you review all of the options to ensure it meets your total compensation requirements. Click here for Benefits Information.
Interested candidates are asked to submit a resume, cover letter, and the names of three professional references online at
Please be sure to upload all requested documents prior to clicking Submit. Applications cannot be revised once submitted. (Current employees and students should apply by clicking on the Jobs Hub icon from their Workday home screen) Review of applications will begin immediately and will continue until the position is filled.