School, Youth and Groups Programs Manager at the New York Transit Museum

Job Title: School, Youth and Groups Programs Manager

Job Status: Full-time

Salary: $60,000.00 – $70,000.00

Description

Founded in 1976, the New York Transit Museum is dedicated to telling and preserving the stories of mass transportation – extraordinary engineering feats, workers who labored in the tunnels over 100 years ago, communities that were drastically transformed, and the ever- evolving technology, design, and ridership of a system that runs 24 hours a day, every day of the year. The New York Transit Museum explores the development of the greater New York metropolitan region through the presentation of exhibitions, tours, educational programs, and workshops dealing with the cultural, social, and technological history of public transportation. Since its inception over 40 years ago, the Museum, housed in an historic 1936 subway station in Downtown Brooklyn, has grown in scope and popularity. The museum also maintains a gallery annex at Grand Central Terminal, an archive, and an off-site 14,000 square foot collections storage facility. As custodian and interpreter of the region’s extensive public transportation networks, the Museum strives to share, through its public programs, this rich and vibrant history with local, regional, and international audiences.

POSITION:

The School, Youth and Group Programs Manager (Manager) is responsible for the development and implementation of the Museum’s school, youth, family, and group experiences onsite, offsite, and online. The Museum’s educational programs focus on the history of our region through the lens of public transit and span a variety of topics that connect to many disciplines, including history, science, and the arts. The School, Youth and Group Programs Manager has a strong background in informal learning and museum pedagogy and helps set the strategy for educational engagement. The Manager writes lesson plans and curricula, leads programs and develops ongoing comprehensive training sessions for teaching staff. The Manager is responsible for recruiting, retaining, and managing staff who lead school, youth, and group programs, and will also teach programs as needed.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

  • School and Teacher Programs
    • Proactively builds strong relationships with NYC schools and is in regular communication with school staff, NYC Department of Education administration, and private school networks to develop content to meet schools’ needs for school, teacher, and after-school opportunities, and to better promote New York Transit Museum school and teacher programs.
    • Determines the roster of tours for school groups based on educational standards alignment, educator feedback, and current best practices in Museum teaching. Writes inquiry-based lesson plans according to best practices.
    • Through the development of a yearly training and meeting calendar, observes, evaluates, and provides space for part-time teaching staff to regularly engage in reflective practice and stay up to date in current research in the field.
    • Develops and implements teacher programs, including CTLE courses, and oversees contracts.
    • Creates an outreach plan to share school tour and teacher workshop information with schools to increase attendance.
    • Assesses schools’ needs and remains knowledgeable about Department of Education policies and adjusts offerings accordingly.
    • Seeks opportunities to develop after school and out of school time programs.
    • Annually, sets calendar for school groups based on museum capacity and school demand as well as revenue and attendance goals, and determines appropriate staffing needs.
    • Manages all aspects of part-time staff scheduling.
    • Works closely with Special Education and Access Programs Manager on group programs for special education classes and on inclusive experiences and staff training.
  • Youth, Camp and Family Programs
    • Develops and oversees the roster of youth, school break, camp and family drop-in and guided programs, which occur primarily onsite and occasionally online.
    • Develops content and lesson plans for youth, school break, camp, and family programing.
    • Schedules and trains part-time education staff to lead programs and experiences.
  • Adult, University and Senior Group Programs
    • Creates a roster of evergreen experiences for adult and senior group programs online and in person.
    • Manages scheduling, training, and staffing for educators who implement tours.
  • Additional Responsibilities and Administrative Work
    • Is a key part of the Education Department, contributing to research, trainings, grant proposals and funding reports.
    • Is a keyholder and Manager on Duty for the museum.
    • Coordinates with Operations staff about onsite programs.
    • Works with co-managers and colleagues across museum on department-wide initiatives, such as large-scale events.
    • Updates website as needed.
    • Oversees group booking and scheduling, and adjusts policies and procedures as needed to streamline processes.
    • Regularly uses the Altru database to manage bookings and generate reports.
    • Contributes to promotion of all group programs including updating the website using WordPress, liaising with the Press and Marketing Manager to set the strategy, building a list of contacts and assisting with outreach, and working with colleagues to create promotional materials.
    • Is active in the field of museum education, both locally and nationally, builds relationships with colleagues and peer institutions, and represents the Museum and its programs at meetings and conferences.

Requirements

DESIRED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES:

  • At least 4 years’ experience in a museum or informal learning environment planning, developing, and implementing object-based school and youth programming.
  • Understanding of museum education theory and practice and a track record of actively remaining current and knowledgeable about trends, priorities, and best practices in the changing field of museum education.
  • Knowledge of NYC and NY State Education policies and standards including social studies, science, and arts. Ability to connect content to standards for teaching staff as well as classroom teachers.
  • Demonstrated ability to manage and mentor staff, including recruiting, hiring, and training full or part-time teaching staff in a museum or arts and culture organization.
  • Experience developing and managing budgets and tracking labor and project spending.
  • Familiarity with human developmental stages as they relate to content and program development for school and youth audiences.
  • A genuine enthusiasm for the Transit Museum’s content.
  • Ability to translate complex content for an informal educational setting.
  • Knowledge of and interest in New York City and transportation history.
  • Familiarity with Altru or similar ticketing software preferred.
  • Familiarity with or ability to learn online communication and organization platforms such as WordPress, Microsoft Office Suite, Zoom, MailChimp, SurveyMonkey and Explorable Places.
  • Demonstrated superb communication skills, both written and oral.
  • Experience supporting marketing efforts, including writing content and developing outreach plans.
  • Exceptional attention to detail and organizational skills.
  • A four-year degree in history, urban planning, education, museum studies, arts administration, or the equivalent combination of education and experience.

 APPLICATION:

Please email a cover letter and resume to programs@nytransitmuseum.org with the subject School, Youth and Group Programs Manager. Due to high volume of applicants, only those who qualify for an interview will be contacted.

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COVID-19 VACCINE REQUIREMENT:

In accordance with NYC law and in order to protect our employees and continue to provide safe and reliable service to our communities, we are requiring all new hires to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 prior to their start date. We will consider exceptions for religious and medical reasons, where appropriate. “Fully vaccinated” means you must have both doses of a 2-dose vaccine and two weeks have elapsed since the second dose or have received 1 dose of a 1-dose vaccine and two weeks have elapsed since the dose. Proof of your vaccination status in the form of a CDC vaccine card must be submitted prior to your start date.

The School, Youth and Group Programs Manager position is employed by the Museum’s non-profit affiliate, Friends of the New York Transit Museum. Friends of the New York Transit Museum is fully committed to equal employment opportunity for all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, creed, national origin, ancestry, sex, sexual orientation, age, disability, predisposing genetic characteristic, gender identity and expression, pregnancy, veteran or military status, marital/familial/partnership/caregiver status, status as a victim of domestic violence or stalking and/or sex offenses, or any legally protected basis. Friends of the New York Transit Museum welcomes and encourages qualified candidates from all backgrounds to apply.