Posted on August 12, 2012

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Director of Education

The Brooklyn Children’s Museum is the world’s first children’s museum, a pioneer in the field of non-traditional education. Our mission is to actively engage children in educational and entertaining experiences through innovation and excellence in exhibits, program and use of its collections. We encourage children to develop an understanding of and respect for themselves, others and the world around them through exploration of culture, arts, science and the environment. The Museum is recognized for addressing the educational, cultural, and social concerns of youth and families in our diverse urban environment. The Education Director will coordinate and provide leadership for the activities of the Museum’s departments of Education. The Education Department delivers programs in natural science, early childhood, cultural studies, and for the afterschool program.

It is also responsible for the Museum’s live animal collections, greenhouse, garden, and library for children. The Education Director will work closely with the following department in an effort to deliver quality services to the public. The Exhibits Department handles maintenance of the galleries, visiting and traveling exhibits, and includes a repair shop as well as a large inventory of props. The Collections Department curates and manages a collection of almost 30,000 cultural artifacts and natural science specimens from all over the world, the Portable Collections program, and the Collections Central gallery and website. The Visitor Services Department manages admissions, membership, calendar, shop, café, rental events, group reservations, and monitoring of the galleries.

Detailed responsibilities include:

• Direct and supervise the work of the Education department,
• Work with the collections, exhibits and visitor services to develop programs, exhibitions, and projects that will interpret the Museum’s mission in current terms and ensure a high-quality educational and entertaining experience for visitors
• Create program schedules; to develop project proposals; to assist in fundraising efforts; to prepare and manage annual departmental budgets; and to prepare annual and long-range planning goals, objectives and strategies.
• Develop partnerships with schools and maintain communication between the Museum and the Board of Education; as well as private school systems, colleges and universities.
• Work with staff to develop programs that increase public access and use of the Museum collections.
• Communicate and represent the projects and priorities of the four departments and of the Museum to a variety of constituencies including Museum staff, public audiences, community groups, schools, other cultural institutions, and government and private funding agencies as necessary
• Strengthen partnerships and collaborations with community groups, peer institutions, and the field at large

Qualifications:

8+ years of experience in a management position in a museum or educational setting, plus a background in museum education; Excellent team leadership and interpersonal skills; Excellent written and oral communication skills; Experience conceptualizing and writing project proposals for government and foundation grants and project management experience; Graduate degree in museums, education, or early childhood studies preferred; Familiarity, in addition, with visitor services, collections, and exhibition areas preferred.

Application Instructions

Send cover letter, resume, writing samples, and salary requirement to: Human Resources, Director of Education, Brooklyn Children’s Museum, 145 Brooklyn Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11213. Fax (718) 604-7442. HR@brooklynkids.org. Competitive salary and excellent benefits. Equal opportunity employer.