Director, Gallery Teaching and Collections Training

Under the direction of the Senior Director of Museum Learning, the Director of Gallery Teaching and Collections Training performs a wide variety of high-level responsibilities overseeing training for guided tours and the facilitation of engaging guided in-gallery and online experiences at the MFA. 

The Director of Gallery Teaching and Collections Training is a leader who works collaboratively to build, promote, and manage a learning culture across MFA volunteer guiding groups. The Director ensures that guided experiences align with MFA’s institutional values and strategic plan. The Director is responsible for preparing volunteer guides to lead high-quality, inclusive, and culturally responsive experiences for increasingly diverse audiences. 

Essential Functions: 

Guided Experiences Content and Facilitation 

• Working in partnership with content and audience specialists, develop and facilitate audience specific tours, including those forK-12, access, college, and multi-generational audiences. 
• Develop, assesse, and adapt and/or revise all gallery to tours ensure their relevance to MFA visitors and connection to the MFA’s values. 
• Oversee the Manager of Group Learning in the development, assessment, and evolution of K-12 guided tour content to ensure alignment with K-12 school curriculum frameworks, educator goals, and student needs. 
• Collaborate with key stakeholders to ensure guided programs meet the needs of all audiences. 

Volunteer Guide Training and Assessment 

• Determine the strategy and approach for training volunteers that offer guided experiences and lead continuing education programming that reflects and supports the wide variety of group visits and museum audiences. Oversee the comprehensive training curriculum and calendar. 
• Design and facilitate high-quality training programs for guides in best practices in gallery teaching. 

1. Develop training centering the MFA’s commitment to IDEA (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Access) as it pertains to the collection and visitor experience 

• Ensure accountability and reliance on best practices amongst the guides. 
• Develop formative and summative assessments to ensure that guide trainings have provided the skills and knowledge required to facilitate appropriate experiences for a range of audiences. 

Collection Training for All Volunteers 

• Identify and collaborate with internal and external experts to ensure a diversity of voices and experiences are present in training. 
• Design, implement, and facilitate training sessions about collections, special exhibitions, and audiences (i.e. adult learners, students) to support volunteers in myriad across the institution. 
• Prioritize the use of technology and digital resources for content creation and delivery. 
• Partner with colleagues across departments to ensure that all volunteer training programs are aligned and supporting the MFA’s mission. 
• Collaborate with colleagues to align collection training with ongoing IDEA initiatives. 
• Collaborate with museum colleagues and volunteer leadership to synchronize training. initiatives with other volunteer programming and institutional goals. 

Secondary Functions 

• Serve as a leader and active participant on staff and volunteer working groups and advisory committees as needed. 
• Collaborate with curatorial and interpretation departments to stay abreast of the most current thinking around the MFA’s collection and exhibitions. 
• Actively contribute to and learn from best practices in a number of relevant fields, including art education, inclusive and culturally responsive teaching, and visitor engagement including students. 

Qualifications: 

• Masters in Museum Studies, Education, Art History or Art Education, or the equivalent in experience and knowledge of these fields 
• Minimum of seven to ten years of experience working within an educational or museum setting, including leading tours (or similar informal education experience) and working with learners of all ages 
• Demonstrated experience working with volunteers, including training and motivating them, as well as dealing with difficult situations 
• Demonstrated experience working on inclusion, diversity, equity, and access initiatives 
• Demonstrated experience in designing and/or using online teaching and learning tools 
• Must be creative and strategic in developing high-quality learning programs for students, teachers, adults, and museum educators 
• Ability to stand for up to three hours (or use of a wheelchair) 
• Ability to work evenings and weekends occasionally, as needed 

Leading Attributes 

• Excellent teaching and presentation skills 
• Experience acting as a supervisor for both staff and volunteers 
• Experience managing budgets 
• Ability to manage multiple and complex projects while maintaining high standards and accuracy 
• Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail 
• Superb customer service and follow-through skills 
• Commitment to collaboration and willingness to be part of a multifaceted team 
• Shares the MFA’s deep commitment to social and racial justice by fostering a welcoming, inclusive environment combined with an appreciation for the arts and an evident commitment to advocating for the importance of cultural institutions to the life of one’s community 

Salary Range:

Full-Time Salary, 35 hours per week

Starting salary: $80,000 - $85,000

The Museum reserves the right to change job descriptions. While this job description is intended to include essential duties, it is conceivable that job duties may change before the job description is officially revised. 

The MFA is an equal opportunity employer. The community and audience we serve is diverse, and we wish to foster that diversity in our workplace. Toward that end, the MFA does not discriminate against individuals in hiring, employment or promotion on the basis of race, religion, color, sex/gender, gender identity and gender expression, age, marital status, national origin, sexual orientation, citizenship, handicap or disability, veteran or military status, political belief, pregnancy, genetic information or any other characteristic protected by law.