What are the responsibilities and job description for the Museum Education Program Coordinator (Spark!Lab Manager) IS-1702-09) position at Smithsonian Institution?
Description
OPEN DATE: January 30, 2025
CLOSING DATE: February 13, 2025
POSITION TYPE: Trust Fund
APPOINTMENT TYPE: Indefinite
SCHEDULE: Full Time
DUTY LOCATION: Washington, DC
Position sensitivity and risk: Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Position sensitivity and risk: Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Open to all Qualified Applicants
What are Trust Fund Positions?
What are Trust Fund Positions?
Trust Fund positions are unique to the Smithsonian. They are paid for from a variety of sources, including the Smithsonian endowment, revenue from our business activities, donations, grants and contracts. Trust employees are not part of the civil service, nor does trust fund employment lead to Federal status. The salary ranges for trust positions are generally the same as for federal positions and in many cases trust and federal employees work side by side. Trust employees have their own benefit program, which may include Health, Dental & Vision Insurance, Life Insurance, Transit/Commuter Benefits, Accidental Death and Dismemberment Insurance, Annual and Sick Leave, Family Friendly Leave, 403b Retirement Plan, Discounts for Smithsonian Memberships, Museum Stores and Restaurants, Credit Union, Smithsonian Early Enrichment Center (Child Care), Flexible Spending Account (Health & Dependent Care).
Conditions of Employment
- Pass Pre-employment Background Check and Subsequent Background Investigation for position designated.
- Complete a Probationary Period.
- Maintain a Bank Account for Direct Deposit/Electronic Transfer.
- The position is open to all candidates eligible to work in the United States. Proof of eligibility to work in U.S. is not required to apply.
- Applicants must meet all qualification and eligibility requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement.
OVERVIEW
This position is located within the Jerome and Dorothy Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation (Lemelson Center) in the division of Public History, National Museum of American History (NMAH), Smithsonian Institution (SI). The Lemelson Center is dedicated to exploring invention in history and encouraging inventive creativity in young people.
The Museum Education Program Coordinator (Spark!Lab Manager) is responsible for coordinating daily operations of Spark! Lab, a hands-on invention space for children and families. This includes managing daily schedules for staff and volunteers, creating an intentional, educational environment driven by inquiry-based learning, and contributing to the development of educational resources in the field of invention education.
This position requires a Tuesday to Saturday work schedule and may require occasional work on evenings, weekends, or holidays in accordance with Smithsonian Institution policy.
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
The Spark!Lab Manager oversees and manages the high quality of facilitated visitor experiences in Spark!Lab, a hands-on, drop-in educational exhibit space with a target audience of families with children 6-12. In this position, the Spark!Lab Manager:
- Supports or manages educational experiences: primarily daily, drop-in facilitated experiences but also include development of online and print materials to support school visits, digital invention experiences, and sensory friendly programming.
- Oversees the establishment of goals, articulation of priorities, development of schedules and checklists, and the assignment of tasks in Spark!Lab.
- Oversees opening and closing procedures for Spark!Lab, recording daily attendance, and maintaining procedures for restocking, replacing, or repairing supplies and equipment.
- Ensures there is a diverse group of Museum Program Assistants (Facilitators), interns and volunteers who are capable of performing the duties associated with Spark!Lab.
- Provides day-to-day guidance and informal feedback to Museum Program Assistants, interns and volunteers at Spark!Lab according to established procedures.
- Works with supervisor to plan and develop new programs for Spark!Lab, and contributes to program and activity evaluations.
- Recruits, trains and supervises Museum Program Assistants (Facilitators), volunteers and interns, ensuring the development of a working environment that supports early career museum education professionals.
QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS
Education and Experience: To qualify for this position, applicants must possess:
- A bachelor’s degree (B.A.) in a related field of study to the position from an accredited four-year college or university. Related fields may include History, Art, Communications, Science, Technology, Education, Museum Education, or Museum Studies; or
- 1 year of related experience (described below); or
- An equivalent combination of education and experience.
Experience required for this position is as follows:
- Knowledge of museum programming and/or informal education procedures and best practices, in order to facilitate hands-on learning experiences for children and families (e.g., interactive exhibits, tours, storytelling).
- Ability to work with people from different backgrounds and work effectively as a member of a team.
- Ability to work with children and families in order to facilitate hands-on learning experiences.
- Ability to contribute to and present informal education programs in a museum, science center, nature center, aquarium, zoo, or similar venue which requires the application of evaluation methods and education standards to ensure the appropriateness of programs for their intended audiences.
- Ability to organize and coordinate program materials and operations in order to effectively manage a fast-paced educational environment and communicate with stakeholders such as volunteers.
- Skill to apply basic principles of project management, such as scheduling, coordinating, managing resources, and overseeing volunteer activities.
Education completed outside the United States must be deemed equivalent to higher education programs of U.S. Institutions by an organization that specializes in the interpretation of foreign educational credentials. This documentation is the responsibility of the applicant and should be included as part of your application package.
Any false statement in your application may result in rejection of your application and may also result in termination after employment begins.
Join us in "Inspiring Generations through Knowledge and Discovery."
Resumes should include a description of your paid and non-paid work experience that is related to this job; starting and ending dates of job (month and year); and average number of hours worked per week.
What To Expect Next: Once the vacancy announcement closes, a review of your resume will be compared against the qualification and experience requirements related to this job. After review of applicant resumes is complete, qualified candidates will be referred to the hiring manager.
Relocation expenses are not paid.
The Smithsonian Institution provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities where appropriate. Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation should contact NMAHApplications@si.edu. Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis. To learn more, please review the Smithsonian’s Accommodation Procedures.
The Smithsonian Institution provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities where appropriate. Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation should contact NMAHApplications@si.edu. Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis. To learn more, please review the Smithsonian’s Accommodation Procedures.
The Smithsonian Institution is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We believe that a workforce comprising a variety of educational, cultural, and experiential backgrounds support and enhance our daily work life and contribute to the richness of our exhibitions and programs. See Smithsonian EEO program information: https://www.si.edu/oeesd.
About Smithsonian Institution
Founded in 1846, the Smithsonian is the world’s largest museum and research complex of 21 museums and galleries, the National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, and 14 education and research facilities. There are more than 6,500 Smithsonian employees, including approximately 500 scientists. The total number of objects, works of art and specimens at the Smithsonian is estimated at more than 157 million.
