Dear List Members:
I am posting this for my employer.
For additional information on the RIHS, please visit our website at www.rihs.org. Application instructions are at
the end of the position description; please don’t reply to me!
Thanks,
Kirsten Hammerstrom
Curator
The
Director of Education and Public
Programs
The Rhode Island Historical Society
(RIHS), founded in 1822 and accredited by the American Association of Museums,
seeks a Director of Education and Public Programs (DEPP) to coordinate, direct,
and develop a comprehensive set of public educational programs and activities
consistent with the Society’s mission and guided by the Society’s
new strategic plan.
Applicants should have a background
in museum education or teaching, and a master’s degree is required. The
Society especially encourages applicants who have museum experience and/or an
understanding of the complexities of structuring educational experiences within
museum settings and capacities.
The DEPP will assess ongoing
programs and develop new ones to reach expanded and diverse audiences and
ensure that the programs and services presented at the Society’s various
sites (Museum of Work & Culture in Woonsocket, Library, Aldrich House, and
John Brown House in Providence) are of high quality, coordinated with one
another, publicly visible, and are clearly related to the Society’s
mission and overall educational goals.
The DEPP will help to plan and
reinterpret exhibits at RIHS sites, and participate in institutional planning
of interpretive strategies.
The DEPP will work closely with
faculty and administrators at local schools, colleges and universities to help
them develop and manage relevant programs and usefully contribute to curriculum
development where that is suitable. The DEPP will also work with RIHS staff to
encourage or plan the use of the Society’s collections by schools or
school groups pursuing appropriate research projects.
The DEPP will meet regularly with
the RIHS board’s Education Committee, and will be expected to make useful
contacts with community leaders and organizational representatives to further
the development and implementation of educational initiatives and programs.
Applicants should have considerable
initiative and creativity, interpersonal sensitivity, and the ability to work
effectively with a variety of people, and as part of a team.
Good oral and written skills will be
required, and the DEPP will be expected to write grant applications and work
with fund-raising and development projects.
The DEPP will report to the
Executive Director, and will work closely with the Library Director, the
Curator, the several site managers and the Development Office. The DEPP will
have the help of a part-time assistant and will control the departmental
budget.
For general information and a look
at the RIHS strategic plan, go to http://www.rihs.org. Salary is competitive
and dependent on qualifications. Applicants should send a cover letter and a short
resume (preferably not more than two pages), plus names of three references,
to: Bernard Fishman, Executive Director, Rhode Island Historical Society,