Religious Activities and Education Director jobs in West Hartford, CT

Please note only applications that include a cover letter and resume will be considered!

ABOUT THE CHILDREN’S MUSEUM GROUP

The Children’s Museum main campus has recently moved across town to a new temporary location at 180 Mohegan Drive in West Hartford CT. For 97 years, we have offered hands-on fun with STEM/STEAM exploration for children and families, school and community groups, and home-schooled children. At the museum, nature center, museum preschool, and in classrooms throughout Connecticut, we encourage children to become creative thinkers and lifelong learners. All the while, supporting families and the community in their role in our children’s advancement. The children engage in our interactive labs, workshops, multi-sensory exhibits and demonstrations, a live wildlife sanctuary, vacation camps, birthday parties, scout activities, and special events. Our unique Children’s Museum Preschool, co-located with our West Hartford museum, integrates science experiences into early childhood learning and a play-based curriculum. Our nearby Roaring Brook Nature Center in Canton offers environmental exhibits, nature programs, concerts, and acres of outdoor hiking, bird watching, and winter cross-country skiing, alongside a wild animal rehabilitation clinic and animal sanctuary.

Our Mission

The Children’s Museum will inspire life-long learning among children and their caregivers by providing experiential learning programs covering STEAM, health, nature, and the environment. With a demonstrated priority on the Black, Latinx, and other minority communities.

Entertaining, stimulating and unique to the area, our programs will assist the development of curious, confident, and innovative children creating the basis for successful adults.

In so doing, The Children’s Museum will continue to be a valued asset and partner in the community.

Director of Education

In all areas of our Children’s Museum Group, education is at the forefront of our organization’s mission. We approach education through our onsite experiences in our museum exhibits and in our nature center experience. In schools and within community partner organizations our STEAM education programs provide partners with unique resources and opportunities that enhance their curriculum and support their missions. The education director evaluates and align our education goals across both our museum and nature center locations, with a focus on securing continued growth of our education reach into the communities we serve. The Children’s Museum has a stated focus on education of young children ages 3 to 13 years through hands-on delivery and engagement with STEAM topics.

Essential Functions:

• Identification of trends and the support needs of those in education within our communities, to drive the planning and development of programs to support the community needs.
• Coordination and supervision of program offerings with an emphasis on alignment with Next Generation Science Standards.
• Development and nurturing of relationships with schools, community organizations, and non-profit partner organizations, who align with the museum group’s mission.
• Direct supervision of the reservations staff who promote and coordinate education bookings.
• Hiring, training, supervision, and evaluation of museum group educators, both full-time year-round and seasonal education staff. This task is shared with the nature center operational co-director for managing the education team that works primarily at the nature center location.
• Provide supervision and guidance for implementing education and family engagement opportunities to those attending the museum.
• Participation in grant proposal creation and grant reporting narratives. Act as principal investigator (PI) for education-related grants including; the management of deliverables, evaluation tools, and resources required to successfully execute grant programs.
• Assure that the museum’s operational policies and procedures, including human resource and safety-related requirements, are met by the education staff.
• Attend and assist in the planning and implementation of museum-wide events.
• Participate as a contributing member of the museum group’s exhibits team. Collaborate on the conceptualization, creation, and execution of museum exhibits to provide a strong educational experience.
• Guide the visitor services educator in the development and execution of a volunteer docent program to educate the public within the museum exhibits.
• Participate in the delivery of programs, especially during peak seasonal times. This includes travel requirements to deliver programs within the communities throughout CT and in neighboring states on occasion.
• Will work alongside the Director of Operations in the creation and management of department and program budgets.
• Assist with other priority projects as requested.

Essential Skills:

• The ability to quickly immerse oneself in the organizations culture and mission and demonstrate an understanding of the overall business and organizational objectives.
• Must possess strong networking skills and be comfortable with reaching out to prospective program customers and grant partners via e-mail, phone, written correspondence, and through attendance at community events and in-person meetings.
• Demonstrates strong, positive communication and organizational skills.
• Ability to prioritize projects, meet deadlines, and produce quality results within required periods.
• Must be articulate with proven writing proficiency.
• Demonstrate a solid understanding of successful business processes and financial management.
• Ability to foster a team approach and work collaboratively to move agenda.
• Recognize the need to work interdepartmentally and support operational functions of the museum as needed.
• Must show excellent computer skills with all Microsoft Office programs including Word and Excel. Excel knowledge is key to track and display data accurately. The ability to visually display key data and trends through charts and graphs is highly preferred.
• Must offer a working knowledge of basic database functions. Blackbaud’s Altru software is used by the Museum Group to; track program bookings, attendance, and revenue.

Qualifications:

• Prior experience with not-for-profit organizations, with an emphasis on those that are family-centered educational organizations.
• A minimum of a Bachelor’s degree but a Master’s Degree is preferred, preferably with a focus in science education.
• Multi-year experience in managing teams of educators.
• Must demonstrate prior experience in developing curriculum and presenting hands-on, STEAM-focused programs to young children.
• Experience in supporting diverse communities especially those designated as priority and or targeted assistance status for education, in Connecticut.
• Reliable and insured personal vehicle to facilitate delivery of program and community outreach.

Salary range: $55,000 to $63,000/yr. dependent on experience and prior demonstrated funding successes. This position is considered Full-Time Exempt and includes a benefit package.

To apply please forward a cover letter, resume, and three professional references to:

Attn: Human Resources Coordinator

The Children’s Museum Inc.

180 Mohegan Drive

West Hartford CT 06117

HR@thechildrensmuseumct.org

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $55,000.00 - $63,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• Dental insurance
• Employee discount
• Health insurance
• Life insurance
• Paid time off
• Retirement plan
• Vision insurance

Schedule:

• 8 hour shift
• Holidays
• Weekends as needed

Application Question(s):

• Do you have a reliable and insured vehicle?

Education:

• Bachelor's (Preferred)

Experience:

• Program development: 4 years (Required)
• Teaching: 4 years (Required)
• Children's Museum: 2 years (Preferred)
• Management: 2 years (Required)

License/Certification:

• Driver's License (Required)
• First Aid Certification (Preferred)

Ability to Relocate:

• West Hartford, CT 06117: Relocate before starting work (Required)

Work Location: In person