School Programs Specialist (Full Time, Non-Exempt)
ROLE
The Wichita Art Museum’s School Programs Specialist develops and coordinates programs and resources offered for K-12 students and their teachers as well as the docent program. They also collaborate with the Gallery and Studio Programs Specialist to develop and implement youth and teen programs. As a key member of an energetic, proactive, and collaborative team, the School Programs Specialist plays a vital role in advancing WAM’s mission to “connect people, ideas, and art through remarkable experiences” by growing the museum’s school programs and expanding the museum’s reach to schools, educators, and students regionally.
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS
The job duties of this position are fluid and will evolve over time but generally encompass the following primary responsibilities:
- Coordinate and expand the museum’s K-12 school tour program by:
- Scheduling guided and self-guided school tours
- Scheduling docents and museum teachers to lead tours
- Documenting school programs on WAM’s internal event calendar
- Processing school tour bus reimbursement paperwork
- Strategically increasing the number of student tours annually while ensuring high-quality learning experiences
- Leading the volunteer docent program, including planning docent training, evaluating teaching in the galleries, supporting ongoing docent professional development, and serving as staff liaison to the Docent Committee
- Maintaining school program attendance statistics and mailing lists
- Develop, promote, and evaluate:
- Programs and resources for K-12 teachers in conjunction with WAM’s collection and special exhibitions, including:
- online Educator Guides
- programs like Evening for Educators and a range of professional development opportunities—such as in-services and teacher workshops
- School programs
- with Gallery and Studio Programs Specialist:
- teen programs, including teen volunteer opportunities
- programs for youth during school breaks, including spring break and winter break programming as well as summer camps
- Schedule tours for university and adult groups
- Coordinate administrative functions of programs, including:
- Paperwork and logistics for WAM Camp programs during school breaks, including camp registration and daily camp operation
- Communicating with other WAM departments to facilitate program logistics, including Security, Facilities, Special Events, EAT, and the Museum Store
- Purchasing supplies for programs as needed
- Processing of invoices, check requests, and credit card statements for school programs and maintain budget records
- Creating and processing contracts for guest speakers, artists, and performers and scheduling outside vendors, including AV and catering, as needed
- Lead outreach initiatives to schools (including family nights, in-services, district new teacher orientations, etc.)
- Work with Director of LEAP and Director of PR to develop and produce signage, promotional materials, and social media strategies to promote programs and resources for schools, as well as copy and images for website and social media
- Participate in the grant application process for school programs and resources
These examples are not intended to be all-inclusive. Other duties may be assigned as needed.
QUALIFICATIONS
Education/Certification: Bachelor’s degree in art education, art history, studio art, or related field.
Required Knowledge: Knowledge of American art history, studio art practices, learning theories, and visitor services content.
Experience Required: Minimum three years’ experience with museum education programming and knowledge of current museum education and methodologies. Adaptable to working with diverse communication models, digital technologies, and analytical tools.
Skills/Abilities: Ability to use a computer to access, interpret, and record information; experience with standard office software applications including Microsoft Word, Excel, and Outlook preferred, interact in a positive manner with a variety of people including volunteers, contractual educators, teachers, and visitors of all ages and diverse backgrounds, prioritize and advance multiple projects simultaneously without close supervision, develop and maintain effective positive working relationships with WAM colleagues, representatives of other organizations, and the public, ability to work an irregular schedule as required, including select weekends/holidays/evenings, communicate clearly and effectively, both orally and in writing, acquire and maintain a valid driver’s license, exceptional organizational skills, commitment to accuracy and attention to detail, excellent public speaking skills.
PHYSICAL ACTIVITIES AND REQUIREMENTS OF THIS POSITION
Talking: Ability to speak effectively and communicate clearly.
Average Hearing: Ability to hear average conversations at a standard level in a museum environment around other employees and visitors
Repetitive Motion: The employee will frequently type on a keyboard continuously throughout the day.
Finger Dexterity: The employee is regularly required to use hands to type on a keyboard and maneuver a mouse.
Average Vision: Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and the ability to adjust the focus with 20/20 vision (with or without the assistance of eyeglasses/contacts)
Physical Strength: The position involves standard light duties.
WORKING CONDITIONS
General professional indoor museum environment with climate control and adequate lighting. Occasional hours worked during evenings and weekends in order to meet organizational needs and deadlines.
MENTAL ACTIVITIES AND REQUIREMENTS OF THIS POSITION
Reasoning Ability: Ability to deal with a variety of variables under only limited standardization
Language Ability: Ability to read, analyze, and interpret financial documents. Ability to communicate clearly.
INTENT AND FUNCTION OF JOB DESCRIPTIONS
Job descriptions assist organizations in ensuring that the hiring process is fairly administered and that qualified employees are selected. They are also essential to an effective appraisal system and related promotion, transfer, layoff, and termination decisions. Well-constructed job descriptions are an integral part of any effective compensation system.
All descriptions have been reviewed to ensure that only essential functions and basic duties have been included. Peripheral tasks, only incidentally related to each position, have been excluded. Requirements, skills, and abilities included have been determined to be the minimal standards required to successfully perform the positions. In no instance, however, should the duties, responsibilities, and requirements delineated be interpreted as all-inclusive. Additional functions and requirements may be assigned by supervisors as deemed appropriate.
In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, it is possible that requirements may be modified to reasonably accommodate disabled individuals. However, no accommodations will be made which may pose serious health or safety risks to the employee or others or which impose undue hardships on the organization.
Job descriptions are not intended as and do not create employment contracts. The organization maintains its status as an at-will employer. Employees can be terminated for any reason not prohibited by law.
ABOUT US
The Wichita Art Museum opened in 1935 and is home to the Roland P. Murdock Collection, one of the premier collections of American art. With a nationally distinguished collection, the museum is a public/private partnership, owned by the City of Wichita and managed by the Wichita Art Museum, Inc. The Wichita Art Museum connects people, ideas, and art through remarkable experiences.
