Manager of Engagement and Public Programs
South Street Seaport Museum
Organization Description:
The South Street Seaport Museum—a fifty-four year-old cultural institution dedicated to telling the story of the rise of the New York port—engages visitors through interactive experiences with its fleet of historic ships, historic buildings and galleries, 19th-century letterpress shops, and large collection of artifacts. The Museum provides visitors the opportunity to appreciate the contributions of the Port of New York to the city, state, nation, and world, and to understand the current role of New York Harbor as a natural resource and a gateway to the world. On a path to full recovery and sustainability after several serious challenges, the Museum has an ambitious plan to restore and reconfigure its buildings, complete the restoration and stabilization of its fleet of ships, broaden its programmatic reach, and establish an endowment for long-term sustainability.
Position Description:
Manager of Engagement and Public Programs will be an innovator who will create new dynamic programming, as well as manage the Museum’s existing public programs (in-person and virtual) and, through other creative means and across multiple platforms, expand public engagement. Museum visitors engage at multiple modes across our campus, including our fleet of historic ships, a ground-floor gallery on Fulton Street, and several locations on Water Street. The Manager of Engagement and Public Programs will work with the senior leadership team and across the entire organization to tap new audiences and build relationships within the surrounding communities of Lower Manhattan and farther afield, through programming and events that are content-driven and support the Museum’s mission. In addition, this staff member will assist in the support of our K-12 education programming.
Reports to:
Senior Director of Programs and Education
Job Requirements & Responsibilities:
The essential functions include, but are not limited to, the following:
– Propose and carry out innovative new public programs for expanded and existing Museum audiences;
– Cultivate and nurture strategic public, private, governmental, and civic program partnerships, including new and existing partnerships with other museums and cultural organizations, to develop programs that will bring new audiences to the Museum, with particular attention to those audiences that have not historically been a focus in Museum programming and those that don’t immediately see the Seaport Museum as “their place”;
– In coordination with the Director of Marketing and Communication, contribute to an innovative and expanding Social Media program that will increase and diversify public engagement, including planning, execution, and audience analysis;
– Working with the Visitor Experience department, connect and support the Museum’s 2022 in-person activities — admissions to ships and galleries, in-person visits to Bowne Printers, and public sails — to enhance public engagement and expand audiences. Assist with direct onsite program management and hiring and/or training of seasonal Visitor Experience staff members to ensure impactful and integrated visitor engagement across Museum platforms;
– Plan and implement an inaugural series of public programs in support of the historic Thompson Warehouse on Water Street, scheduled to open in 2022.
– Support K-12 Education programs, including coordination among educators, the visiting schools, the bookings coordinator, and the operations departments concerning the ships, galleries, and other museum spaces being visited, as well as assisting in the development and implementation of K-12 programming, and with education staff training.
– Communicate and partner with key departments within the Museum to successfully implement each program or event and align it with Museum-wide objectives for external engagement;
– Plan and execute each program or event in alignment with the Museum’s mission, within budget parameters and in coordination with external program sponsors or partners if applicable;
– Create and manage detailed production schedules and timelines with external artists, program providers, creative team members and production staff, as well as all relevant internal Museum departments, including Education, External Affairs, Marketing and Communications, Collections, Waterfront, Finance, Facilities, etc.;
– Host online/virtual, in-person, and hybrid Museum programs, including speaker introductions, program facilitation, technical management and Q&A;
– Collect, maintain and report on public program participation data, quantitative and qualitative, including grant-funded programs when applicable;
– As needed and in coordination with Grants Manager, support grant proposal writing;
– In coordination with the Director of Marketing & Communications, draft engaging program descriptions for use in collateral materials and contribute to biweekly newsletter to increase and expand public engagement.
– Other assignments as directed.
Candidate Qualifications:
Professional Qualifications* (Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities)
– Bachelor’s degree or similar combination of academic and practical work experience
– Track record of innovative program development and impactful public engagement
– 3+ years experience in programming and/or event production, including festivals, lectures, panels, walking tours, book talks, etc., or equivalent
– Broad interests and knowledge of culture, art, music, museums, and/or public dialogue
– Experience with community organizing and/or working with diverse groups of adults and communities
– Social media and digital programming skills
– Strong written, verbal and interpersonal communication skills
– Knowledge of and existing relationships with Lower Manhattan community institutions preferred
– Knowledge of maritime and/or NYC history highly desirable
– Knowledge of inquiry-based learning and Best Practices for museum and public engagement desirable
– Teaching experience or group-leading in a formal or non-formal setting desirable
– Fluency with MS Office and Google Suite required; experience with ticketing, bulk e-communications, and photo- and video-editing technology desirable
* Non-traditional applicants and/or those with suitable alternatives to the above criteria are encouraged to apply. The Seaport Museum strongly encourages applications from members of groups underrepresented in careers related to museums; we seek to foster a collaborative and respectful work environment with a staff as diverse as New York City and our audience.
Personal Qualifications
– Creativity and ability to think outside the box
– Attention to detail and follow-through; ability to plan and execute projects professionally
– Ability to handle multiple time-sensitive tasks simultaneously
– Ability to work collaboratively and with staff at all levels and to communicate clearly with teammates and diverse members of the public
– Flexibility, adaptability, and positive outlook
– Ability to look at your work critically and reflectively and desire to continually improve practice
– Commitment to diversity and expanding cultural responsiveness, and working with a diverse population
– Second language proficiency desirable
– Ability to work flexible hours including weekends, holidays, and evenings as necessary
Physical Demands and Work Environment
– The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the functions.
– Physical Demands: While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit; use hands to finger, handle, or feel; and talk or hear. The employee is regularly required to stand, walk, climb stairs, and reach with hands and arms. The employee is occasionally required to climb or balance and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl. The employee must frequently lift up to 25 pounds.
– Work Environment: While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly exposed to outside weather conditions.
– COVID-19 Protocols: In the interest of providing and maintaining a safe and healthy workplace, South Street Seaport Museum has implemented a mandatory vaccination policy requiring COVID-19 vaccination for all employees. For purposes of this policy, “vaccinated” is defined as having received a full course plus booster of either the Moderna, Johnson & Johnson, or Pfizer COVD-19.
Position Type:
Full-Time
Union Status:
Non-Union
FLSA Status:
Non-Exempt
Schedule:
Generally 9am-5pm, but occasional evening hours and/or weekend work may be required
Salary or Compensation:
$50,000 – $58,000
Organization or Project Website:
seany.org
Application Info:
Email cover letter with resume with “Manager of Engagement and Public Programs” in the subject line to: careers@seany.org Applications without a cover letter will not be considered. No phone calls, please. Position is open until filled, with priority to applications received by March 4.