Assistant Director for Learning and Community Engagement

Vassar College

Assistant Director for Learning and Community Engagement

Department: Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center
Duration of Position: Full year / Full time
Work Schedule:
Employee Type: Administrator
Posting Date: 11/23/2021
Union Representation: Not Applicable
Posting Number: AS162P
Pay Rate:

About Vassar College
Located in the scenic Mid-Hudson Valley, Vassar College is a highly selective, residential, coeducational liberal arts college. Vassar is deeply committed to fostering a community that reflects the values of a liberal arts education and to promoting an environment of equality, diversity and inclusiveness. Vassar seeks to create a pluralistic community for all staff, faculty and students. Vassar College is an Affirmative Action, Equal Opportunity employer, and applications from women, individuals with disabilities and members of historically underrepresented groups are especially encouraged.  Vassar College is a smoke-free, tobacco-free campus. Note: Vassar College has a universal vaccination policy requiring a COVID-19 vaccination, including a booster, for all employees except for those exempt for medical or religious reasons.

Position Summary and Responsibilities
The Assistant Director of Learning and Community Engagement is a newly created position at the Loeb Art Center at Vassar College that offers an exciting opportunity for an experienced arts educator or museum professional to develop and implement new programs that align with the Loeb's Impact Plan and commitment to DEAI goals, current pedagogy, and best practices in the field as well as to build upon the Loeb's existing educational initiatives. The ideal candidate is prepared to collaborate with colleagues and coordinate all aspects of interpretation for the Loeb's collections and exhibitions to ensure meaningful access for various audiences, including Vassar faculty and students, PreK-12 teachers and students, families, and adult visitors. The ideal candidate brings an affirmative attitude and proactive approach, works well with team members and other departments, and thrives in a fast-paced, collaborative, work environment.

Working closely with and reporting to the Deputy Director, the Assistant Director sets the overall vision for the department; initiates, builds, and strengthens relationships with Vassar faculty and community partners such as school district administrators, local teachers and students, and other cultural organizations in the region; helps implement the educational strategies of the Loeb; develops clear and measurable goal and collects and analyzes evaluation data to meet those goals; sets departmental priorities, charts progress, and makes recommendations to stakeholders. This position also coordinates the student docent and intern programs and provides training and professional development to student workers, emphasizing opportunities for underrepresented students.

The Assistant Director works closely with the curatorial team to plan and execute interpretation and programming for all exhibitions and collections, develop and implement onsite and virtual programs for a diverse audience, and facilitate collaborations with faculty and local teachers on curriculum-related opportunities. They also work closely with the Collections Discovery Initiative team to strategize and shape ideas about increased access and discoverability of the collection and ways to network with other collections and archives sought out by scholars and researchers.

Other responsibilities include developing and overseeing the departmental budget and leading and managing a team of 2-3 people who are responsible for academic outreach, teaching, learning, visitor engagement, public programming, and digital initiatives. The Assistant Director will engage with Vassar classes and lecture on the collection in area of expertise, and more broadly where appropriate.

The position may require a flexible schedule to accommodate programs, events, and after-hours work, including regularly occurring weekend and evening hours.



Qualifications
Required Qualifications

• Three or more years of experience developing and implementing programming and partnerships in a museum or cultural organization setting.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective relationships with collaborators at the College, in the community, and in the field, as well as with diverse museum audiences.
• Self-directed person who possesses a big picture understanding of museum audiences and will help carry out the departmental vision for learning and engagement.
• Willingness and ability to help strengthen new and existing community and campus partnerships.
• Fluency in different modalities and strategies for all audiences but especially for PreK-12.
• Clear communicator and comfortable with public speaking and engagement.
• Ability to work directly with people of all races, ethnicities, socioeconomic backgrounds, religious affiliations, physical abilities, ages, genders, and sexualities.
• Fluency in and experience with implementing DEAI practices.
• B.A. in Art History, Education or related fields.
• Management experience.
• Empathic to the needs of local children, families, and teachers.

Strongly Preferred Qualifications

• Background or specialization in art/culture (e.g., Native American Art, African diasporic art, Latin American art, Asian art, fiber arts)
• Advanced degree (M.A. or Ph.D.) in Art History, Museum Studies, or related fields
• Experience and comfort working directly with people of all races, ethnicities, socioeconomic backgrounds, religious affiliations, physical abilities, ages, genders and sexualities
• Track record of using Art History research as a foundation for developing interpretive programs for exhibitions and collections
• Experience building productive relationships with college-level faculty, teachers and school administrators and working with PK-12 audiences
• Experience bringing campus and local communities together for meaningful interactions
• Understanding of inquiry-based teaching practices that facilitate experiential learning
• Experience with TMS, especially with the Events module, and tracking engagement with specific objects in the collection
• Evaluation skills for post-program debrief
• Comfortable using social media (especially Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, MailChimp, etc.) for marketing and engaging audiences

Preferred Qualifications

• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite, Mac, PC, and Google platforms
• Experience with children as an educator, caregiver or similar role
• Proven ability in a leadership role in museum education
• Multi-lingual, preferably Spanish

Special Instructions to Applicants
To complete your on-line application, you will be required to attach your resume, cover letter, and contact information for three professional references. All attachments must be in PDF format. Review of applications will begin immediately. If you have any questions, please contact Human Resources, 845-437-5820.

For full consideration applicants should apply by:

All applicants must apply online at: https://employment.vassar.edu/postings/2327.

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