Education Program Manager

The National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium (NMRMA) is an outgrowth of the Dubuque County Historical Society, which also operates the Mathias Ham Historic Site, is home to the National Rivers Hall of Fame, and supports a national outreach program called RiverWorks Discovery. Its mission is to inspire stewardship by creating educational experiences where history and rivers come alive.

• The Education Program Manager supports our formal programming including school group tours, guided tours, homeschool programs, scout groups, camps, and MakerSpace.
• This position will help develop curriculum and other educational materials that can be utilized by all of the River Museum’s Educators for tours, programs, and visitor engagement.
• Quality programs will highlight connections to the Mississippi River through history, conservation, and STEM topics, utilizing resources of NMRMA to make meaningful connections with all audiences.
• In collaboration with Education Leads, Managers, and the Director of Education, this position is responsible for the leadership and interpretation of Museum & Aquarium exhibits and programming.
• Strong candidates will have a desire to use their curriculum development, interpretation, and leadership skills to support the mission and vision of the NMRMA and the entire Dubuque County Historical Society.
• This is a full time, permanent position. Salary is competitive and commensurate with experience.
• Benefits include vacation time, sick time, paid holidays, medical, dental, flex plan, and 403b retirement plan.
• The Dubuque County Historical Society and its properties, the National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium and Mathias Ham Historic Site, are committed to embracing diversity, practicing equity, and ensuring accessibility and inclusion.
• We continually strive to achieve a welcoming environment in all our spaces, where our staff and community feel reflected and valued for their unique perspectives and backgrounds.
• DEAI values guide and impact all the decisions the museum makes, both internal and external.

Primary duties

• Create, coordinate, present, and evaluate curriculum-based experiences in formal and informal settings.
• Hold primary responsibility for the development and implementation of formal educational programs, including but not limited to K-12 guided tours, youth camps, and scout groups.
• Create educational programming including options such as live animals, biological specimens, historical artifacts, replicas, MakerSpace, arts and crafts, games, props, etc.
• Collaborate with the Director of Education to align curriculum and activities to core standards and the DCHS mission.
• Identify relevant training and procedural needs, writing protocols and policy as necessary.
• Team with the Marketing department to market programming and groups.
• Assist with supervision of the Education department staff and volunteers.
• Directly manage a team of educators, including timesheet verifications and annual evaluations.
• Provide support as a visible mentor and role model and ensure the Education team acts in a cohesive manner, following organizational procedures and industry best practices.
• Assign responsibilities to Education staff, act as Educator on Duty (EOD) as scheduled, assist with daily tasks, and with providing alternate coverage as needed.
• Attend department and other meetings as required.

Additional duties

• Stay versed in historical, conservation, STEM, and other education-based topics, including learning about the animals and artifacts in the institutional collection.
• Maintain working relationships with local and regional educational organizations to foster new and continued collaboration.
• Maintain written records in accordance with established practices and departmental policies.
• Attend mandatory, prescheduled trainings.
• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• Relevant college course work and/or a Bachelor’s degree with an emphasis in museum studies, education, science, history, anthropology, or related field is strongly preferred.
• A minimum of 2 years of paid education experience with formal or informal learning processes is preferred, ideally in a PreK-16 school or museum, aquarium, zoo, or nature center.
• Must have familiarity with computers and the Microsoft Office suite of programs.
• Must demonstrate superb team-building, decision-making, and problem-solving skills.
• Must demonstrate the ability to work with all people in a positive and productive manner at all times.
• Must possess the ability to adapt quickly and be flexible in any scenario, as well as maintain considerable patience.
• Must be comfortable around the water, and working indoors and outdoors in any weather.
• Must be able to read, write, and speak the English language.
• Must hold or be able to possess an Iowa, Wisconsin or Illinois driver’s license within 3 months of hire.
• Must be capable of holding certification in First Aid and CPR.
• Must be able to perform any physical demands of job duties, either with or without reasonable accommodation.
• Final candidates will be subject to a reference and background check.