Dr. Robert N. Mayer Director of Learning
Employment Type : Full-Time
Are you someone who:
- Is a skilled collaborator and partnership-builder?
- Takes an informed approach to building multiple pathways for learning?
- Has a vision for a museum learning program that forwards creative, social, and emotional learning?
If so, then the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago is looking for you!
We have an opening for a full-time Dr. Robert N. Mayer Director of Learning to provide strategic leadership to align in-gallery learning programs and school programs to strengthen Chicago’s social belonging and collective creativity, as well as to manage day-to-day department operations including budget and personnel. To be successful in this role, you must:
- Guide the department’s work to foster social belonging in Chicago through in-gallery learning.
- Create generous and welcoming experiences that encourage social cohesion, civic discourse, and diversity.
- Align the work of the Learning department to serve diverse and growing youth and adult audiences.
- Forge collaborative cross-departmental relationships to develop convergent offerings that create links between programs as well as innovative strategies for audience engagement, and to make sure programmatic offerings are strategic, mission-driven, and efficient.
- Stay abreast of the most advanced pedagogical approaches and be a dynamic contributor to the field; serve as a spokesperson for MCA’s programs; stay informed of and responsive to competitive peer environment.
- Cultivate and engage museum patrons and Trustees, building a community of thought leaders, funders, and supporters both within and beyond Chicago to help advance the goals of the MCA.
- Write grant proposals, presentations, and reports, and establish relationships with funders.
- Work collaboratively to build the youth workforce development initiative to accelerate the diversity and preparedness of the next generation of museum workers.
- Develop and maintain contacts and collaborations in the museum, cultural, and education communities.
- Oversee the interview, selection, training, and evaluation of Docents; partner with the members of the Docent Advisory Committee to ensure a commitment to quality and continuous improvement.
Required qualifications include Master’s degree in art history, education, the humanities or related field or equivalent experience, a minimum of 10 years’ experience in increasingly responsible education-related positions with at least 2-3 years at senior management level in a museum setting, and:
- Proven record in developing and implementing high quality, innovative programs for various audiences from school age to general and specialist adult.
- Proven experience generating financial support in partnership with Development teams.
- Highly developed leadership, political, entrepreneurial, decision-making, and people management skills.
- Creative, strategic thinking with excellent organization, program management, planning, and administrative skills, with ability to prioritize and coordinate multiple activities to meet deadlines.
- Proven ability to conceptualize and analyze problems and solutions in a proactive, constructive, and creative manner.
- Ability to forge and maintain effective working relationships with a variety of representatives.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills; ability to present information confidently in formal and informal settings to a range of individuals with varying levels of expertise.
- Curiosity and drive to stay ahead of trends in the museum world.
- Ability to manage confidential information with absolute trust and integrity.
This is a full-time position, Monday through Friday, with evening and weekend availability as required to fulfill responsibilities and for related museum activities. General mobility throughout all museum properties is required.
Interested? APPLY NOW by sending your cover letter and resume to leadership@mcachicago.org
P.S. The MCA provides a generous benefits package that includes: health, dental, and vision insurance; paid vacation and personal days; free life, AD&D, short term and long term disability insurance; retirement plans; discounted parking; pre-tax transportation programs; visiting the MCA’s galleries; curator led staff tours of MCA exhibitions; discounts at the MCA Store and MCA restaurant Marisol; discounts for MCA Stage and other programs; plus a wide variety of discounts at many cultural institutions in the Chicagoland area.
The MCA is an Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/D/V. In addition, we aspire to make the MCA community and our environment – staff, audiences, artists, programs, and exhibitions – reflective of the diversity of the city of Chicago and to capture the spirit of access, inclusion, and equity in all we do. We strongly encourage and welcome applicants from our BIPOC, disabled, and LGBTQIA communities as they must be centered in the work we do. If you have any difficulty with your application and you need an accommodation due to a disability, you may contact us at: jobs@mcachicago.org.