The position remains open until November 14, 2014.

Position Title: Docent Program Coordinator

Supervisor: Museum Director           

Department: Museum

Grade: Part-time (casual position)                

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Summary

 

Dumbarton Oaks is a research institute of Harvard University, located in Georgetown, D.C. The Museum has world-class collections in Byzantine and Pre-Columbian Art, as well as a House Collection of medieval and renaissance art. The galleries are open Tuesday-Sunday, 11:30-5:30 pm. The permanent collection is complemented by a program of in-house temporary exhibitions, gallery talks, and other events. The institute also has historic gardens that are open to the public.

The Museum is looking for a part-time Coordinator of Volunteer and Tour Programs (docents) who will work with the Museum Director to support the Museum’s mission through scheduling and overseeing the museum and garden tour program; managing docent training, and ensuring that the institution provides excellent customer service and assistance to museum visitors and volunteers.

This is a part-time position (17 hours/week) in a beautiful working environment (museum and historic garden), with free parking or transport benefits. It would suit a person with experience and interest in museum education; a strong sense of initiative and responsibility; a passion for art and history; and a commitment to scholarly and public outreach.

http://www.doaks.org/museum

 

Duties and Responsibilities

 

  • Manages the Museum’s docent program to support the institution’s educational mission.
  • Manages new docent recruitment and trains, coaches, and evaluates docents.
  • Responsible for ongoing training and enrichment programs for docents, including scheduling presenters (curatorial staff/outside lecturers). Provides training sessions on tour content, format, and philosophy. Keeps up with best practices in museum education.
  • Organizes and manages procedures that provide docents with feedback to enhance their knowledge of the collections and their tour giving abilities; identifies any performance issues and provides coaching or corrective action when appropriate. Maintains records of docent attendance and evaluations.
  • Schedules and coordinates museum and historic garden tours. Provides information about the tour program. Manages and oversees arrangements with group leaders (day captains).
  • Provides occasional tours as needed for visitors and models tour technique/content.
  • Develops and manages database of attendance of docent programs (tours) for the annual report.
  • Evaluates ongoing visitor survey (on paper).

 

Qualifications

 

Basic Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree in art, art education, art history, or education, or equivalent experience. Master’s degree preferred. General office and computer skills (i.e. Microsoft Office, Adobe).

Additional Qualifications

15+ years of experience in museum, gallery, or higher education; commitment to education and excellence; ability to work cross-departmentally with educators, curators, and other museum staff; excellent oral and written communication skills, including public speaking; ability to develop interpretive programs for a range of audiences; commitment to making art accessible to a broad public by way of new and innovative strategies, especially those involving web-based platforms, social media, etc. Personal skills of high-energy leadership, flexibility, intellectual curiosity, and openness in working with a wide range of staff in a fast-paced environment. Discretion, confidentiality, professionalism, and enthusiasm for collaboration.

 

To Apply

The position remains open until November 14, 2014. Please send résumé and cover letter to HumanResources@doaks.org.

Dumbarton Oaks is an Equal Opportunity Employer (EOE).