Museum Education Manager

How You’ll Contribute

The National Geographic Society (NGS) is an impact-driven global nonprofit organization that uses the power of science, exploration, education, and storytelling to illuminate and protect the wonders of our world. The Education and Community Engagement (ECE) division serves this mission by amplifying and extending the work of NGS explorers into classrooms and communities, helping educators and young people develop an explorer mindset and inspiring them to learn about, care for, and protect our world. The division seeks to help the world understand the importance of geography – seeing the connections, interdependencies, and patterns that shape human and natural systems on our planet.

To accomplish its goals and to extend reach and impact, ECE cultivates strategic partnerships; manages education-focused endowments, fellowships and grants; creates and disseminates education content and programs for Explorers and learners of all ages domestically and internationally; connects Explorers to classrooms and communities; and engages youth in the mission by building Explorer-focused innovative learning opportunities. These educational resources and experiences bring a multiplicity of perspectives, and are accessible on a continuum of no-, low-, and high tech capacities at scale across the globe.

NGS is undergoing a significant renovation project on its campus, which will be completed in 2026. The public-facing portion of the renovation will be the new National Geographic Museum of Exploration (MOE). Components of the new museum will include a state-of-the-art pavilion entrance, auditorium, photography gallery, exhibition space, retail, food and beverage, archives, tours, and exciting new event space, as well as a capstone in a one-of-a-kind nighttime experience in the courtyard. Education is a crucial part of the MOE, which will include a dedicated space for student groups called the Learning Launchpad.

Reporting to the Director of Operations with reporting responsibilities to the Senior Director of Visitor Experience, the Manager of Museum Education infuses the attitudes, skills, and knowledge of NGS Explorers and educators into learning strategies, experiences, and resources to inspire educators and learners of all ages to care about and protect the wonder of our world. The Manager contributes to and manages projects designed to advance the learning impact of the MOE by immersing themselves in the Explorer Mindset – the knowledge, skills and abilities Explorers bring to their work to solve the world’s most pressing problems – to build learning experiences and resources for learners of all ages. As such, the Manager serves an important collaborative role in liaising with and supporting the educational goals and activity associated with the ECE division and the MOE. This role requires working flexible hours, including evenings and weekends as required.

Your Impact

Responsibilities Include

Program Development and Management (70%)

• In collaboration with the MOE team, design, recommend, implement and assess education programming, workshops and events at the MOE.

• Align programs for school groups with ECE division learning design approaches and where relevant demonstrate an awareness and ability to align content with national and state education standards.

• Collaborate with exhibition designers, the MOE creative team and ECE staff to create interpretative materials. 

• Work with the MOE team to develop mission-focused and net-revenue minded educational activities such as add-on programs, make-and-take activities for daytime general admission audiences, special ticket audiences, and after-hours programming audiences.

• Work with MOE team to plan and execute informal, low-production-effort visitor engagement opportunities (such as gallery talks, Ask Me’s, stationary interpreters, etc.) with Explorers, staff, and other subject matter experts.

• Develop and conduct training opportunities for Museum floor staff to enhance the visitor experience by increasing the teams’ abilities to deliver informal learning.

School, Youth and Community Engagement (30%)

• In collaboration with the Education Community Engagement team, build and maintain relationships with school, educators and youth organizations. 

• Contribute to the fulfillment of field trips, curriculum-cased programs and educator resources.

• In collaboration with the ECE Partnerships and Community Engagement and MOE Group Sales teams facilitate outreach and partnerships with community engagement to increase museum accessibility and relevance.

• Develop learning solutions and programming grounded in the Explorer Mindset and in the work of Explorers to amplify their reach and that reflects the needs and interests of a broad section of communities.

• Facilitate continuous learning, evaluation, and feedback of the MOE learning products and programs by implementing feedback exercises for specific Explorer projects.

What You’ll Bring 

Educational Background

• Bachelor’s degree in Education, Geography, Museum Studies, Science, Social Science, History, or related field required. 

• Proficiency with educational technology and digital engagement tools is a plus.

Minimum Years and Types of Experience   

5+ years of related experience in one or more of the following:

• 3-5 years of experience in museum education or related public programming roles

• Experiences with curriculum development and working with a cross section of age groups and communities

• Instructional design for both informal education audiences and environments, including museums, libraries, archives, or other out-of-school spaces

• Multimedia development or educational writing and editing in print or web-based publishing

• Informal education program development and delivery for K-16 and adult audiences

Necessary Knowledge and Skills 

• Excellent project management and organizational skills with high attention to detail

• Strong understanding of learning theory and pedagogy, particularly across aged bands for informal learning environments

• Excellent communication, organizational, collaboration and communication skills

• Highly developed oral and written communication skills and ability to work with individuals and groups at all levels

• Ability to work on multiple projects, under deadlines, with changing priorities in a dynamic, fast-paced, environment

• Proven experience designing and implementing educational programs for the public, particularly ticketed or revenue-generating experiences

• Proficiency in collaborating and achieving strategic goals through cross-functional work

• Strong public speaking and presentation development skills

• Familiarity with content and learning management systems, database design and management, web analytics tools and project management tools. Demonstrated ability to lead and manage projects and programs.                                                         

• Familiarity with understanding target audiences and integrating user requirements to maximize tool usefulness in learning settings

• Proficiency in Office Suite, Google Suites, and Adobe Creative Suites, experience with ed tech and project management software

Supervision

1 direct report

Salary Information

The National Geographic Society offers a competitive and holistic total rewards package. Our compensation structure and transparent pay philosophy are based on industry-specific market data for similar-sized nonprofit organizations.

The salary range for this position accounts for a wide range of factors including but not limited to organizational need; specific skill sets; experience and training; certifications; and more. At the National Geographic Society, individuals are typically hired at or near the starting point of the salary range for their role, and compensation decisions are dependent on the facts and circumstances of each case.

The salary range for this position is $85,500.00 - $90,000.00.

In addition, the National Geographic Society offers a competitive and comprehensive benefits package that includes, but is not limited to, medical, dental, and vision insurance; engaging and comprehensive wellness program; 401(k) retirement savings plan with matching contributions after 6 months of employment; flexible paid time off benefits with up to 22 days of paid annual leave per calendar year (15 days for new hires in their first year, prorated based on the number of pay periods remaining in the year) and 10 days of sick leave; 12 paid holidays and a paid winter break between December 25 and 31; paid parental leave, adoption and surrogacy expense reimbursement, fertility benefits; learning and development opportunities; Lifestyle Spending Account; pet adoption assistance and insurance; pre-tax transportation benefits with a generous employer subsidy; employer-paid life insurance and disability benefit; and a variety of National Geographic discounts and perks.

Job Designation

Resident - Our Resident category recognizes that certain staff need to be physically present at Base Camp to do their work. Some Resident staff must be at Base Camp every day to do their jobs, while others may only need to be physically present onsite some of the time to meet looming deadlines or to get work done and may require a unique schedule. As such, this category has been revised to provide maximum flexibility depending on what’s required for each individual role. The days Resident staff come into the office will be determined by their teams and workflow, and they should work with their supervisors to determine their specific schedule. And throughout the year, their schedule may be adjusted based on cyclical work cycles, deadlines, and/or ebbs and flows of work.

Candidates must be legally authorized to work in the United States. This position is not eligible for visa sponsorship.

We encourage you to apply even if your experience is not a 100% match with the position. We are looking for someone with relevant skills and experience, not a checklist that exactly matches the job description. We want to help you grow and in return, you help us grow into a stronger, more inclusive organization.