Associate Director, Education - Schomburg Center - The New York Public Library

New York, NY 10037

About the Job

Description

To learn more about this opportunity and/or apply, please contact:
Tory Clarke
Partner, Bridge Partners
tory.clarke@bridgepartnersllc.com

The Organization

Founded in 1925 and named a National Historic Landmark in 2017, the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture is one of the world’s leading cultural institutions devoted to the collection, preservation, and study of materials focused on African American, African Diaspora, and African experiences.

A research library of the New York Public Library, one of the largest public library systems in the world, the Schomburg Center features diverse programming and collections spanning over 10 million items, and has illuminated the richness of black history, arts, and experience worldwide for nearly a century.

The Center is committed to maximizing free and public access to its one-of-a-kind collections, exhibitions, educational activities, and much of its programming.

The Role

Location: New York City

Reports to: Director, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, NYPL

Position Summary
The Associate Director (AD) of Education serves as a key member of the Schomburg Center’s senior team and is responsible for developing, implementing, and overseeing a portfolio of robust education initiatives and programs, leveraging the Schomburg Center’s history in youth, adult and community education to showcase how the archive and 100 years of engagement enriches the humanities, and American and Global History.

Current education initiatives and programs include group tours and class visits for both formal and informal school programs (primary, secondary, and post-secondary), the Junior Scholars program (a uniquely designed academic year Saturday pre-college Black Studies program program for students in grades 5-12), educator events and teacher development, and exhibition tour related activities offering broad access to resources and educational opportunities for all visitors. The AD of Education is also responsible for grant funded education initiatives, including the Mellon Summer Humanities Institute.

Key Responsibilities
Reporting to the Schomburg Center Director, the Associate Director of Education will provide leadership and expertise for all aspects of Schomburg’s education programming and associated initiatives and, that includes, but is not limited to:

Develop a rich platform that provides educational opportunities for both instructors, students, and learners of all ages and needs, including school classes, youth groups, seniors and fellows
Assess current Education offerings and develop a vision for future initiatives, including budget and resource requirements, and actively seek funding/grant opportunities.
Manage a year-round portfolio of initiatives, including the Schomburg Curriculum (teacher education project), the Schomburg Mellon Summer Humanities Institute, the Junior Scholars program, CUNY fellowships and internships, class and youth group tours, and overall visitor experience.
Create and organize new and evolving learning initiatives for all ages related to the Schomburg’s archival focus, exhibitions, annual festivals, daily visitors, and themes in African Diasporan history and culture.
Manage and collaborate on recurring initiatives and festivals including the annual Black Comic Book Festival, the annual Literary Festival, Schomburg Tours, and the program series Conversations in Black Freedom Studies.
Oversee and monitor current and future education program deliverables and budgets from multiple funding sources including foundation and government grants.
Develop deeper connections to area schools, colleges and visitor/tourism organizations.
Research and develop education and visitor experience content independently and in collaboration with Schomburg curators, NYPL’s Center for Educators and Schools, and the NYC Department of Education, and other partner organizations and school networks.
Serve as the public face of the Education department including public speaking and coordinating promotional materials and correspondence
Recruit and cultivate speakers, contributors, and instructors as well as partner organizations from a broad local and national network
Lead a team of experienced professionals, and identify professional development and training needs for all education staff.
Manage and develop a year-round team of full-time and part-time staff including academic year instructors and year-round curricula and teacher development staff.
Coordinate and supervise docents and interns for education activities and tours.
Develop and maintain processes for assessing education and group visitor activities.
Continually assess current events and trends in education and visitor engagement, follow emerging trends and innovations to stay updated with the latest developments in library science, public service methodologies, and digital tools.
Other related duties and special projects assigned by the Director.
Specific to the Schomburg’s Junior Scholars Program, responsibilities are to:

Manage the annual program budget of approximately $200,000-$300,000
Oversee the enrollment of over 100 students aged 11 to 18 from the New York Metropolitan Area, supervise 7-10 instructors, and oversee annual recruitment to replace graduates
Collaborate on curricula development with program faculty
Manage program deliverables and reporting to program funders

Priorities for this leader in their first six months will include:

Immerse in, and learn about, current Schomburg education and tour/visitor initiatives and grants and identify opportunities for innovation and continued high-quality youth, education and educator interactions and programs.
Develop a plan that offers consistent educational support for classes, tours and visitors, and review short- and long-term planning and direction for the education department.
Establish a regular cadence of meetings and convenings with education staff in order to provide leadership, supervision and development of the team.
Build collaborative, relationships with colleagues within the Schomburg, collections curators, research and reference services, and public programs, as well as with NYPL and the library’s Center for Educators and Schools and Visitor’s Center
Understand current grant funded initiatives and schedules for reporting and reapplication, developing a calendar of all key initiatives with timelines for the goals and work of department staff.
Identify and assess the strategic needs and opportunities of Education for the Director.
Develop a full understanding of budget oversight and planning.

Required Education, Experience & Skills

Required Experience:

6+ years of experience developing educational initiatives or programming for broad audiences, or a combination of related experiences in a K-12 school or informal learning environment, library, museum education, or other rigorous arts or education organization.
Broad knowledge of African American and African Diaspora history and culture required.
Experience or extensive knowledge of NYC & NYS education standards for curriculum and instruction, with classroom teaching experience a plus.
Demonstrated ability to plan, organize and conduct educational programs for educators and multiple age group students and special needs learners.
Demonstrated supervisory and management experience, including hiring, supervising and developing full-time staff and year-round part-time instructors, program managers, and grant funded project staff.
Strong budget and grant management experience, including budgetary, spending and fiduciary duties associated with grants.

Required Skills:

Excellent interpersonal, oral and written communication skills, including demonstrated grant writing and program evaluation.
The presence and credibility to serve as an effective spokesperson for all education initiatives and programs with visitors, outside communities, supporters and donors, and media.
Understanding of digital learning platforms, ensuring learning materials are available online.
Program management and organizational skills.
Ability to apply judgment, discretion, and professionalism.
Flexibility, reliability, punctuality and attention to detail.

Education:

Master’s Degree or higher in Education, related humanities, liberal arts, education, library science or similar academic discipline.

More...

Core Values
All team members are expected and encouraged to embody the NYPL Core Values:

Be Helpful to patrons and colleagues
Be Resourceful in solving problems
Be Curious in all aspects of your work
Be Welcoming and Inclusive

Work Environment

Research library setting

Physical Duties

Pre-Placement Physical Required?
No

Union/Non Union
Non-Union

FLSA Status
Exempt

To learn more about this opportunity and/or apply, please contact:
Tory Clarke
Partner, Bridge Partners
tory.clarke@bridgepartnersllc.com

This job description represents the types and levels of responsibilities that will be required of the position and shall not be construed as a declaration of all of the specific duties and responsibilities for the role. Job duties may change if Library priorities change. Employees may be directed to perform job-related tasks other than those specifically presented in this description as needed.

The New York Public Library Salary Statement

At the Library, we believe that pay transparency and pay equity are important to ensuring we source the best candidates and keep the best employees. When making a determination as to the appropriate salary for a candidate, we consider a variety of factors such, including, but not limited to, the position requirements, the skills, prior experience, and educational background required or preferred for the job, the scope and impact of the role within the organization, internal peer equity, and the candidate's specific training, experience, education level, and skills. No single factor is conclusive; the Library reserves the right to consider any and all relevant factors and make a decision consistent with its policies.

Source : The New York Public Library