Experience Developer - OMSI - Oregon Museum of Science & Industry

Cover letter and portfolio required with application.

The Experience Developer leads collaborative processes to explore, research, iterate and refine engaging science concepts and content for hands-on educational exhibits and experiences for OMSI and for external clients. This role works with numerous internal and external partners to co-create generative, engaging, culturally-relevant directions for content and experiences to test, prototype and refine experiences and exhibits.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Leads or supports collaborative processes and co-develop concepts and content for engaging science learning experiences and large and complex exhibit projects:
  • Co-develops, facilitates, and documents culturally-relevant, affirming, and collaborative processes that include creative working sessions with partners, clients, advisors, science experts, youth, community representatives, and audiences to achieve project milestones and successful outcomes for learners, partners and OMSI;
  • Develops content and ethnographic research for experience development and exhibit projects, including literature reviews for scientific content, theories of action, informal learning, relevant examples, exhibit assets such as images, objects, video, software, and other information;
  • Collaboratively synthesizes research, ideas, community stories, and expertise to ensure alignment with project partners and OMSI goals, and completes phase-specific deliverables to client satisfaction to advance projects on time and on budget;
  • Collaborates with designers, developers, and educators to develop, test, prototype, and refine experiences and exhibits, and works with internal and external teams to evaluate efficacy through the entire project arc;
  • Writes text for exhibit-based experiences and multimedia (software, video, etc.) including graphic panels, instructions, captions, and labels;
  • Reviews and edits existing exhibit content and labels for OMSI experiences as needed.
• Leads or supports federal and private grant proposal development and project design, including research, writing, partnership, and advisor engagement:
  • Serves as the Principal Investigator (PI) or Co-PI on federal grant awards;
  • Serves as the point-of-contact for communication with program officers and grants managers;
  • Supports teams with fulfilling grant-specific requirements and responsibilities.
• Develops and fosters cross-cultural collaborative relationships with partners, clients, advisors, science experts, community organizations, content collaborators, informal science education organizations, and others that will support future collaboration and co-creation:
  • Identifies, cultivates, and stewards opportunities for mutually beneficial partnerships;
  • Ensures collaborative projects are designed with clear expectations and responsibilities for all partners, as well as developing and maintaining accurate records of partnership activity;
  • Creates, manages, and systemizes co-design processes that encourages multicultural and multidirectional collaboration, with an emphasis on culturally responsive and inclusive content creation;
  • Synthesizes and disseminates project findings via presentations and posters at conferences and professional meetings, publications or on-line postings, and workshops or webinars;
  • Serves in a consultant-type capacity for projects across OMSI, as well as the greater professional network.

Working Conditions:

• This position is exempt, paid salaried;
• This position is regular full-time scheduled for 40 hours/week;
  • Requires working onsite at the museum location;
  • Requires occasional travel outside of the Portland Metro area, as well as working on some weekends, holidays, and/or evenings.
  • This position is expected to run for 1-year, with the possibility of extension dependent on confirmed projects and VP approval.
• Physical Demands: 80% sitting, 15% standing, 5% lifting/carrying 25 lbs.;
• Vision Demands include:
  • Close vision (clear vision at 20 inches of less)
  • Distance vision (clear vision at 20 feet or more)
  • Color vision (ability to identify and distinguish colors)
  • Peripheral vision (ability to observe an area that can be seen up and down or to the left or right while eyes are fixed on a given point)
  • Depth and perception (three dimensional vision, ability to judge distance and spatial relationships)
  • Ability to adjust focus (ability to adjust the eyes to bring an object into sharp focus)
• Environmental Demands include:
  • Work near moving mechanical parts
  • Fumes or airborne particles
• Noise Levels include:
  • Quiet (examples: library, private office)
  • Moderate (examples: business office with computers and printers, light traffic)

Secondary Responsibilities

Secondary responsibilities include-but are not limited to-the following:

• Co-manages and oversees smaller teams to fulfill specific front-end project deliverables for exhibitions, experiences, or OMSI initiatives;
• Leads or supports the development of educational deliverables (educator guides, facilitated activities, web-based activities, etc.) for exhibit projects and experiences;
• Occasionally travels for onsite meetings with clients.

Knowledge and Skills:

REQUIREMENTS:

• Business Practices:
  • Developed communication skills, with an emphasis on writing and presentation;
  • Ability to effectively handle multiple tasks, often with overlapping and time-sensitive deadlines;
  • Strong leadership skills: demonstrated success building and supporting productive teams;
  • Ability to model and support a positive team dynamic with paid and unpaid staff;
  • Proficiency with Google Suite and/or Microsoft Office;
  • Ability to adhere to confidentiality, protocol, and community agreements;
  • Demonstrated ability to pivot between individual and team work;
  • Exercises sound judgment while upholding high integrity and ethical standards;
  • Excellent organizational, analytical, and problem solving skills;
  • Excellent attention to detail with a high degree of accuracy.
• Experience Development Expertise:
  • Ability to write and communicate complex and technical information to both public and professional audiences;
  • Demonstrated ability to create, implement and facilitate cross-cultural collaborative processes;
  • Familiarity of design and fabrication processes and practices;
  • Demonstrated ability to manage budgets, estimate labor time and costs, and manage employee workloads across multiple and simultaneous projects;
  • Ability to contribute to exhibit proposal and management processes;
  • Strong understanding, knowledge, and skills in researching and evaluating STEAM content that engages diverse stakeholders, with an emphasis on advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion through a racial equity lens;
  • Knowledge of the museum field and informal science education, including best practices, emerging trends, and partnership opportunities;
  • Ability to create content for interactive exhibits in a variety of media, including graphics, video, and digital, and the ability to learn and apply new technical skills and knowledge (collaboration tools and AV production support such as audio recording and editing).

PREFERENCES:

• Knowledge of universal design and accessibility principles and practices;
• Excellent oral and written communication skills in a non-English priority language in Oregon.

Education & Work Experiences:

REQUIREMENTS:

• Portfolio with examples of exhibit development experience and/or contribution. This could include public engagement through content, interfaces, and/or physical space considerations in other sectors;
• Bachelor's degree with experience in the following:
  • Research and writing skills that demonstrate ability to synthesize multiple data sources and complex concepts into clear, concise, and accurate presentations for general audiences.
• 2 years of cumulative work experience with increasing responsibility, as follows:
  • Experience collaborating with partners or content experts in an academic or research setting;
  • Experience effectively collaborating with people of diverse backgrounds and talents in professional work environments;
  • Examples of effective utilization of organizational productivity tools;
  • Examples of effective time management and organization.

PREFERENCES:

• Academic degree in science education, museum studies, or similar;
• Experience in writing, managing and supporting federal and private grant proposal development and project implementation, including creating and reporting grant deliverables.

Additional Requirements/Preferences; Including Licenses and Certifications:

REQUIREMENTS:

• Pre-employment checks, such as criminal background checks and reference checks.

PREFERENCES:

• None.

Benefits and Perks at OMSI

• Multiple health plans (OMSI pays 86% of employee premiums)
• 2 weeks of vacation per year
• 2 weeks of sick time per year
• 12 personal / cultural days (PTO) per year
• 403(b) retirement with employer match eligibility
• Free annual OMSI Family Membership
• Reciprocal Employee Attractions Pass (REAP)
• Inclusion-centered professional development opportunities
• Employee-led rewards and recognition program
• Discounts on summer programs for employee's children