Director of Community Partnerships

Job Title: Director of Community Partnerships

Reports to: Senior Director of the Museum Experience

Hours: 40 hours per week

Weekly Schedule: Monday to Friday with occasional evenings and weekends

Compensation: $50,000-$55,000

Position Overview

The Director of Community Partnerships, a critical member of the Museum Experience team, is responsible for building and sustaining meaningful community relationships with organizations serving diverse populations of children and caregivers; working closely with other Museum Directors to provide an excellent experience for all audiences; and serving as the Museum’s point person for accessibility-related endeavors. The ideal candidate is an outgoing and mission-driven professional who thrives on building strong relationships with community-based organizations, co-creating and providing resources for underserved and marginalized children and families, and has experience in managing collaborations in a multicultural setting, especially in the greater Boston and Metrowest regions of Massachusetts. The Director of Community Partnerships is a key external representative of the Discovery Museum and exemplifies the Museum’s commitment to equity, diversity, accessibility, inclusion, and belonging.

Principal Duties and Responsibilities

  • Oversee and advance the Museum’s vision for community engagement and ensure its understanding of family and community interests, needs and priorities.
  • Identify opportunities for the Museum to listen and respond to community needs by inviting conversation and collaboration to build fruitful relationships with potential partners, rooted in listening and learning to identify shared goals.
  • Develop and maintain community relationships that may enrich the Museum’s offerings and extend its reach to include more children and families who face barriers to access.
  • Work with other Museum Directors to set goals and implement strategies related to building community engagement, implementing initiatives, and monitoring progress.
  • Manage and grow partner-focused initiatives, supporting and leveraging the Museum’s community-based partnerships across departments.
  • Represent community interests, needs and priorities to support opportunities for co-creation with partner organizations and inform development of Museum experiences.
  • Lead development of the Museum’s longstanding position on accessibility, serve as the primary contact for accessibility-related inquiries, and collaborate with other departments to provide an excellent experience for all visitors.
  • Create and host a variety of accessibility and inclusivity events, including an annual slate of Especially for Me programs, in collaboration with community partners.
  • Represent the Museum at events and community forums, participate in offsite community partner events, and utilize the Museum’s Community Activities Kit to the best extent.
  • Track and regularly report on the Museum’s Access for All: Open Door Connections goals and manage an organization-wide contacts database of community partners.
  • Support staff capacity-building efforts by leading training opportunities relevant to the Museum’s work with partners and the communities they serve.
  • Additional duties as needed or required.

Qualifications & Requirements

  • Enthusiasm for the mission of the Museum
  • 3+ years of professional experience working with historically marginalized communities or facilitating community outreach programs
  • Experience with child- or family-focused education and advocacy programs, especially in the Greater Boston and Metrowest regions of Massachusetts
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills, ability to facilitate meetings and build consensus
  • Ability to think strategically and establish long-term goals.
  • Multi-lingual fluency a plus
  • All positions at Discovery Museum require a satisfactory Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI) background check and proof of COVID-19 vaccination (unless eligible for a religious or medical exemption) before beginning employment

Physical Demands and Work Environment

  • Must be able to occasionally ascend/descend stairs, operate a computer and other office productivity equipment for prolonged periods, and lift up to 25 lbs
  • Must be able to travel throughout the Greater Boston and Metrowest regions of Massachusetts

Benefits

In addition to a creative, fun, and flexible work environment, Discovery Museum offers the following benefits with this position:

  • 2 weeks of paid vacation time
  • 2 weeks of paid sick time
  • 10 paid holidays
  • Health insurance, with Discovery Museum paying 75% of premium for individual coverage or 50% of premium for family coverage
  • Voluntary dental plan
  • Voluntary 403(b) retirement plan
  • Group life insurance, long term and short term disability insurance, with Discovery Museum paying 50% of premiums
  • Free or discounted admission to more than 1,000 museums and cultural institutions and a variety of discounts on Museum programs, memberships, and Museum store items

About Discovery Museum

Discovery Museum is a hands-on museum that blends science, nature, and play, inspiring families to explore and learn together. Our mission is to spark delight in learning by igniting curiosity and creativity in children and adults, as they discover together the joys of science, nature, and play. As an organization, we strive to broadly reflect the communities we wish to serve, both in visitors to our campus and our own staff, volunteers, and board members. We are proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer and are committed to providing a welcoming and inclusive space for all. We believe that a diversity of thoughts, experiences, backgrounds, personalities, and identities helps us think bigger and better, and enables us to reach our goals more effectively. We are committed to building a diverse staff and encourage individuals from all backgrounds to apply.

To Apply

Interested candidates please send a cover letter and resume to Brindha Muniappan.

If you require reasonable accommodation in completing an application, interviewing, completing any pre-employment requirements, or otherwise participating in the employee selection process, please likewise direct your inquiries to Brindha Muniappan.

We respectfully request that you do not call to inquire about the status of your application. Those candidates chosen for interviews will be contacted.