Curator of Education

Reports to: Director, Museum of the Big BentFull-time position, $56,000 annual salary with full benefitsWho we are: The Museum of the Big Bend (MoBB) at Sul Ross State University in Alpine, Texas, serves and educates the public by collecting, preserving, exhibiting, and interpreting cultural, historic, and natural materials that relate to the prehistory, history, and cultural diversity of the Big Bend region of Texas and Mexico. The museum traces its origins to 1926 and stewards more than 25,000 objects spanning prehistoric to contemporary periods, providing a collections-based learning resource for rural Far West Texas communities. In June 2023, the museum completed the Emmett and Miriam McCoy Building, a 10,000 ft, $11 million expansion that doubled the museum’s size and increased capacity for exhibitions and public programs.Summary: The Museum of the Big Bend at Sul Ross State University seeks to hire a Curator of Education to professionalize program design, expand curriculum‑aligned school services, and deliver bilingual, accessible public learning opportunities grounded in the museum’s 25,000‑object collection and new McCoy Building exhibition capacity.The Curator of Education will design and implement lectures, workshops, gallery talks, summer camps, docent‑led tours, traveling education trunks with lesson plans in English and Spanish, and targeted outreach to rural schools.This is a 3-year IMLS grant funded program with the opportunity to expand the position in the future. Priorities of the grant include piloting public programs for the Museum, prioritizing partnership with regional school districts, increased program delivery, and institutionalization of the position.Intended outcomes include increased school and family participation, measurable learning gains through pre/post evaluations, expanded educator resources hosted on a public digital toolkit, and broadened access for underserved populations across Brewster, Jeff Davis, Presidio, Pecos, and Terrell counties. Sustainability will be achieved through a three‑part strategy: university institutional support, an earned‑revenue sliding‑scale model, and targeted private philanthropy.The primary audience for educational programming includes the residents of the Big Bend region, including children and youth under age 18 and students enrolled at Sul Ross State University. While visitors from all over the United States and world come to the MoBB, locals visit more frequently. We want to create programming that will provide information about the area, as well as allow our citizens to develop a sense of pride and ownership of their community.The Curator of Education will also have the ability to hire two part-time assistant educators to assist in teaching and implementing programs, tours, and other educational activities.The Curator of Education will be responsible for the following:· Designing and developing the philosophy and vision for public programming in collaboration with the Director.· Creating and implementing programs such as lectures, workshops, classes, and symposia at the Museum.· Creating and implementing gallery talks focusing on the Museum’s collections and exhibitions in collaboration with the Curator of Collections.· Building and developing a list of potential students, participants, and attendees for programming.· Establishing and maintaining relationships with area schools to see how the Museum can best partner with them regarding field trips to the Museum or outreach programs the Museum can bring to the schools.· Establishing and maintaining relationships with area cultural institutions to continue collaborations, or create new ways to collaboration with other institutions.· Creating and giving tours for groups of varying interests and ages.· Recruiting groups to visit the museum for tours.· Cultivating a strong volunteer group who can help with programming, classes, and tours.· Creating summer classes for students, as well as weekend workshops and other programming for area children.· Creating adult programming for community members, as well as Sul Ross State University Students.· Work with faculty and staff at Sul Ross State University to better serve the student population with programming or enhancement to existing university curriculum.· Recruiting and training docents in collaboration with the Curator of Collections to conduct educational tours and public programs.· Training and supervising part-time education staff to assist with educational duties at the Museum.· Collaborating with all Museum staff in promoting the museum’s goals.· Assist all Museum staff in all the general day-to-day running of the museum, including fundraising, events, and promoting the museum.· Must be available to work a non-traditional schedule, including evenings and weekends.· Other duties as assigned.Skills and Experience:· Proven ability and experience of creating curriculum and educational programs for museums or informal learning institutions.· Experience working with educators and schools, as well as a variety of stakeholders within a community. Experiences in rural communities is preferred.· Cultural knowledge of the Big Bend region or similar communities desired.· Spanish-speaking or the ability to work with translators to create bilingual educational content and programming.· Experience managing, designing, and implementing educational programs, preferably in a museum, cultural, school, or community-based setting.· Experience managing staff and volunteers.· Knowledge of current museum education practices and audience-centered approaches.· Strong leadership, project management, communication, and collaboration skills.· Experience building productive relationships with schools and community partners.· Experience with program evaluation, audience research, or assessment.Education: · A bachelor’s degree and 3+ years of relevant experience are required.· Master’s degree in relevant fields such as Museum Science, Art Education, History, or Curriculum and Instruction are preferred.Physical Demands:· While performing the duties of this job, the Curator of Collections will often be required to stand, sit, walk, reach up, reach out, reach down, bend down, stoop, kneel, crawl, climb stairs and ladders, lift or handle heavy and odd-sized objects.· They must also be able to use hand and power tools, speak or talk loudly, hear, work in confined spaces, have good depth perception, and not be afraid of heights.