Work at the Museum

Paid Positions

Public Programs Coordinator | Summer Museum Teacher | Visitor Services Facilitator | Science on the Street Coordinator

POSITION OPENING: Public Programs Coordinator

Position Overview:

The Public Programs Coordinator is a critical member of a small team that produces the Museum’s educational and public programs in collaboration with faculty, staff, students, alumni/ae and community organizations.

Principal Duties and Responsibilities:

The MIT Museum’s Public Programs Coordinator will:

· Assist the Director of Education and Public Programs in the development of long-range departmental plans, policies and programs for the Museum.

· Work with the Education and Public Programs team to identify, develop and deliver appropriate program opportunities for general, family and adult audiences.

· Work with Museum staff, faculty, alumni/ae, students, and volunteers on the content development and delivery of programs.

· Ensure that program content and interpretation is consistent with the Museum’s mission and goals and meets best practices.

· Strategically build relationships with MIT student groups, faculty, and alumni/ae.

· Be knowledgeable and keep up-to-date on research, activities, and events at MIT.

· Contribute to the organization of large-scale annual events (e.g. the Cambridge Science Festival, Friday After Thanksgiving Chain Reaction, National Engineers Week), and weekday, weekend and evening programs (e.g., Soap Box, Grad Nights).

· Design and oversee development of engaging, hands-on elements for Museum programs

· Contribute well-researched, innovative ideas for development and maintenance of new programmatic spaces.

· Demonstrate comfort in collaborating with Museum exhibition and Silber Studio staff to create interactive components for on-gallery visitor experiences.

· Contribute to Museum volunteer team recruitment, training and assessment.

· Assist the Education Coordinator in the promotion and implementation of programs for middle and high school students (grades 6-12), youth and community organizations, etc.

· Contribute to research (e.g., based on program evaluation) that advances the state of professional knowledge of informal science communication in museums.

· Other duties as needed or required.

Qualifications & Skills:

REQUIRED: Undergraduate degree and comfort with scientific and/or technological literacy required. Minimum of one year of experience in informal science education and program delivery to general, family and adult audiences. Enthusiasm for the development and delivery of hands-on programs in engineering, art and technology is essential, as are practical skills (e.g., in mechanical, electrical or electronic model-making). Must show a considerable degree of creativity and initiative, and have excellent organizational and interpersonal skills. As a representative of the Museum, must be able to communicate effectively with MIT faculty, staff and students, as well as visitors and community organizations. Excellent written, oral, research, and Web (including Web 2.0) skills are essential. Must be able to work a Tuesday-Saturday schedule, school vacation weeks, and occasional evenings.

PREFERRED: Degree in a science, technology or engineering field preferred. Familiarity with audience evaluation techniques is an advantage. Bilingual facility helpful.

Application Instructions:

Applicants must apply online through the MIT Human Resources website, position #mit-00009473.

 

POSITION OPENING: Summer Museum Teacher (Temporary Position)

The MIT Museum is seeking one or two high school or middle school educators who, in collaboration with the Education & Public Programs team, will teach and develop science and technology workshops in an informal education environment.  This is an excellent opportunity to gain a behind-the-scenes perspective of the Museum, explore hot science and technology research at MIT, share your classroom expertise with our staff, and serve as a liaison between the Museum and your school.

The successful applicants will be current middle or high school teachers specializing in science, math, and/or engineering.  S/he will be interested in collaborating with the Museum’s Education & Public Programs team to evaluate existing workshops, expand the Museum’s educational offerings, and learn about informal education pedagogy.

Must be flexible, detail-oriented and a team player.  Summer educator positions are temporary full-time (35 hours/week M-F 9:30-5pm) for six weeks starting July 1 (with 2-3 days in late June for orientation and training).  Compensation of $12-$15/hour will be provided, based on experience. To apply, please send resume and cover letter to the Director of Programs, MIT Museum, Building N51, 265 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139 or edsearch@mit.edu.

POSITION OPENING: Visitor Services Facilitator (Temporary Position)

The MIT Museum seeks part-time visitor services facilitators.  Duties include: greeting visitors, selling admission tickets, ringing up museum store purchases and periodically restocking store, staffing reception desk and answering visitor questions, monitoring groups in the galleries during busy periods and other duties as assigned.  

Qualifications:  A high school diploma or equivalent education is required, Bachelor’s degree preferred.  Museum Studies/Arts Administration students encouraged to apply.   Applicants should enjoy working with the public, have an interest in science and technology and possess basic computer skills.  Retail experience desirable but not mandatory.  

Hours to include some weekday mornings/afternoons and at least one weekend day during the spring (approx. 16-20 hours).  Potential for hours to increase to approx. 30-35 hours during July and August.  Additional evening hours occasionally available during museum functions and programs.  

Please send resumes and cover letters to palane@mit.edu or mail to Patricia Lane, Visitor Services Manager, MIT Museum, 265 Massachusetts Avenue, Bldg. N51, Cambridge, MA 02139.

 

POSITION OPENING: Science on the Street Coordinator

Position Overview: Reporting to the Director of the Cambridge Science Festival, the Science on the Street Coordinator will oversee the daily activities of the year-round program and assist with the production of the annual Cambridge Science Festival.

Principal Duties and Responsibilities: The Science on the Street Coordinator will play an important role as an integral part of two MIT Museum collaborative initiatives. The Coordinator will: Oversee and direct the daily activities of the year-round, statewide program Science on the Street. Plan and implement a strategic statewide, year-round presence in cultural festivals, community events, and after school programs. Recruit and manage relationships with scientists and outreach volunteers at a variety of local institutions (e.g. companies, universities, etc.) to create and run hands-on activities communicating Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) to broad audiences. Develop engaging hands-on activities to communicate and excite the general public around STEM. Present engaging STEM activities in a wide variety of settings to diverse public audiences. Promote both Science on the Street and the Cambridge Science Festival through social and traditional media. Assist with event planning and execution of big, high profile events in the Cambridge Science Festival. Drive a van with volunteers and equipment throughout Massachusetts. Independently learn new skills on the job. Other duties as needed or required.

Qualifications & Skills: The qualified candidate must have a minimum of a Bachelors degree preferably in a science, technology, engineering or math field and 2 years of experience in directly relevant positions. He or she must have a demonstrated record in science communication, public and community relations, and complex logistics management; familiarity with program delivery to school, family, and community audiences; initiative; and excellent organizational, communication, and interpersonal skills. The position requires a candidate to be a flexible, adaptable, team player who demonstrates a passion for science and the ability to communicate effectively with academic and industry-based scientists as well as community organizations. Proficiency with social media including Twitter and Facebook, MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, database development, and Internet applications strongly desired. Must have valid MA driver’s license.

Frequent weekend and some evening work required.

This is a term position, with the possibility of renewal contingent on funding.

Applicants must apply online through the MIT Human Resources website, job number mit-00009531.

Volunteer Positions

Education & Public Programs

The MIT Museum is currently accepting volunteer applications for the Education & Public Programs department. Volunteers (ages 17+ only) must make a 50 hours/year commitment to the Museum, weekend and vacation availability preferred. Please click here to fill out an application.

Internship Opportunities

The following internships are open to undergraduate or graduate students, or graduates. Internships typically start three times per year: with the Fall or Spring semester, or in the Summer. Internships are unpaid. If course credit is offered by a student intern’s academic institution, we’re happy to discuss terms with the intern’s academic advisor. Résumé and cover letter required for all applications. Collections internships are available during Museum business hours only (Monday through Friday 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.).

Move Project Internship (Collections Department)

The MIT Museum is seeking a highly motivated, detail-oriented intern to assist with a large multi-phased collections move. The candidate will be a highly organized, proactive, flexible individual with excellent analytical, problem solving, communication, and interpersonal skills and the ability to work productively in a collaborative environment. Computer experience with collections databases preferred. The position requires interest or experience in museum studies, archival storage practices, fine art packing or related field. Knowledge of current registration and collections management practices, especially information management, is an advantage. This position involves physical activity. To apply, fill out the online application listing "Move Intern" in the Opportunity field.

MIT General Collections Internship

The MIT Museum is seeking interns to work with materials related to the institutional history of MIT for semester-long internships. The intern will inventory, arrange and describe small collections of mixed papers and objects from MIT faculty and alumni. The intern will assist in the production of finding aids as appropriate, using the museum's standard format. The intern will learn standards and procedures for safe object handling and will assist with collection inventory and packing as needed. As time allows and based upon the interests of the intern, the intern may learn the basics of cataloging objects in the local database system, marking objects for tracking and research and scanning for reference requests. To apply, fill out the online application listing "MIT General Collections" in the Opportunity field.

Architecture & Design Internships

The MIT Museum is seeking interns for semester-long internships to work with materials in the Architecture and Design Collections. Projects may include inventory, arrangement, and description of architectural drawings and papers, and production of finding aids as appropriate. The intern will learn standards and procedures for safe object handling and may learn the basics of cataloging objects in the local database system, and assisting with research requests. Additional responsibilities may include projects for current or future exhibitions in the Museum. Interns should have a background in art history, architectural history, architectural design or related fields. To apply, please fill out the online application listing "Architecture and Design" in the Opportunity field.