Job Description

Professional Development Specialist (Education Specialist) (IS-1701-11)

Application Deadline: 15 November 2024

Department: National Air and Space Museum

Employment Type: Full Time

Location: Chantilly, VA

Reporting To: Supervisory Education Specialist

Compensation: $82,764 - $93,798 / year

Description

OPEN DATE: November 4, 2024

CLOSING DATE: November 15, 2024

POSITION TYPE: Trust Fund

APPOINTMENT TYPE: Indefinite

SCHEDULE: Full Time

DUTY LOCATION: Washington, DC

Position sensitivity and risk: Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk

OVERVIEW

This position is located within the Education Department in the Education and Visitor Experience Directorate, National Air and Space Museum (NASM), Smithsonian Institution (SI) and reports to a Supervisory Education Specialist position, who reports to the Education Deputy Director position. The mission of NASM is to commemorate, educate and inspire. Learning at the National Air and Space Museum sparks curiosity and empowers learners to imagine the possibilities of our future. The museum collects, preserves, and displays aeronautical and spaceflight artifacts of historical significance.

The purpose of this position is to oversee professional development programming for educators, including (but not limited to) K-12 educators, pre-service teachers, and museum educators. This work targets educators locally and nationally, including the management of a national teacher professional development program for middle school STEAM teachers, held over several weeks each summer; in addition to professional development workshops in schools, in the Museum’s two locations, and online. The employee is responsible for planning and organizing the work with a contractor, coordinating with Education leadership, and ensuring all components of all the programs are successful as defined by each program’s objectives and goals.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Responsible for organizing and facilitating the Teacher Innovator Institute (TII), a professional development program for middle school STEAM educators from across the United States. The program includes both an onsite professional development intensive held in July of each year, as well as monthly engagements for active cohorts and alumni, including webinars, asynchronous design challenges and activities, and meetups at professional conferences across the country.
• Recruits, oversees, and supports the TII Alumni Fellow, a contractor on a 13-month assignment at NASM who assists with program planning and development.
• Maintains relationships with local school districts and presents professional development to local teachers several times a year, both in schools and in the museum.
• Hosts webinars on appropriate topics to present professional development to teachers across the world.
• Identifies areas to grow NASM’s reach to educators locally, nationally, and beyond.
• Manages program funds by anticipating expenses, preparing a program budget, tracking expenses, and following procurement procedures to purchase necessary program goods and services.
• Works collaboratively with Manager of Youth and Teacher Programs and Advancement Office to develop donor proposals and reports.
• Works collaboratively with the Manager of Youth and Teacher Programs and the Communications Department on promotion plans to enhance marketing and outreach efforts of the programs.
• Performs subject-area research and develops educational materials for student and educator audiences.
• Performs other duties as required.

KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS REQUIRED

• Knowledge of best practices in K-12 STEAM and museum education pedagogy.
• Knowledge of best practices in STEAM teacher professional development for K-12 educators, especially in large-scale, intensive programs.
• Skill in managing a large-scale project with various internal and external stakeholders, including managing budgets, developing and coordinating schedules, and planning curriculum.
• Knowledge on how to coordinate and scale activities for various sized programs, both in person and virtually.
• Ability to work with diverse groups of educators and museum visitors with various personalities, learning styles, and backgrounds.
• Skill in creating resources for teachers and students of various grade levels.

QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS

Education and Experience: To qualify for this position, applicants must possess a bachelor’s degree (B.A.) from an accredited four-year college or university and 3-5 years of related experience (described below); or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

• Experience coordinating and planning multi-day programming for K-12 educators.
• Experience developing STEAM lessons, curriculum, or other educational materials.
• Experience in managing large scale museum programs involving internal and external stakeholders.
• Experience in creating professional development program series with both in-person and virtual components.
• Technical experience.

Education completed outside the United States must be deemed equivalent to higher education programs of U.S. Institutions by an organization that specializes in the interpretation of foreign educational credentials. This documentation is the responsibility of the applicant and should be included as part of your application package.

Any false statement in your application may result in rejection of your application and may also result in termination after employment begins.

The Smithsonian Institution values and seeks a diverse workforce. Join us in "Inspiring Generations through Knowledge and Discovery."

Resumes should include a description of your paid and non-paid work experience that is related to this job; starting and ending dates of job (month and year); and average number of hours worked per week.

Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: The Smithsonian Institution provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities where appropriate. Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation should contact NASM-HR@si.edu . Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis.

The Smithsonian Institution is an Equal Opportunity Employer . We believe that a workforce comprising a variety of educational, cultural, and experiential backgrounds support and enhance our daily work life and contribute to the richness of our exhibitions and programs.

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