Careers • Boston

Director of Programs

Boston, MA
Full-time permanent
Reviewing applications on a rolling basis
Accepting applications until 11:59 pm ET on December 1, 2023.

As a part of the museum’s senior leadership team, the Director of Programs manages the museum’s educational programs, exhibitions, and publications, all of which are rooted in design education and social change. The Director of Programs applies a community-centered approach to program development and stays up to date on design trends, innovations, and urgent issues facing the museum’s diverse community of students and new designers, thought leaders, and partners, and curates programs and content that best meet those needs. The ideal candidate has a background in design, storytelling, creative problem solving, and/or social justice with experience in education for youth and adults. As part of a small team, the Director of Programs must be equally comfortable ideating on big-picture visionary work and hands-on implementation. The Director of Programs will also work closely with the Executive Director and Director of Development to center and institutionalize community input through programs, and build and maintain relationships with key groups of supporters to help grow the financial resources of the museum. This position will hire and supervise a contract position and make recommendations for additional staff as needed.

The Director of Programs ensures that racial and disability justice is advanced through our work using human-centered design approaches to ideate programs, grow audiences, and produce impactful programming. This is a remote-first position, but candidates must be within commuting distance of Boston and will be expected to attend in-person meetings in Boston as needed, and travel approximately 1-3 times/year for national programs.

Primary Responsibilities: 

  • Produce regular educational virtual and/or hybrid talks and workshops focused on design and social change for working designers and design enthusiasts, collaborating with the rest of the staff on overlapping themes and presenters. This includes managing programs on design research and innovation with academic partners.
  • Lead Design Museum Mornings and Design Museum LIVE, our networking and talk series on design impact, including determining topics, soliciting speakers, and facilitating events. Programs are currently in person in Boston and Portland, OR, and virtual. 
  • Develop career development programming for young adults, with an emphasis on students from marginalized communities, with the goal of both creating community among participants and connecting them to industry professionals for future careers in design. This includes the relaunch of the museum’s mentoring program, career-focused workshops, selecting and training mentors, and managing program assessments. 
  • Develop and implement a plan to center and institutionalize community input through events, such as regular brainstorms or community conversations, and share knowledge through reporting and communications.
  • Connect regularly with museum partners, board, and council to engage them in programs, and leverage their thought leadership expertise in our offerings when appropriate.
  • Oversee museum’s exhibition program, engaging with contractors and staff as necessary. This consists of pop-up shows as well as two traveling exhibitions: We Design, which centers BIPOC, female, and gender-expansive design perspectives; and Bespoke Bodies on the design and craft of prosthetics. A curatorial background is not necessary for this role, though, candidates with education/exhibition audience interpretation experience are preferred.
  • Manage the editorial process for our biannual publication, Design Museum Magazine, working with guest editors to develop concepts and outlines, solicit contributors, and edit the content for publication with the support of our in-house Graphic Designer and Communications & Content Associate. 

Qualifications:

  • At least seven years of relevant professional experience, including managing mission-driven cultural programs. 
  • A demonstrated commitment to equity and social justice principles and practices, and complex intersectional approaches and strategies in terms of disability, race, ethnicity, age, gender, sexual orientation, economic status, and other identities. 
  • Strong verbal, written, and interpersonal communication skills, with the ability to speak publicly at events and facilitate conversations. 
  • Experience advocating and/or teaching creative problem-solving for youth and/or adults. 
  • Experience managing creative projects, such as exhibitions and publications, using visual and written storytelling techniques. 
  • Technically savvy; comfortable with Apple platforms, Slack, Asana, Notion, Google Docs, and MS Office.

Details

  • Begin in January 2024
  • Full-time: Hours are generally 9-5pm ET Monday-Thursday with Flexible Fridays.
  • Remote-first position, but candidates must be within commuting distance of Boston and will be expected to attend in-person meetings in Boston as needed, and travel approximately 1-3 times/year for national programs. 
  • Must be an MA or RI resident in alignment with the museum’s employer registration. 
  • Salary range: $70,000-$75,000/year
  • Benefits include: Flexible Fridays, 401k, Paid Time Off, 14-15 paid company holidays per year, Health/Vision/and Dental Insurance, Parental/Paid Family Sick leave

About Design Museum Everywhere

Design Museum Everywhere’s mission is to inspire social change through the transformative power of design. We are a community motivated by using the design process to create personal, cultural, and global impact. We produce community-centered events, exhibitions, and publications that connect the public to the power and social impact of design; educational programs about design and social change innovations in business, society, and culture; and career development and mentoring for students and design professionals. 

Our guiding principles:

  • We are participatory and committed to community-centered approaches.  
  • We believe in the power of design to improve the world around us. 
  • We value curiosity, collaboration, and co-creation.
  • We champion inclusive design. 
  • We strive for our internal practices, educational programs, and creative projects to reflect the equitable and socially responsible world that we want to see. 

We know there are great candidates who may not fit into what we’ve described above, or who have skills we haven’t thought of. If that’s you, don’t hesitate to apply and tell us about yourself. We are committed to diversity and building an inclusive environment for people of all backgrounds and ages. We especially encourage women, Black, Indigenous, People of Color, LGBTQ+ people, and people with disabilities to apply.

Application Instructions:

Please email cover letter and resume to Maria Villafranca, Executive Director through our Application Portal (you must be signed into Google). Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis with a deadline of December 1.