Senior Manager of School & Family Experiences

The Position

The Adler Planetarium is seeking a Senior Manager of School and Family Experiences to join our dynamic team located on Chicago’s Museum Campus. The Senior Manager will supervise and coach School and Family Experiences staff, lead cross-institution teams in developing school and family experiences aligned with Adler’s goals, serve as an audience and content expert on project teams, and build collaborative relationships with external partners.

This individual will also be responsible for:

Experience Development

• Leading design, development, evaluation, and revision of onsite and digital school and family experiences (e.g. onsite and virtual learning experiences, curriculum development, and Park Voyagers*, an after-school outreach program facilitated at Chicago Park District Sites) including large-scale, multi-year projects with cross-institution project teams.
• Acting as the school and family audience expert for cross-divisional experience development.

Strategy, Leadership, and Administration

• Developing goals and strategies for school and family programs aligned with Adler’s mission, brand, and values.
• Hiring, training, and managing School and Family Experiences staff and mentoring other Adler staff in best practices of experience development and implementation for school and family audiences

Partnership and Community Building and Dissemination

• Representing the Adler at local and national conferences and local multi-partner working groups
• Maintaining communication with the school audience (e.g., educator portal, newsletter, and developing social media content with Marketing)

Audience Research & Experience Evaluation

• Organizing and implementing Adler’s Teacher Evaluator Group and Teacher Advisor Group to pilot test and solicit feedback from school-based educators on proposed school experiences
• Collaborating with external evaluators to develop and implement program evaluation tools and protocols for school and family experiences

Schedule: Most work will occur Monday through Friday during standard business hours as well as occasional weekends and evenings throughout the year as programming requires (e.g. every-other-month virtual meeting from 5:30 pm – 6:30 pm during the school year with the Teacher Advisory Group). During February and March 2025, the Senior Manager will lead Park Voyagers activities three or four evenings per week for up to seven weeks at selected Chicago Park District sites. Exact times will vary between park sites but generally, they will be between 4 pm and 6:30 pm. While this position manages the program, it does not typically facilitate sessions.

FT  Compensation & Benefits:

• Base Pay: range: $64,300.00 To $75,708.79

Work-Life Balance

• 35-hour workweek
• 3 sick days as of date of hire (can accrue up to 6.5 days per year)
• 7 Adler paid holidays
• 4 Personal Holidays (Prorated for new hires starting after January 1st)
• Paid Family Bereavement Leave & Jury Duty
• Eligible to accrue up to 18 vacation days per year to start
• Flexible work arrangements

Competitive Health Coverage

• Medical, Dental, & Vision insurance
• Healthcare, Dependent Care & Commuter flexible spending accounts
• Adler Paid Short-Term Disability insurance

Retirement Savings Plan

• 403B plan with Adler match
• Adler match is 100% vested immediately
• Eligible to enroll as of date of hire

Network of Support through our EAP programs

• Resources to help address emotional, legal, and financial issues
• Face-to-face, telephonic, and web-based services
• Free subscription to the Calm Premium app
• Discounted Onsite Parking Passes
• Free Entrance to Chicago area museums and cultural institutions

The Person

The Senior Manager of School & Family Engagement is Adler’s resident expert and advocate for school and family audiences. They are experienced, innovative, and audience-centered, keen to develop and refine engagement strategies, programs, and initiatives for school groups and families. The Senior Manager is an exceptional collaborator and communicator with strong time management skills. They can ideate readily and shift focus between multiple projects.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s Degree or five years of professional work experience
• Five or more years of teaching or program implementation experience within classrooms or informal learning environments
• Four or more years of developing audience-centered informal STEAM experiences
• Three or more years of training staff to implement informal STEAM experiences
• Two or more years of evaluating informal learning experiences
• Two or more years managing or mentoring staff
• One or more years of developing and overseeing departmental budgets
• Knowledgeable of human development and museum/science education theory
• Able to pass a Chicago Public Schools background check

Preferred Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s Degree with specialization in education, museum education, STEAM, or another related field
• Master’s Degree
• One or more years of working with young people from diverse backgrounds.
• Five or more years of developing audience-centered, informal, STEAM experiences
• Five or more years of training staff to implement informal STEAM experiences
• Experience collaborating with Chicago Public Schools or another large urban school district
• Possess a valid Illinois driver’s license and ability to pass a motor vehicle record (MVR) check
• Understanding of how to incorporate NGSS standards into informal education programs and resources