Job Listing: Museum Educator (Office of Historic Alexandria)

Museum Educator

Salary

$39,030.16 - $68,686.28 Annually

Location 

Alexandria, VA

Job Type

Full-Time

Department

Office of Historic Alexandria

Opening Date

08/07/2025

Closing Date

8/28/2025

Museum Educator

The City of Alexandria is located in northern Virginia and is bordered by the District of Columbia (Potomac River), Arlington and Fairfax counties. With a population of approximately 150,000 and a land area of 15.75 square miles, Alexandria is the seventh largest city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Alexandria has a charming waterfront and is a unique and historic place to live and work. About one-quarter of the City’s square miles have been designated as a national or local historic district. We proudly embrace our rich history and seize the endless opportunities that lie ahead. If you are interested in working for the vibrant City of Alexandria, we invite qualified candidates to apply for our Museum Educator position.

Overview

The Museum Educator is the primary public-facing position that interacts with people of all ages from around the world who visit Alexandria. While primarily handling daily operations of museums, this position also designs and facilitates educational experiences for all ages both in Historic Alexandria properties and in the community, including through social media videos. A commitment to diversity, accessibility, inclusion, and public service is at the core of this position and the department. The incumbent is responsible for learning the content of multiple museum locations and programs spanning two centuries of history and adapting the interpretation of content to meet visitor interests and needs. During a shift, they are responsible for providing a high-quality guest experience, opening and closing the museum or program, ensuring safety of both guests and collections, and managing shop sales. In addition to regular museum operations, the Museum Educator is responsible for teaching public programs and leading tours, with occasional opportunities to design public programming and contribute to training and oversite of volunteers who work alongside front-line staff. The Museum Educator is also part of the social media video team and must be comfortable being on camera and researching and writing short scripts. 

The Museum Educator position reports to and receives guidance from the Assistant Director of Education and Museum Operations. This position works closely with the Volunteer Program Manager to provide oversite of volunteers who are part of front of house and educational program operations. This position also works closely with the Youth and Family Programs Manager and Interpretive Program Manager, who design programs and train staff to lead them. This position requires at least one Saturday or Sunday per week and is scheduled a minimum of three front-desk shifts per week.

What you should bring?

To be considered as an ideal candidate, applicants must have excellent customer service and communication skills. Candidates should enjoy talking with people and have demonstrated success teaching a wide variety of ages. They must be flexible, exhibit excellent troubleshooting skills, and a demonstrate a willingness to do what it takes to get a job done. A working knowledge of best practices in interpretation, particularly of African American history, is a must. Candidates must have the ability to work well independently and collaboratively with a small team. Ideal candidates will also have a basic knowledge of United States history and the ability to research historical topics. Due to the nature of this position, they also should be able to climb stairs, stand and/or walk for long periods of time, and lift up to 50 pounds with or without an accommodation.

The Opportunity – Examples of Work

• Completes operational tasks related to opening and closing museums or running a program based on outlined procedures, including operating a computerized Point of Sale system, following money-handling procedures, and set-up/clean-up of program. (35%)
• Facilitates dialogue that encourages understanding and growth of museum visitors. (20%)
• Teaches a variety of educational on-site and outreach programs, including tours and stationed activities, for a wide variety of ages. (15%)
• Works with social media video team to research, write, and film scripts, including occasional time on camera. (10%)
• Provides supervision of volunteers during their shift and assists in the on-going training of volunteers. (5%) 
• Collects visitor data and provides regular program reports that will be used to improve educational programming and the visitor experience. (5%)
• Assists in the research and development of programs and interpretive materials. (5%) 
• Performs other duties as assigned (5%)

About the Department 

The Office of Historic Alexandria (OHA) preserves Alexandria’s past to enrich the present and inspire the future. As a team, we are working to integrate Alexandria’s rich and complex history into the fabric of the community. The physical sites this position staffs include Alexandria Archaeology Museum, Alexandria Black History Museum, Fort Ward Museum, Freedom House Museum at 1315 Duke Street, Friendship Firehouse Museum, Gadsby’s Tavern Museum, Lloyd House, the Murray Dick Fawcett House, Stabler-Leadbeater Apothecary Museum, and The Lyceum: Alexandria’s History Museum. OHA also goes out into the community, with staff working at Farmer’s Markets and other outdoor public spaces as well as in regional schools.   

Minimum & Additional Requirements

Two-Year College degree with a major in history, public history, material culture, museum education or a related field; supervision of staff (periodic experience); awareness of museum security; basic computer skills; project management experience; experience in staff management, particularly volunteer staff; interpersonal skills; organizational ability; ability to deal with the general public; ability to implement basic fiscal accountability procedures; or any equivalent combination of experience and training which provides the required knowledge, skills, and abilities.

Preferred Qualifications

Four-year College degree; demonstrated knowledge of educational theory and interpretation practices; equivalent of one year’s work or volunteer experience teaching; at least one year’s experience in retail or customer service; ability to work rotating shifts that regularly include weekends, holidays and/or weekdays. Ability to speak Spanish a plus.