Museum Educator PT seasonal

Posting number: 2026-00451

Department: Office of Historic Alexandria

Job classification: MUSEUM AIDE II/ GS 09

Posting type: Open & Promotional

Categories: Education, Museum

Summary
                                                   

     Part-time 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 part-time temporary Museum Educator position. 

Our work is driven by our four Guiding Principles:   

• Aligning the work we do with our strategic plan  
• Executing against our strategy and ensuring accountability for our results  
• Promoting and encouraging a culture of leadership and ownership at all levels of the organization  
• Promoting a culture of service excellence, creativity and entrepreneurship  

The Overview 

The part-time Museum Educator (Seasonal) is the central 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 facilitates educational experiences for all ages using the history and built environment of the City as well as the collections of Historic Alexandria.  

Depending on availability, the incumbent may be responsible for learning the content of multiple museum locations and programs about Alexandria’s vast history. Staff is also trained in best practices to facilitate conversations around topics that some consider challenging or unsettling, such as the domestic slave trade or lynchings.  

During a shift, the museum educator is responsible for providing a high-quality guest experience, adapting the interpretation of content to meet visitor interests and needs; 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 will have the opportunity to teach public programs and lead tours.

The Museum Educator works alongside Museum Operations staff, including other Museum Educators and volunteers, to open museums to the public as well as teach specialty programming. This position is year-round and hours vary week to week based on staff availability and shift needs. Weekend shifts are available in addition to occasional evenings, weekdays and holidays. A commitment to diversity, accessibility, inclusion, and public service is at the core of this position and the department. 

What you should bring? 

To be considered as an ideal candidate, applicants must have excellent customer service and communication skills as well as a love for history. Candidates should enjoy talking with people and have demonstrated success teaching a wide variety of ages. A working knowledge of best practices in interpretation, particularly of African American history, is a must. They must have demonstrated success working with culturally diverse colleagues and guests and be willing to discuss topics like identity, race, white supremacy, and systemic racism. They must be flexible, exhibit excellent troubleshooting skills, and a demonstrate a willingness to do what it takes to get a job done. Candidates must have the ability to work well independently and collaboratively with a small team. 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 30 pounds with or without an accommodation. 

The Opportunity  

• 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. 
• Teaches a variety of on-site and educational outreach programs, including tours and stationed activities, for a wide variety of ages. 
• Facilitates dialogue that encourages understanding and growth of museum visitors. 
• Handles the day-of logistics and client support of rentals. 
• Provides supervision of volunteers during their shift and assists in the on-going training of volunteers. 
• Collects visitor data and provides regular program reports that will be used to improve educational programming and the visitor experience. 
• Performs other duties as assigned 

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.   

Examples of dutiesTwo-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.


Qualifications

Four-year College degree; demonstrated knowledge of educational theory and interpretive 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 and holidays. Ability to speak Spanish a plus.  

Supplemental informationThis is a part-time, non-benefitted position.