Overview:    

Position Summary:

Port Discovery’s Learning and Visitor Experience Department’s mission is to engage all of our visitors, both adults and children, throughout the museum’s exhibits and play spaces in innovative, play-based education experiences and programs. This includes informal interactions, as well as pop-up programs and more structured activities and workshops through exhibit and play spaces.

The Arts and Character Integration Coordinator is a new position within the Museum that will bridge our focus on playful learning, integrative arts coordination, and new exhibits and programs that nurture character development for young children and their families. This role will lead the design and implementation of hands-on learning experiences that creatively fuse the arts with values like joy, empathy, kindness, creativity, curiosity, and collaboration—helping children and families grow socially and emotionally through play. As a member of the Learning and Visitor Experience Department, the Arts and Character Integration Coordinator works to conceptualize, create, and oversee a comprehensive and integrated arts environment within the museum that engages and excites our visitors through the visual and performing arts. This position reports to the Vice President, Learning and Community Impact. 

The Arts and Character Integration Coordinator works collaboratively across Museum departments to ensure the infusion of the arts throughout the museum environment. The Arts and Character Integration Coordinator also develops and sustains community partnerships and visiting artist relationships that may be leveraged to meet the museum’s integrated arts vision and goals. 

This role will play a key role in fully immersing themselves in the museum’s culture and helping to develop a creative, character-focused approach across our staff, families, and broader community. This work will require strong collaboration across museum departments and teams to ensure alignment and cohesion throughout the organization. 

We are looking for a creative, collaborative, and passionate educator and leader. We welcome professionals with experience in any medium within the spectrum of the arts, as well as museum education. Port Discovery offers a flexible and exciting experiential environment to push the limits of your own vision and creativity. 

The position will be split between administrative work (program development, cross-departmental meetings, contributing towards exhibit designs, developing community partnerships, staff trainings) and visitor-facing work (delivering arts-related program activities, facilitating workshops, planning & leading special events, assessments).

Schedule:

This is a full-time 40 hour per week position .  The work days are flexible, based on program needs.  However, most of the time requires in-person presence at the Museum, there is limited flexibility for remote work.  Weekend work will be required, at least four weekend days per month (typically 9:30 am to 5:30 pm).  Participation in special events, evenings, weekends and holidays will be necessary.

Compensation:

Salary range is $62k to $67k annually,  depending on relevant experience.

Qualifications:    

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Art, Arts Education, Museum Studies, or a related field required (Master’s preferred).

• Minimum of 3 - 5 years of experience working in developing and delivering arts programming and activities (any medium within the spectrum of the arts), preferably with children and families.

• Strong knowledge of arts integration and child-centered pedagogy required.

• Excellent communication, facilitation, and collaboration skills.

• Creative thinker with a passion for both the arts and children's emotional development.

• Strong organizational skills and ability to manage multiple projects.

• Experience in leading professional development or training and /or museum experience is a plus.

Job Responsibilities:    

Key Responsibilities:

Program Development

• Develop and align arts-based programs with character education themes (e.g. joy, kindness, resilience, teamwork).

• Collaborate with museum staff and leaders to create an interdisciplinary programming framework and approach that integrates arts and character development.

• Oversee the daily operations and creative direction of the museum’s art studio (and adjacent spaces as needed), ensuring it remains a vibrant, inclusive hub for visual art exploration and character-building experiences. 

Program Implementation

• Facilitate workshops, museum experiences, and museum floor activities focused on artistic expressions and character building.

• Coordinate with exhibit designers to integrate storytelling, arts-based interactions, social emotional learning, and character education into existing exhibits.

Outreach & Community Engagement

• Partner with schools, after-school programs, and local artists to expand the museum’s educational reach.

• Plan and lead family days, special events, or performances tied to both art, creativity, and character.

• Collaborate with educators, artists, and community leaders to create programming and partnerships.

Staff Training & Support

• Train museum educators and volunteers on integrating character values into daily interactions with guests.

• Provide materials and guidance for consistent messaging on character development.

• Continually model playful learning best practices in alignment with the arts and character values integration.

Assessment & Evaluation

• Develop and implement methods for evaluating the impact of arts and character programs on children’s development and family engagement.

• Use feedback to refine programming for better engagement and outcomes.