Association of Academic Museums and Galleries

Position:                      Manager of Adult Programs 

Division:                      Public and Academic Engagement 

Department:               Interpretation and Adult Programs

Employment Type:     Full-time  

Salaried/ Hourly:         Salaried            

Reports to:                  Director of Interpretation and Adult Programs

Date Updated:            10/4/2023 

About CMA: 

In 2018, the Cleveland Museum of Art was the first art museum in the USA to publish a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Plan. The CMA recognizes that the museum is greatly enriched by the diversity of its staff and visitors; among the goals of the DEI plan is to recruit, mentor, and retain employees with diverse backgrounds and perspectives to ensure the CMA’s position as a global leader among museums and to support the next generation of arts professionals. The CMA is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer with a strong commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion.  We prohibit discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, veteran status, marital status or any other legally protected status. 

About the Candidate: 

The Cleveland Museum of Art seeks a creative, diplomatic, and strategic individual with strong communications skills to join the Public and Academic Engagement team in the area of Adult Programs. The successful candidate will be early to mid-career with 3-7 years of programming experience in a museum or cultural setting. Teaching or museum education experience that can be applied to an informal, lifelong learning, course environment is also desirable. The ideal candidate would be familiar with the Cleveland community and cultural scene—or quickly able to adapt to it—while having a broader artistic and cultural network to draw on for the purposes of the position. We seek a candidate who has a talent for developing audience-centered programs that appeal to a broad public, who can preserve ties with CMA’s existing audiences and build innovative programs that welcome new audiences.  

Job Summary: 

The Manager of Adult Programs is responsible for developing, organizing, and executing a dynamic range of programs and Continuing Education courses for adult audiences to increase engagement with the permanent collection and special exhibitions. This position promotes the museum’s role as a unique educational and cultural resource both locally and nationally. As a creative and strategic thinker and problem solver with a knowledge of art history and related fields, this position conceives, implements, and oversees activities ranging from gallery talks, lectures, panel discussions, to artist demonstrations, community curated events, and continuing education courses (in person and online) to bring works of art to life. This role oversees two staff members, the Coordinator for Adult Programs, and the Master Teacher.

Requirements and Key Competencies   

• Advanced Degree in Arts, Art History, Education or related field and 3-7 years of professional museum experience in the areas of education or public programs or an equivalent education and/or experience. Knowledge of public humanities, arts and culture required. 
• Demonstrated experience in engaging adult audiences in a variety of learning experiences.  
• Evidence of strong collaboration skills, both with internal and external collaborators, including ability to function as a convener to develop ideas and make decisions together. Able to work flexibly with internal and external stakeholders while adhering to institutional parameters and timelines.  
• Experience–or demonstrated interest and skill–in supporting, mentoring, and managing people and programs.  
• Ability to maintain comprehensive departmental budgets, able to understand and appropriately forecast both expenses and revenue, and a proven ability to work within a budget given dynamic operating conditions.  
• Outstanding interpersonal and communication skills. Ability to use multiple communication platforms to connect with internal and external partners.  
• Excellent organizational skills. Ability to assess priorities, manage multiple projects simultaneously, and work well under pressure, excellent time management, problem solving and analyt
• c skills.  

Primary Responsibilities:   

Collection and Exhibition Programs:   

• Collaborate with curatorial colleagues to develop, plan, and maintain an annual series of six endowed lectures and additional programs that offer visitors opportunities to deepen their understanding of the permanent collections and special exhibitions. 
• Organize and maintain a regular monthly schedule of programs, like Lunchtime Lectures and Material Matters gallery talks, that help audiences explore the exciting, behind-the-scenes, work happening in departments across the museum.  
• Continue to develop and expand community engaged programs, such as monthly Artist in the Atrium and Community Curated programs, that connect audiences, Cleveland creatives, and museum offerings.  
• Identify opportunities for new and existing programs to center the contributions of BIPOC, women, LGBTQUIA+, and other historically marginalized communities to help new audiences see themselves represented within the museum.  

Adult Education:

• Collaborate and partner with Master Teacher and museum staff to set the themes, curriculum, and schedule for onsite and online adult continuing education courses for partner institutions.
• Collaborate and partner with Master Teacher and museum staff to ideate and develop adult continuing education course targeted towards CMA members and general, public audiences.
• Along with Master Teacher and museum staff, co-teach, facilitate, and host onsite adult continuing educations courses when needed.
• Identify and hire guest lecturers for all adult continuing education programs.

Department Management:

• Supervise and collaborate with the Adult Programs Coordinator to ensure all speaker arrangements, facility logistics, invoicing and payment, program descriptions, marketing materials, and other internal processes are in place for the success and seamless operation of programs.  
• Track and report program statistics. In conversation with the Director of Interpretation and Adult Programs, partner with colleagues in Research and Evaluation to research, develop, and assess the impact of programs. 
• Track and manage program budgets and revenue streams related to the museum’s adult programs.  
• Partner with Docent Programs staff to develop training relevant to public tours for adult audiences around collection and exhibition programs.
• In conversation with the Director of Interpretation and Adult Programs identify design and marketing needs, as well as accessibility needs, to make programming available and accessible to the broadest possible audience. 
• In conversation with the Director of Interpretation and Adult programming identify and articulate the ways that collection and exhibition programs meet institutional goals and identify opportunities to better serve audiences.   
• Serve as a mentor for interns, and early career staff, finding meaningful ways to develop their skills so their time at the Cleveland Museum of Art prepares them to play a role in the field.   
• Perform other duties as assigned. 

Other Responsibilities:  

• Upholds the professional standards of his/her field and always acts in a manner that is consistent with the best interests of the museum. 
• Upholds CMA’s values of community, respect, equity, audience, teamwork, and engagement.
• Develops and maintains strong working relationships with colleagues at CMA, as well as external partners, with the goal of pursuing collaborations that benefit all stakeholders and improve service to audiences. 
• Seeks opportunities to promote and uphold Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives within the museum—recognizing the great range of perspectives, backgrounds, and approaches that makes up the museum’s staff, volunteers, and audiences. 
• Aspires to excellence in all aspects of his/her work and serves as a model for others.
• Maintains confidentiality. 
• Identifies and communicates opportunities for professional development to Director of Interpretation and Adult Programming.
• Adheres to all CMA protocols, procedures, rules, and policies. 

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.