Museum Assessment Program Officer

Help the American Alliance of Museums champion standards and nurture excellence by joining our Excellence Programs team. We are looking for someone passionate about the value of museums and committed to their success to be part of the day-to-day delivery of the Museum Assessment Program. Since its inception over 40 years ago this Alliance program has helped 5,000+ mostly small and mid-sized museums of all types strengthen operations, align mission and resources, improve collections stewardship, and better engage with their communities.

About the position: The primary role of the MAP Program Officer is to act as the “case manager” for approximately 60-70 museums in the Museum Assessment Program. This position manages the progress of institutions and the site visit reviewers through the entire process: from reviewing applications, assigning volunteer evaluators and assessing their written reports, doing post-review engagement, and providing programmatic and museum practice-specific counsel and training. The Program Officer works directly with museum staff and leadership, volunteer peer reviewers, and AAM staff; and may be assigned to give presentations about MAP at conferences. This position is funded through a cooperative agreement between the Institute of Museum and Library Services and the Alliance and the hiring salary range is the mid $60s.

Skills and qualifications: The successful candidate will have at least 3 years of professional, practical experience with museum operations, issues, and standards/practices. They will be able to communicate the requirements of the program and give constructive feedback to participants with professionalism and diplomacy; identify and resolve challenges that may impede successful completion of program; track and support the needs of multiple participants at various stages in the program; and evaluate written materials for alignment with museum standards and best practices.

AAM is particularly interested in candidates who are enthusiastic about contributing to a workplace environment that values diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion (DEAI) and can complement our DEAI work by offering unique perspectives and understanding of issues impacting groups that have been traditionally under-represented in the museum field.

How to apply: In order to encourage a broad pool of candidates with various backgrounds to apply and to mitigate any potential implicit bias during our review of applications, we are applying some principles of “blind hiring.” Please follow the directions below when submitting your application materials.

• Submit a cover letter and resume to: [email protected], using “Program Officer" in the subject line. Please do not include your name or address on either document. Please include education but omit school names. Include your email address as the only personal identifier on these documents. • As part of your cover letter: o Provide an example of how you have helped an organization improve or professionalize its operations, advance its mission, or increase its impact. Explain what you did, why, and how. o List ways you’ve been meaningfully engaged with museums/the museum field outside of any direct employment. o As AAM works to embed DEAI practices into our Excellence programs, please share how your lived experience connects to or enhances your ability to contribute to AAM’s DEAI work. o Explain why you are interested in this job.

• Limit your cover letter to no more than two pages.

Applications must be received by August 23, 2023. Submissions will be reviewed by our hiring team and candidates who are selected for further screening will be contacted by email within two weeks of this deadline. Due to the large number of applications AAM receives, we can only contact those candidates selected for further screening.

Don’t meet every single requirement? Studies have shown that women and people of color are less likely to apply for jobs unless they meet every single qualification. AAM values a diverse and inclusive workplace, so if you are excited about this role but your experience doesn’t align perfectly with all of the qualifications, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this or other opportunities.

About the Alliance: The American Alliance of Museums, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, is a trusted leader, partner, and advocate for museums, representing art, history, and science museums, as well as aquariums, zoos, and botanical gardens. With a budget of $10M and staff of 40, the Alliance provides leadership, advocacy, and service to its membership and the museum field. Headquartered in Arlington, VA, the Alliance is an equal opportunity employer and values a diverse workplace. For more information, please visit www.aam-us.or