The Japan Program Coordinator (JPC) as a member of the Arts & Social Impact team reporting directly to the Senior Director, Arts and Social Impact is responsible for supporting and delivering artistic explorations and cultural experiences for all museum audiences. One of the primary responsibilities for the JPC is to support the Japan Program and historic Japanese House exhibit, an authentic 1800s house from Kyoto, Japan, which was gifted to the city of Boston on the 20th anniversary of their Sister Cities relationship and installed in the Boston Children’s Museum in 1979. The JPC will work in close collaboration with the Senior Director and Educator, Japan Program Manager to support the interpretation of this unique exhibit to create immersive and inclusive learning opportunities for visitors, staff and external stakeholders to experience Japanese culture and customs, while supporting the staffing needs, maintenance and preservation efforts of the Japanese House.
Additional responsibilities include supporting the delivery of educational experiences within the Arts & Social Impact team, across other Museum teams and related networks such as schools and community organizations. The JPC will engage in direct work with the public, mostly in facilitating programs or helping to prototype new experiences. As well as work behind the scenes to prepare experiences or offer support to colleagues, which might include prepping materials, scheduling, or handling other logistics related to programmatic work, and engage in meetings from across the Programs and Exhibits department to support colleagues working on new experience development projects or initiatives.
- Serve and engage with children and families from diverse populations with age-appropriate programming in a courteous and professional manner.
- Work with teams to learn and understand our engaging, educational, and fun exhibits and programs; facilitate these educational experiences for children and families.
- Support the staffing needs, routine cleaning and maintenance processes of the Japanese House.
- Organize and maintain the Japan Program resource materials, including objects, books, and kits.
- Support the facilitation of the Japanese House training for Museum staff through the developed and implemented best practices for cultural learning concepts.
- Work alongside Educators to support training of Visitor Experience Ambassadors on activities and events such as vacation week.
- Support content-related school programs or other types of educational experiences (curriculum, community-based initiatives) and lead the Guided Visit program as needed.
- Coordinate and support the process for recruiting and training of Japan Program volunteers.
- Assist in planning, preparation, and coordination of school vacation week, summer programming, events, and other large-scale celebrations.
- Assist with programming, prototyping, and evaluation efforts as needed by supporting the collection of data and/or contributing data and observations to the specified Programs and Exhibits team.
- Coordinate logistics around materials purchasing, room set ups, trainings, or communication within and across teams.
- Support staffing needs in other exhibits or programmatic spaces.
- Support Museum operations, including preparation of program materials, and routine organization and cleaning of materials.
- Support with exhibit restock of loose parts, report maintenance or safety concerns.
- Support institutional and departmental initiatives, goals, and operations. Collaborate with Museum leadership to further the Museum’s mission, and to ensure a cohesive staff culture.
- Participate in required all-staff activities, discussions, meetings, and training.
- Other duties as required.
Minimum Requirements
- HS diploma or equivalent, with a minimum of 1-3 years of work experience.
- Working knowledge of Japanese culture and educational systems, with lived-experience preferred
- Familiar knowledge of local and international Japanese communities
- Experience working with children ages 0-10 and interested in working in a family learning environment
- Experience facilitating programs, community engagement, museum or historic house interpretation, and/or customer service work
- Ability to adapt to a rapidly changing environment and make rational decisions under pressure
- Team oriented, collaborative, flexible and dependable.
- Excellent computer skills, with Microsoft Office suite and Google working platforms preferred.
- Excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to work collaboratively with diverse and intergenerational audiences, in an energetic, friendly, outgoing, and professional manner.
Preferred Requirements
- Fluency in Japanese and ability to read, write and speak English
(Benefits eligibility is based on regular weekly hours per week)
- Health Insurance
- Dental Insurance
- 13 Paid Holidays
- Up to 12 Sick days
- Mass Earn Sick Time
- Up to 10 Vacation days
- 403(b) Retirement Plan
- Flexible Spending Accounts
- Qualified Transportation Accounts
- Life Insurance
- Short- Term & Long-Term Disability
- American Alliance Museum Access
- New England Museum Association Access
- Free Admission to 100+ Museums
jobs@bostonchildrensmuseum.org
Physical Demands: Frequently stand/walk, sit, perform desk-based computer tasks, and use a telephone. Occasionally kneel/crawl, twist/bend/stoop/squat and lift/carry/push/pull objects that weigh 21-40 pounds.
Work Environment: Ability to work in a lively, often noisy, and sometimes crowded environment with the public and with young children. Work is performed routinely within the Museum setting, but on occasion may require work performed outside. General office environment shared common office space and equipment.
Other Factors: Regular work schedule includes one weekend day. Flexibility required to accommodate programming and special events, including holidays and school vacation weeks. Uniform required when staffing museum exhibits.
OUR MISSION
Boston Children’s Museum engages children and families in joyful discovery experiences that instill an appreciation of our world, develop foundational skills, and spark a lifelong love of learning.
OUR VISION
Boston Children’s Museum is a welcoming, imaginative, child-centered learning environment that supports diverse families in nurturing their children’s creativity and curiosity. We promote the healthy development of all children so they will fulfill their potential and contribute to our collective well-being and future prosperity.
OUR VALUES
Creativity. Respect. Excellence. Accountability. Thoughtfulness. Equity.
Boston Children’s Museum is a curious, experimental, and creative learning organization. We have a child and family centered focus, welcoming and respecting all Museum audiences. We collaborate and show mutual respect and support for our colleagues. We recognize that each person has equal, intrinsic worth and deserves to be treated with dignity. We are a culture that innovates, changes, and pushes boundaries to keep the museum relevant. We are responsible to each other and strive to keep our commitments to our colleagues. We have a commitment to high ethical standards. We recognize the importance of work-life balance, respecting the importance of personal growth and family. We have an ongoing commitment to fairness in all aspects of the Museum and we embrace alternative ways of thinking.
