Assistant Director of Public Programs

Queens Botanical Garden Society • New York, NY

12d • $73,000 - $77,000 • Onsite

About The Position

The Assistant Director (AD) of Public Programs is responsible for the strong organizational and communication skills to manage all aspects of public programming. The specific charge of the position is the creation, coordination, and implementation of visitor-friendly and engaging mission-driven public programs. The AD will ensure that programs reflect the mission and public programming vision of QBG, attract diverse audiences of all ages, and are guided by its long-range plan to increase and drive visitation to the Garden. The AD must be a strategic thinker, build external partnerships easily, and be an effective communicator across all departments.

The Queens Botanical Garden’s vision is to be a leading cultural, educational, and environmental resource with dynamic programming that reflects the diversity of our audiences in an accessible, engaging, and welcoming way, and that celebrates nature, arts, culture and the history of our community in this unique garden setting.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in education, the Arts, Museum Studies, Environmental Studies, or related fields
• Seven or more years of professional experience creating public programs +/or education programs
• Event planning and execution experience, especially in public spaces, cultural institutions, botanical gardens or related spaces
• Supervisory experience required
• Outstanding interpersonal, communication, and customer service skills
• Have great attention to detail, highly organized with effective project management and problem solving skills
• Capable of working both independently and collaboratively across departments
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment and multi-task between responsibilities while maintaining high quality of work
• Previous experience managing a budget, tracking revenue and expenses, and running reports
• Knowledge of botanical gardens, horticulture, art and culture
• Commitment to DEIA values and practices
• Requires the ability to stand, walk, and move throughout the campus for extended periods
• Must be capable of lifting and carrying objects weighing up to 25 pounds regularly, and occasionally up to 50 pounds with assistance

Nice To Haves

• Bilingual language skills a plus (especially Mandarin, Cantonese, Spanish, or Korean)
• Demonstrated ability to create and implement systems
• Artistic, building, and/or decorating skills a plus

Responsibilities

• Effectively curate and produce public programs in various genres and scales (e.g. workshops, demonstrations, performances, exhibitions, lectures, festivals and community events, etc.) that reflect QBG’s mission and public programming vision; plan for expanded programming as new Education Center opens
• Lead the planning, execution, evaluation, and reporting of all public programming
• Direct and manage event and related staffing including instructors, volunteer groups, and other QBG staff
• Supervise part time coordinator providing public programs support, interns and other relevant staff
• Collaborate with various internal departments (Visitor Services, Development, Marketing, Security, Horticulture, and Education) to strategize long-term programming strategies and vision
• Help integrate Compost, Education, Visitors Service and Farm programs and activities into the planning of garden-wide public programs
• Lead regular interdepartmental committee meetings around public programming and gallery curation
• Move forward Public Program and audience goals in the new strategic plan both independently and in collaboration with other departments
• Manage Public Programs budget, track expenses and revenue for all events; meet revenue goals
• Handle expense reconciliations including management and reconciliation of public programs credit card
• Assist Marketing and Development staff to seek sponsorship and funding opportunities
• Develop and sustain partnerships with local organizations, artists, and vendors
• Serve as public face for the Garden at events, provide press interviews and information, and represent the Garden at community meetings when needed
• Collect and track appropriate data to assess program needs and areas and improvements, and make necessary adjustments, this might include surveys
• Collaborate with Marketing, Education, and Interpretation staff on materials and signage related to programs and exhibitions
• Work with Marketing to develop and support implementation of outreach strategies to increase attendance and participation in program offerings
• Write and compile program descriptions for marketing purposes
• May serve as manager in charge on occasional weekends
• Assist with other garden wide initiatives

Benefits

• excellent medical, vision, dental and life insurance
• generous PTO
• paid holidays
• employee discounts
• access to the Museums Council pass, which grants free admission to various museums and cultural institutions
• pension and other retirement savings plans

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Manager