Play & Learning Specialist

Thinkery•Austin, TX

17h

About The Position

Thinkery is where Austin’s children and their families come to enjoy play-based, inquiry-rich, hands-on learning experiences. We believe that innovative, play-based, STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and math) learning experiences are a powerful way for children to develop problem-solving skills, critical thinking, and curiosity about the world around them. Our exhibits and programs encourage children—alongside their caregivers—to solve creative challenges, explore a variety of materials, and to develop new ways to complete unfamiliar projects. Through these activities, children gain the tools and confidence to develop and grow into enthusiastic, creative, lifelong STEAM learners and thinkers. POSITION SUMMARY The Play & Learning Specialist (PLS) is Thinkery’s champion of playful STEAM learning! This customer-facing role actively models and promotes play-based STEAM learning on the museum floor, in the makerspace, and during programs. As a model facilitator and mentor, the PLS ensures every guest enjoys a high-quality, engaging, and welcoming experience. By fostering positive, joyful interactions, the PLS contributes to a culturally fluent environment that inspires curiosity, creativity, and exploration for all guests.

Requirements

Must be playful, with a sense of humor desired.
Comfortable speaking and singing in public.
Able to problem-solve and react positively to rapidly changing circumstances.
Thrive in a fast-paced, varied, and demanding work environment.
Confident in facilitating activities with small or large groups of guests of different ages.
Able to work independently, identifying needs and executing solutions.
Excellent communication skills, including active listening and comprehension.
Must be hands-on, team-oriented, and attentive to detail.
Strong interpersonal skills, with the ability to engage confidently with others, including providing constructive feedback.
Comfortable taking initiative and offering guidance to colleagues and leadership when necessary.
High School Diploma or GED, a STEAM-related associate or bachelor's degree preferred.
Considerable personal or professional experience with making or tinkering.
Experience working or volunteering in a busy, loud, public-facing environment, i.e. museums, food service, retail, etc.
3+ Years of experience facilitating learning experiences with children and/or families.

Nice To Haves

Spanish fluency preferred, knowledge of ASL a plus.

Responsibilities

Serves as a leader in the delivery of Thinkery’s play-based STEAM learning experiences. Facilitate engaging, hands-on programming for museum guests of all ages and backgrounds with a playful, energetic, friendly, and professional demeanor. This role takes the lead in programming spaces, such as Storytime, makerspace, early learners, and offsite workshops. Specialists confidently guide the flow of experiences and model best practices in facilitation. They help create a welcoming, inclusive environment that reflects Thinkery’s values and learning philosophy.
Serve as a role model for seasonal part time teammates by demonstrating effective facilitation techniques and playful learning approaches. Encourage and support teammates during pre/post shift meetings and offer in-the-moment guidance and redirection, while collaborating with managers to help teammates reach their full potential.
Actively interact with caregivers of young guests, discussing their child’s learning experiences and sharing relevant resources to support continued learning at home.
Develop and iterate novel gallery activations and experiences, deploying those activations responsively to daily guest and museum needs creating joyful and engaging learning experiences.
Maintain a safe, welcoming environment by upholding museum policies, operational procedures and daily, weekly, and quarterly cleaning protocol.
Responsible for storage and inventory of props, books, and consumable resources. Ensures that all props in the museum are in working order, clean, in back stock and out in the galleries. Supports purchasing consumables and replacement items as needed and assists with tracking usage and expense reporting in coordination with the department.
Act as a direct link between administrative and floor team, effectively sharing programming details, policy updates, changes, upcoming events, and opportunities to ensure seamless operations.
Provide the highest level of customer service and model exemplary service behaviors. Address and resolve guest issues through collaboration with relevant teams to produce effective customer-focused solutions.
Work closely with all Thinkery Museum Learning teammates to meet the organization’s daily, weekly, and quarterly goals, ensuring a cohesive and successful museum experience.
Model and promote the museum’s core values, emphasizing playfulness and belonging.

Benefits

Thinkery offers competitive and affordable benefits for our full-time team members including options for 100% employer sponsored medical coverage.
Medical insurance options including HSA, PPO Gold, and PPO Platinum plans
Affordable dental and vision
100% employer sponsored EAP, STD, LTD, AD&D, and Life Insurance
2 weeks of paid vacation, 12 days of paid sick leave, and 13 paid holidays annually
Paid Family Leave
Pet and child friendly offices

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