Learning Spaces Coordinator IS-1016-09

Application Deadline: 6 May 2026

Department: National Museum of the American Latino

Employment Type: Full Time

Location: Washington, DC

Reporting To: Assistant Director for Learning and Public Engagement

Compensation: $70,623 - $91,815 / year

Description

OPEN DATE:  April 29, 2026          CLOSING DATE: May 6, 2026 (This job will close once 100 applications are received which may be sooner than the closing date.)                              POSITION TYPE: Trust FundAPPOINTMENT TYPE: Temporary appointment, NTE 4 yearsSCHEDULE: Full Time DUTY LOCATION: Washington, DC 

Position sensitivity and risk:  Non-sensitive/Low Risk

Open to all qualified applicants
What are Trust Fund Positions? Trust Fund positions are unique to the Smithsonian. They are paid for from a variety of sources, including the Smithsonian endowment, revenue from our business activities, donations, grants and contracts. Trust employees are not part of the civil service, nor does trust fund employment lead to Federal status. The salary ranges for trust positions are generally the same as for federal positions and in many cases trust and federal employees work side by side. Trust employees have their own benefit program, which may include Health, Dental & Vision Insurance, Life Insurance, Transit/Commuter Benefits, Accidental Death and Dismemberment Insurance, Annual and Sick Leave, Family Friendly Leave, 403b Retirement Plan, Discounts for Smithsonian Memberships, Museum Stores and Restaurants, Credit Union, Smithsonian Early Enrichment Center (Child Care), Flexible Spending Account (Health & Dependent Care).  Conditions of Employment

• Pass Pre-employment Background Check and Subsequent Background Investigation for position designated.
• Complete a Probationary Period.
• Maintain a Bank Account for Direct Deposit/Electronic Transfer.
• The position is open to all candidates eligible to work in the United States.  Proof of eligibility to work in U.S. is not required to apply.
• Applicants must meet all qualification and eligibility requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement. 

OVERVIEW

This position is located organizationally in Content and Interpretation, National Museum of the American Latino (NMAL), Under Secretary for Museums and Culture, Smithsonian Institution (SI).

The Smithsonian Institution is the world’s largest museum, education, and research complex, with 21 museums and the National Zoo dedicated to the increase and diffusion of knowledge.  NMAL deepens our understanding of the United States and what it means to be American – it is SI’s cornerstone for visitors to learn how Latinos have contributed and continue to contribute to U.S. art, history, culture and science.  This position manages programming for a dedicated learning space – The General Motors Learning Lounge – within NMAL’s exhibition space.  This education space is designed as a separate and flexible learning space for different types of visitors and activities:

- for family and school groups
- for immersive and hands-on activities that activate the five senses
- for adult public programs

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

The Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Latino (NMAL) seeks an enthusiastic and experienced educator to develop and facilitate interpretive learning and education programs for the museum and the General Motors Learning Lounge.  This position will: 

• Facilitates interpretive education programs in-person and online for family, children, youth, and adult audiences.
• Prepares low tech to high tech activities and written materials for general public and K-12 audiences that are inquiry and museum object-based, conducting research on museum and Smithsonian collections, exhibitions, as well as external archives and other primary source outlets. 
• Manages the lifecycle of digital learning resources, including the development of the learning resources, and the uploading and updating through the database management on the Smithsonian Learning Lab, SIDECAR systems, and the NMAL website content management system. 
• Provides on-going customer relationship management through ticketing, program reservation requests 
• Provides customer service support by serving as the primary point of contact for groups and educators seeking activities or programs in gallery and learning spaces. This includes coordination of email or mail-in requests. 
• Manages daily operations of the General Motors Learning Lounge, including contributing to the development of budgets, procurement requests, program plans, and on-going maintenance and care of physical learning space and equipment, as well as in the updating of SOP’s. 
• Collaborates with other members of the NMAL team including other members of Office of Audience Engagement, Curatorial Affairs, Communications, Collections and Digital staff to help the team to create new concepts for activities, programs and learning spaces. 
• Works with graphic design templates for learning handouts, flyers, signage, etc.  
• Manages audience engagement data reporting on program attendance, evaluation, and visitor feedback tracking and response
• Manages the NMAL teaching collection, determining teaching collection type, category, priority, and on-going maintenance and tracking in The Museum System (TMS) and based on SI and NMAL guidelines. 

ADDITIONAL POSITION FACTORS:

·        Requires fluency in written and spoken English and Spanish
·        Requires demonstratable capabilities in public speaking to a variety of audiences and age ranges
·        Requires a valid driver’s license
·        Travel may be required. 
·        Requires availability for regular and reoccurring evening and weekend hours.  
·        Requires availability for occasional holiday hours.
·        Requires ability to stand for long periods of time. 
·        Requires ability to lift objects up to 50 pounds, unassisted.  
·        Requires ability to work with young children and minors. 

QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS

Experience required for this position is as follows:
·        Extensive knowledge of NMAL mission requirements and procedures, and of American and Latino, art, history, and culture sufficient to speak and write in those areas of specialization.·        Knowledge and demonstratable capabilities in informal learning techniques, activity development, and program delivery.·        Possesses excellent administrative and organizational skills, accuracy, consistency and attention to detail.  ·        Thorough knowledge of computer database systems (CRM’s and CMS’s) and other computer software. ·        Knowledge of museum/cultural organization practices, procedures and methods related to public education, curation, research and audience engagement for a diverse breadth of visitors and learning environments. ·        Knowledge of best practices in informal learning and customer service.·        Thorough knowledge of learning activity/curriculum design including on-site and online learning techniques. ·        College degree is preferred Education completed outside the United States must be deemed equivalent to higher education programs of U.S. Institutions by an organization that specializes in the interpretation of foreign educational credentials. This documentation is the responsibility of the applicant and should be included as part of your application package. Any false statement in your application may result in rejection of your application and may also result in termination after employment begins.  Join us in "Inspiring Generations through Knowledge and Discovery." 
Resumes should include a description of your paid and non-paid work experience that is related to this job; starting and ending dates of job (month and year); and average number of hours worked per week.  

What To Expect Next: Once the vacancy announcement closes, a review of your resume will be compared against the qualification and experience requirements related to this job. After review of applicant resumes is complete, qualified candidates will be referred to the hiring manager. Relocation expenses are not paid.

The Smithsonian Institution provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities where appropriate. Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation should contact Carol Youmans, youmansc@si.edu. Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis.  To learn more, please review the Smithsonian’s Accommodation Procedures.  The Smithsonian Institution is an Equal Opportunity Employer. To review The Smithsonian's EEO program information, please click the following: https://www.si.edu/oeo