EDUCATION AND OUTREACH COORDINATOR (FULL-TIME, PERMANENT)
Purpose of the Position
As a team player with initiative, the Education and Outreach Coordinator will provide a source of skilled support as The Hangar Flight Museum delivers multi-sensory community outreach projects, and off-site and on-site educational programming for students. This position is five days a week, primarily 9:00am – 4:30pm, but it will include some evening and weekend shifts based upon the museum’s bookings and event calendar.
A few main types of outreach programming will be completed by this individual: Silver Darts, artifact handling boxes during events and school programs, and our full compliment of school programs. Silver Darts is a two-hour program that draws on the local and community history held outside of our museum and is an opportunity to build upon individual stories. Seniors’ education programming encourages lifelong learning and promotes neuroplasticity. Silver Darts supports the health and social needs of older groups, as it has been documented that engaging with concepts of personal history, identity, and creative expression in a communal environment helps with feelings of isolation, memory loss, and a lack of self-expression.
Artifact handling boxes have been developed on 3 main themes. You will utilize these at internal events, but they will also be taken on the road to in-school programs, youth programs and summer camps, and community events where you will represent the museum. We are consistently looking to grow this programming to new audiences.
As a member of the education team, you will also deliver our unique field trip programming to students in kindergarten through grade 6, as well as tours and artifact handling for grade 10 and 11. These programs are designed to boost curriculum understandings for the appropriate grades, while still being engaging, fun, and educational. Currently, there are 15 programs which fall under the offerings for schools, day-camps, and cadet groups.
Reporting
This position reports directly to the Education Manager. Frequent collaboration will also occur with the Visitor Experience and Operations Director, Volunteer Coordinator, and Events Manager.
Organization
The Hangar Flight Museum is a museum in northeast Calgary that aims to inspire dreams of flight. The Hangar Flight Museum will be a premiere destination to explore, engage, and experience the transformational power of flight. We are storytellers, stewarding and sharing the aviation history of Calgary and western Canada and its impact on our community. The collection holds rare and historically significant military and civilian aircraft.
Qualified Applicants
The Hangar Flight Museum is seeking qualified applicants with strongly developed public speaking and storytelling skills with experience facilitating learning with both seniors and youth. Post-secondary education (with preference given to education, museum studies, psychology, or humanities) is required. A successful candidate will be able to work well independently and have good problem-solving skills, but also be able to work effectively as part of a team. The successful candidate will be a strong communicator both verbally and in written form, and will be ready to learn classroom management skills.
Key Responsibilities
PROGRAM KNOWLEDGE AND IMPLEMENTATION:
- Learn the history of aviation in Canada, especially as it pertains to the artifacts in our collection
- Learn tours and public interpretation methods to provide outstanding visitor experiences
- Deliver programs based on the museum themes in ways that assist a vulnerable demographic for whom social interaction and community activities are significantly harder, and who may face isolation and a decline in mental health
- Assess what the public expects from off-site museum programming
- Deliver engaging curriculum boosting programs for children in a variety of grades and age ranges, being able to adapt and adjust teaching styles according to the needs of students.
- Assist with the development an improvement of current or new interpretive activities, in-keeping with museum themes.
- Be a role model to assist in training new volunteers of effective interpretation with seniors, youth and neurodivergent individuals.
PARTNERSHIP BUILDING AND MARKETING:
- Be featured on our social media channels with interpretive content
- Reach out to established groups to aid in the creation of successful programming experiences, and also to schedule programming
- Establish new connections and partnerships and leverage previous partnerships
- Increase awareness of the new outreach opportunities
- Organize outreach booking forms, and ensure payment is received in a timely manner
PROGRAM DELIVERY:
- Have a full awareness of safety concerns and risks, following OH&S procedures and policies to ensure visitors and volunteers are in safe places
- Ensure educational supplies are prepared and artifacts are safely handled and protected
- Deliver seniors multi-sensory programming to seniors off-site, including artifact handling, with the goals of supporting the health and social needs of older adults. Seniors will be invited to engage in lectures and continue to work on active movements, such as hand and finger dexterity through the handling collection
- Deliver hands-on educational programming for students on site at the museum
- Deliver artifact handling programming off-site at schools and community events
REPORTING:
- Ensure program participants fill out appropriate surveys to receive useful feedback
- Summarize feedback, and turn it into future successes and plans for how to develop the programming further
VISITOR EXPERIENCE:
- Assist visitors at the admissions desk and gift shop as necessary
- Assist with all-hands-on-deck internal events as needed
Skills and Abilities
- Excellent time management skills
- Excellent verbal communication, and experience communicating with seniors and understanding effective techniques for encouraging neuroplasticity would be considered an asset
- Skilled at delivering programming to diverse audiences and different age groups with an understanding of how to tailor delivery to the audiences’ needs and interest levels
- Must be detail oriented with ability to multi-task
- Ability to work within a small team environment, and with minimal supervision
- Ability to exercise good judgment, critical problem solving and initiative
- Ability to adapt and thrive in an ever-changing environment
- Knowledge of the museum industry and interpretation methods
- Experience with classroom management skills is considered an asset
- Knowledge of the aviation industry and military history is considered an asset
- Being able to answer visitor questions in a second language is considered an asset
Minimum Standards
- Minimum 1 year of youth programming experience (experience with seniors is considered an asset)
- Undergraduate degree in a relevant field with preference given to education, history, psychology, or museums studies. Equivalencies will be considered
- Must have an average knowledge of computer software programs including Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, Publisher, Canva etc. Knowledge of the Adobe Creative Suite is considered an asset
- Criminal record check and Vulnerable Sector Search
- A valid class 5 license and regular access to a vehicle
Physical Demands
- Standing on hard floors for long periods of time
- Moving boxes and other support material (supplies, displays, chairs, tables, boxes full of delicate artifacts, etc.)
- Ability to lift up to 20 kilograms
Salary
$21-23 per hour, plus health benefits after 90-day probationary period. The intended start date is in early October.
Position closes September 1, 2026. To apply please send your resume and cover letter to [email protected]. Applications without a cover letter will not be considered.
Pay: $21.00-$23.00 per hour
Benefits:
- Dental care
- Extended health care
- On-site parking
- Paid time off
- Vision care
Application question(s):
- Did you attach a cover letter?
- Are you available to start during the first half of October?
Experience:
- education programming : 1 year (required)
Work Location: In person
