Museum Educator

SUMMARY

The Education Specialist is a core member of the American Precision Museum’s Education team, responsible for supporting school programs, visitor engagement, community outreach, and the museum’s growing STEM M Kit Program. This role blends creative program design with technical skill. The Education Specialist helps ensure APM’s educational offerings reflect current manufacturing technologies and industry trends. This position also oversees daily management of the makerspace area, including operating and maintaining tools such as 3D printers, laser cutters, and desktop CNC machines.

Full time, exempt position. Salary based on experience. Comprehensive benefits package.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Program Development, Teaching, and Visitor Engagement

• Develop, coordinate, and facilitate hands‑on STEM M programs for school groups, families, homeschool networks, summer campers, and general museum visitors.
• Teach programs both on the museum floor and in classroom/outreach settings, ensuring high‑quality, engaging experiences for diverse audiences.
• Collaborate with the Education team to refine and improve existing programs, activities, and visitor experiences.
• Build and maintain connections with industry partners to ensure programs reflect current manufacturing practices and emerging technologies.
• Stay informed about trends in engineering, manufacturing, and maker‑space technologies, integrating new tools and approaches into museum programming.

STEM M Kit Program Development & Delivery

• Support administrative aspects of the STEM M Kit Program, including teacher communication, logistics, and shipping.
• Assist with teacher professional development workshops and trainings
• Collaborate with the Education team to design, prototype, test, and refine new kit ideas aligned with NGSS and modern manufacturing concepts.
• Lead evaluation efforts by collecting, organizing, and analyzing data from teacher surveys, student feedback, interviews, and classroom observations.
• Use evaluation findings to improve kit content, instructions, and learning outcomes.

Makerspace Operations

• Operate and maintain 3D printers, laser cutters, desktop CNC machines, and other fabrication tools used in program delivery and prototyping.
• Troubleshoot equipment issues and ensure safe, effective use of tools by staff, volunteers, and students.
• Oversee on-going projects and builds

Community Outreach & Partnerships

• Represent the museum at community events, STEM festivals, and partner programs.
• Support and grow collaborations with organizations such as FIRST Robotics, local schools, libraries, and youth-serving groups.
• Help build relationships that expand the museum’s reach and strengthen STEM M pathways for students.

General Department Support

• Contribute to planning and delivery of camps, special events, and seasonal programming.
• Support daily Education Department operations, including materials prep, inventory management, and documentation.
• The American Precision Museum is a small organization. As such, this position will occasionally be required to work outside this job description and other duties as assigned.

KNOWLEDGE/EXPERIENCE & ABILITIES

• Prior experience in museums, informal education, or classroom teaching
• Strong STEM background and demonstrated understanding of inquiry-based approaches to learning
• Interest and enthusiasm for working with visitors of all ages and backgrounds
• Organizational skills and the ability to set priorities, solve problems, and make independent decisions
• Completed undergraduate or graduate degree, preferably with focus in education and/or STEM-related field

WORKING CONDITIONS

• Fast-paced, non-profit museum environment
• Must work well in both an individual and team settings
• May require regional and national travel
• Ability to lift and carry 50 lbs., climb stairs, and work on one’s feet for much of the workday
• Occasional evening and some weekend work required

TO APPLY

Email letter of interest and resume to Mike Fenzel, Director of Education: mfenzel@americanprecision.org. Applications are being reviewed on a rolling basis until position is filled.