Director, Berea College Visitor Center

Please note that references provided at the time of application for staff positions will not be contacted until the applicant has been offered the position.

Description

Under the direction of and reporting to the Associate Vice President of Student Craft, this position will direct all operations of the Berea College Visitor Center. This position is first and foremost a teaching position with responsibility for the education of up to 20 Berea College students. Development and implementation of an educational curriculum focused on Career Readiness is primary with curriculum focused on storytelling and the messaging and mission goals of the College as secondary is essential, recognizing the importance of this gateway to the College. The position will design and facilitate a community education experience that encompasses all aspects of the Berea College campus community. The position will work to establish partnerships with College and non-College groups to maximize the educational efficacy of the Visitor Center experience. The position will work to publicize and communicate effectively and comprehensively the multifaceted mission, history, present and future, and Great Commitments of Berea College and instill the Center with demonstrations by students and the radical hospitality for which Berea is known. The Director of the Visitor Center will also oversee the day-to-day operations of the Center, including the sale of Student Craft, inventory management, and the call center. In addition to the educational responsibilities detailed above, the Director is responsible for educating, supervising, and evaluating students within the Labor Program and 1-2 full-time staff.

Your Key Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary educator and mentor for students working in the Visitor Center, fostering their personal, professional and academic development.
• Develop and enact educational framework to ensure student learning in alignment with the learning goals and outcomes of the Work-Learning-Service program
• Coordinate and direct the public facing educational activities of the Visitor Center to convey the rich and complex past, present and future and mission of the College.
• Plan, maintain, and rotate interpretive displays, artifacts, and other instructional elements at the facility in coordination with an advisory committee of Berea College personnel.
• Stage receptions for exhibition openings and visiting speakers.
• Design and distribution of promotional materials, especially on individual Craft items.
• Work with departmental administrators on exhibitions and storytelling goals of the Center.
• Accountability for business planning and execution tactics, daily financial reports, and daily operations for the Visitor Center.
• Prepare, review and report progress on budget and development plans, as well as monthly financial reports and metrics, to the Associate Vice President of Student Craft.
• Maintain and develop relationships with internal constituents as well as outside partners.
• Collaborate with others in ACP and on campus to ensure displays maximize storytelling opportunities.
• Responsible for personnel administration of students and staff, including, but not limited, to hiring, educating, scheduling, evaluating, and professional development.
• Provide and serve as a model for outstanding customer service.
• In support of Berea College’s Great Commitments this position requires student supervision. The fourth great commitment is to promote learning and serving in community through the student labor program, honoring the dignity and utility of all work, mental and manual, and taking pride in work well done. The Supervision would include scheduling, assigning and approving work performed. Developing students about common workplace acumen and giving them tangible work experience is an expected outcome. To learn more about the student labor program and requirements on this position see: Labor Program Goals
  
  

What You'll Bring

Education required to ensure success in this position:

• Bachelor’s degree required, preferably in Marketing, Museum Studies, or Public Education
• Master’s degree preferred
• Relevant experience may substitute for some education
  
  

Experience Required To Ensure Success In This Position

• 5-7 years’ work experience preferably in museum-related fields
• Experience in story generation and messaging
• Experience in exhibition design and installation
• Experience in public education hospitality
• Experience with administration or coordination of Visitor or Welcome Centers.
• Experience in retail management
• Experience managing and leading a diverse team ofpeople
  
  

Special skills, knowledge and abilities:

• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal, as education is a key component of the role.
• Ability to coordinate with a broad range of college constituents to interpret their work for the public.
• Strong organizational skills
• Ability to plan, promote and implement community programming
• Ability to work with other stakeholders in College Square for a more unified user experience for those visiting the Square
• Experienced in customer service execution andtraining
• Ability to create and utilize business plans and budgets
• Ability to multi-task and work in a hurriedenvironment
• Understanding of inventorymanagement
• Knowledge of best practices for the handling of a diverse range of art, craft and other objects
• Computer literacy; proficiency in Microsoft Office; capable of operating inventory POS systems
• Digital/web skills for website and e-commerce
  
  

License, certification, or registration necessary:

• Valid Driver’sLicense
• Golf cart certification (can complete on thejob)
  
  

Physical Requirements

• Some lifting up to 50lbs.
• Ability to stand for long periods of time.
  
  

Environmental Conditions

• Work is completed mostly in a temperature-controlled officesetting but can include some time in outdoor weather as well.
  
  

Founded in 1855, Berea College is nationally recognized as the first coeducational and interracial college in the South. Berea has a longstanding commitment to interracial education and is one of the most racially diverse private liberal arts colleges in the United States. With an emphasis on service to Appalachia and beyond, Berea enrolls more than 1,500 students from 46 states and U.S. territories and more than 70 countries. Berea College admits students who are unable to afford tuition and provides all of them with a no-tuition promise. Berea’s students excel in the College’s supportive yet demanding academic environment, and most are the first in their families to attend college. As one of only ten federally recognized Work Colleges, all Berea students are expected to work 10-12 hours weekly in various positions across campus. Berea College is also the only institution in Kentucky to receive the 5-Star Rating from Money Magazine, 2025. Washington Monthly has named Berea College the #1 Best College in the nation in its 2025 College Guide. Berea College appears in their rankings as #1 College (overall): Best College for your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars, #1 Best-in Class College, #1 Liberal Arts College and #1 Best Bang for the Buck Southern College.

Located where the Bluegrass Region meets the Cumberland Mountains, the town of Berea (pop. 16,000) lies forty miles south of Lexington and is approximately two hours from Cincinnati, Louisville, and Knoxville. More information about Berea College is available at www.berea.edu.

Berea College, in light of its mission in the tradition of impartial love and social equality, welcomes all people of the earth to learn and work here.

Berea College is always looking for talented, self-motivated individuals to join our team. If you think you are ready to be a part of an exciting team, then we encourage you to continue with this applicant friendly, online job application!

Berea College is an Equal Opportunity Employer that recruits and hires qualified candidates without regard to race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, disability, or veteran status.

Our Benefits

Berea College offers a comprehensive benefits package to eligible employees and their families including health care, dental, vision, retirement, health savings accounts, flexible spending accounts, life insurance, short-term disability, long-term disability and an Employee Assistance Program. The benefit package also includes access to the Child Development Laboratory for children of College Staff, ages 6 weeks to 6 years, Seabury Center Membership, Staff Development Funds and Tuition Reimbursement.

Eligible staff employees also receive paid holidays, vacation, and sick leave.

Part-time employees who work an average of 24 hours per week over the course of a year, receive benefits on a pro-rated basis.

To learn more details, visit our benefits page at https://www.berea.edu/human-resources/employee-benefits.

Our Unique Culture

Berea College strives to be a place where people with various Christian interpretations, different religious traditions, and no religious traditions work together in support of Berea's Great Commitments.

Over the past century, various leaders of the College have applied the College’s inclusive scriptural foundation and spirit to their expanding world and welcomed those whose beliefs were consistent with the Christian gospel of impartial love. Therefore, Berea College today affirms its inclusive Christian tradition even as it respects the traditions of Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, and Hindus, as well as other faiths, and those holding no religious beliefs. We strive not to ignore our differences, but rather seek to understand each other honestly and respectfully, and together create a climate where anyone can openly discuss what they believe without fear of sanction. To that end, all persons who are willing to share in the spirit and the work of the Great Commitments as shaped by its preamble are welcome to study, to teach, and to work at Berea

Labor Supervision

In support of Berea College’s great commitments, staff and faculty serve as labor supervisors. Our fourth great commitment, The Dignity of Labor, promotes learning and serving in community through the student Labor Program, honoring the dignity and utility of all work, mental and manual, and taking pride in work well done. Student Labor Supervision includes scheduling, assigning, and approving student work, developing students' workplace acumen, and providing tangible work experience. To learn more about the labor program office please see the following link Labor Program Office.