We're Hiring a Senior Manager of Community

The Center for Advancement of Informal Science Education (CAISE) is looking for a Senior Manager of Community to join our Washington, DC-based team. 

Note that we are also hiring a Project Manager and Communications Coordinator. Learn more about our recent team transitions.

CAISE is based at the Association of Science-Technology Centers (ASTC) in Washington, DC. The position is full-time, 40 hours per week and is funded through August 31, 2021. The salary range is $65,000–$85,000 per year, contingent on experience and qualifications. ASTC offers employees a comprehensive benefits package including health, dental, disability, and life insurance, and an employer-funded retirement plan. 

Download a PDF of the job description.

Application Process

Interested candidates should submit a resume and brief cover letter outlining their qualifications and interest in the position to caise@informalscience.org by close of business, September 9, 2019. See specific requirements and preferred qualifications below. If CAISE determines that you might be a good fit for the role, we will contact you with next steps.

Please put both documents into a single PDF, with your full name and position title in the filename.

If you need assistance or accommodation in the application process due to a disability, you may call us at (202) 783-7200 or email us at info@astc.org.

About ASTC and CAISE

ASTC is a network of 700+ science and technology centers and museums, nonprofits, companies, and other organizations focused on increasing public understanding of—and engagement with—science and technology among people of all ages. ASTC member organizations welcome more than 110 million people each year in 50+ countries where they engage the public in a wide array of scientific and technical topics, including physical, biological, natural, and social sciences; engineering; mathematics; technology; and trans-disciplinary problem-solving. ASTC includes a wide breadth of science and technology centers, natural history museums, children’s museums, nature centers, aquariums, planetariums, zoos, botanical gardens, and other organizations that share a commitment to supporting lifelong science learning, connecting science and society, engaging diverse communities, and partnering to tackle global challenges.

The Center for Advancement of Informal Science Education (CAISE) is an ASTC project dedicated to advancing the fields of informal science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education (ISE) and science communication by supporting and building on the rich diversity of projects supported by the Advancing Informal STEM Learning (AISL) program of the National Science Foundation (NSF).

Under a cooperative agreement with NSF funded through August 31, 2021, CAISE provides infrastructure, resources, and connectivity to practitioners, researchers, evaluators, and other professionals working in learning environments that include science centers and museums; zoos and aquariums; science media; youth, citizen science, and community programs; public libraries; festivals and events; cyberlearning and gaming; and a growing variety of other environments.

The CAISE leadership team consists of a principal investigator (PI)/project director based at ASTC in Washington, DC, co-PIs from three academic institutions, and an evaluation firm. CAISE activities include coordinating the work of three task forces, planning and hosting 30–50-person convenings, and organizing biennial 250–300-person PI meetings. These activities are designed to facilitate discussion and identify needs and opportunities for those who design, research, or evaluate informal STEM learning and science communication experiences and settings. A major effort is to collect and curate project descriptions, research literature, evaluation reports, and other resources on InformalScience.org. CAISE also tracks, participates in, and documents field-wide initiatives and engages in a variety of communication, outreach, and field-building efforts.

About the Position

The CAISE Senior Manager of Community is primarily responsible for leading CAISE’s initiatives related to the ISE community, particularly the projects in the NSF AISL portfolio. Responsibilities include planning and managing community engagement, shepherding a website redesign process and the development of new online resources, and supporting the overall project management.

The position involves approximately 20% community engagement and outreach, 30% curation of online resources, 15% project management, 30% management of the website redesign, and 5% for other activities as required. Periodic travel (2-3 times per year) may be required.

The Senior Manager of Community reports directly to the Project Director and works closely with the Project Manager, Communications Coordinator, Digital Librarian (contractor), and others.

All CAISE staff are full-time employees of ASTC and contribute to the success of the full ASTC team and organization. CAISE staff salaries are 100% supported by NSF as a part of the current cooperative agreement that is funded through August 31, 2021.

Responsibilities

Community Engagement and Outreach (20%)

• Cultivate deep knowledge of the NSF AISL and InformalScience.org member communities, as well as the broader STEM learning, science engagement, and science communication fields.
• Conduct in-person and online community outreach to strengthen knowledge sharing and solicit input on member and community needs.
• Work with the Communications Coordinator to identify content and themes for monthly newsletters, blog posts, AISL project spotlights, webinars, social media, and opportunities for community engagement at meetings and conferences.
• Seek out and develop opportunities for increased partner engagement and support, particularly with professional membership societies within the ISE and science communication fields.
• Collaborate with the Project Director, Project Manager, and CAISE co-Principal Investigators (PIs) to develop content for the 2021 NSF AISL PI meeting. (This is a major activity that will expand significantly during the time leading up to the meeting.

Curation of Online Community Resources (30%)

• Create and curate landing pages for ISE and science communication sectors to provide familiar, relevant access to topics within the InformalScience.org collection of resources.
• Oversee the updating of key CAISE online resources (i.e., Develop Projects, Discover Research, and Design Evaluation), by managing a co-development process among authors in the field.
• Work with NSF AISL program officers to develop an annual series of supports for project teams submitting proposals leading up to the November AISL program deadline.

Project Management (15%)

• Ensure that all CAISE projects and areas of work are resourced and on schedule to meet internal and external timelines.
• Align planned and proposed work with the project award’s terms and conditions, and prioritize work based on available resources.
• Manage the work of contractors and vendors, including that of a digital librarian and a website developer.

Management of Website Redesign and Development (30%)

• Work with Project Director and Communications Coordinator to redesign and maintain InformalScience.org, building on an existing strategic plan.
• Coordinate new webpage content with the Communications Coordinator.
• Develop a user feedback and evaluation plan for the new design, in collaboration with the Communications Coordinator, CAISE External Review Board (ERB), evaluator, and co-PIs.
• Ensure that accurate and up-to-date documentation of standard operating procedures for website maintenance and monitoring is in place.

Other (5%)

• Assist with annual, interim, and final reporting, as well as presentations to NSF.
• Contribute to the use of efficient processes and clear communications across the organization to ensure that day-to-day operations are performed with the highest levels of accountability, productivity, consistency, and integrity.
• Participate in ASTC staff meetings, events, annual conference, and other activities.
• Carry out other duties as assigned, time permitting, and as mutually agreed upon.

Experience and Skills

The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to perform the essential functions of the position.

Required

• Demonstrated expertise through education or professional experience in ISE and science communication.
• Experience managing or coordinating multiple projects.
• Strong attention to detail.
• Exceptional written, oral, interpersonal, and presentation skills. 
• Demonstrated ability to convey messages through clear and concise writing.
• Experience with webinars and video conferencing software. GoToWebinar and Zoom experience a plus.
• Experience in a public engagement / outreach role.
• Ability to manage and work in a small team.
• Fluency in written English.

Preferred

• Experience with a website redesign process.
• Experience with web content management systems, particularly Drupal.
• Experience with Google Drive applications, including Docs and Sheets.
• Experience with Microsoft Office applications, particularly Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
• Experience working in or with nonprofit organizations.
• Ability to work with a small team.

ASTC Commitment to Diversity, Accessibility, Inclusion, and Equity

ASTC values and celebrates the rich diversity that makes up the teams and organizations we serve and the broader communities we engage around the world. At the root of science, technology, and innovation are fundamental values that ASTC embraces: a commitment to seek out and engage a diversity of ideas, perspectives, backgrounds, disciplines, knowledge systems, and approaches; and an evolving practice of accepting, valuing, and celebrating contributions, discoveries, and novel solutions, regardless of their source. We bring these values to bear across our work, and we seek teammates, board and committee members, and partners who hold diversity, accessibility, inclusion, and equity as foundational and essential values. If all people are welcomed, respected, and included in our work, if everyone has access to opportunity to pursue their aspirations, and if all people can participate fully and actively in creating and building the future, our association, our members, and our global society will be more equitable, prosperous, just, and resilient.

ASTC is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to fostering an inclusive environment free of discrimination and harassment. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, merit, and business need. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, creed, sex, pregnancy status (including childbirth, lactation, and related medical conditions), gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, national origin, political affiliation, age, disability status, marital status, parental status, military service, veteran status, or any applicable legally protected characteristics.

Compensation and Benefits

The salary range is $65,000–$85,000 per year, contingent on experience and qualifications. ASTC offers employees a comprehensive benefits package, including health, dental, disability, and life insurance, and an employer-funded retirement plan.

Download a PDF of the job description.