Innovation Exhibits Supervisor

Position Title: Innovation Exhibit Supervisor

Department: Maker & Innovation Lab

Reports to: Maker & Innovation Lab Manager

Pay Class: Full-time Regular

FLSA Status: Hourly, Non-Exempt

 

Position Summary

The Innovation Exhibit Supervisor contributes to Pacific Science Center’s mission to spark curiosity and fuel a passion for discovery, experimentation, and critical thinking in Maker & Innovation Lab (MIL), PacSci’s hands-on maker exhibit. This role leads the Innovation Exhibit program, which focuses on delivering high quality experiences for PacSci members and general admission guests, supporting unfacilitated tinkering, facilitated maker activities, and engineering and design challenges. The Innovation Exhibit Supervisor leads the program efforts on the MIL exhibit floor, working with an innovative team to facilitate an excellent guest experience and integrate facilitated programming. This role is also a significant voice in the project developing the future expansion of Maker & Innovation Lab. Though not the final decision maker on the project, this role will lead work that will inform the final vision, including developing a team approach and prototyping potential solutions. The Innovation Exhibit Supervisor proactively leads by example, working alongside team members and supporting all levels of cleaning and maintenance in the department.

 

Throughout this work the Innovation Exhibit Supervisor is committed to ensuring that Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Access is prioritized in these efforts as well as colleague and community relationships.

 

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

This role works in close partnership with the Makerspace Supervisor. Much of the duties overlap, as both roles are people leaders who support the daily operations of Maker & Innovation Lab. The Makerspace Supervisor provides direction and operational leadership for programming that aims to deepen engagement with makerspace tools and processes. The Innovation Exhibit Supervisor provides direction and operational leadership for programming that aims to provide largely unfacilitated drop -in experiences for the general PacSci visitor, where they experience success in some aspect of design or innovation. Duties and responsibilities that distinctly reside with the Innovation Exhibit Supervisor include the following:

• Plans and supports the entire life cycle of unfacilitated and lightly facilitated activity stations on the Innovation Exhibit floor, maintaining a calendar including development, prototyping, installation, maintenance, evaluation, and planned retirement, ensuring seasonal refresh. The supervisor will take on some projects themselves but will always work in collaboration with others.
• Collaborates with the Maker Programs Specialist, supervising and/or co-developing projects that aim to create activity stations on the exhibit floor.
• Models appropriate and effective open ended facilitation techniques for exhibit experiences, such as hands-on learning, parallel play, inquiry-based facilitation, demonstrations, and direct instruction for guided activities.
• Creates and delivers facilitation training for MIL team members, using researched best practices from peer institutions.
• Brings a strong focus on the general guest experience in MIL, leading the collaborative effort to define goals and expectations. Creates and delivers trainings to support MIL staff in delivering a top-quality guest experience.
• Creates and manages Innovation Exhibit materials, supplies, and equipment inventories; submits purchasing requests for supplies and tracks spending; monitors the cost of materials and assesses durability and associated maintenance costs.
• Coordinates external partners delivering temporary guest engagement on the Innovation Exhibit floor, including scheduling, ensuring background checks, and acting as onsite contact and general support

Areas in which responsibilities of both supervisors overlap include the following:

• Works in partnership with the MIL leadership team, including the Makerspace Supervisor and the Maker & Innovation Lab Manager.
• Supervises daily MIL operations in partnership with the Makerspace Supervisor, providing a structured and positive work environment, that includes supporting staff, volunteers, and youth with recruiting, training, scheduling, supervising, reviewing, and approving timesheets, tracking attendance, daily shift rotations, etc.
• Acts as the designated department operations lead when scheduled, on a rotation with the MIL leadership team. While doing so, supports the MIL team by responding to needs such as break coverage or guest concerns, as well as giving direction and providing supervision to ensure operations. Additionally, supports MIL and the broader PacSci guest operations by responding to radio calls for lost parties, first aid situations, etc.
• Works in collaboration with other team members to ensure that MIL serves all audiences, including families, adults, youth, and educators that are aligned with formal and informal learning standards.
• Actively seeks out methods for embedding culturally responsive adaptations across these platforms .
• Supervises direct reports. Includes hiring, training, assigning tasks, performance coaching, annual performance reviews, regular one-on-one meetings, and other support as needed.
• Works in collaboration with the MIL leadership team to co-create and maintain project management solutions, including the management of tasks, maintenance routines, and long-term projects.
• Ensures implementation of all policies and procedures, including first aid and emergency procedures and safe use of all tools and materials.
• Acts on opportunities to do informal and formal evaluation on the effectiveness of programs and activities that can contribute to the body of knowledge regarding open ended exploration, maker facilitation, and project-based challenges.
• Assists in marketing, web, and social media efforts regarding programming.
• Attends and contributes to interdepartmental meetings and collaborations, representing MIL concerns and responsibilities .
• Other duties as assigned.

Position Requirements: Knowledge, Skills, Abilities

• Personal bias awareness and a desire to be an anti-racist leader
• Demonstrated understanding of systemic race and gender imbalance in STEM/STEAM education
• Knowledge of effective people management strategies; ability to supervise and support staff and volunteers, responding appropriately to the varying professional needs of individual staff.
• Familiarity with making and tinkering practices in museums, community organizations, and other settings such as makerspaces
• Excellent attention to detail and strong administrative skills
• Ability to work effectively and respectfully with people from different cultural backgrounds
• Flexibility and the ability to adapt to a rapidly changing environment
• Excellent customer service skills including composure under pressure, conflict resolution skills, and the ability to represent
• Pacific Science Center’s mission and guiding principles
• Situational awareness, attention to safety, and creative problem-solving
• Tracking spending on program level budgets
• Excellent writing, speaking, time management, and organizational skills. Makes complex, technical information accessible both verbally and in writing
• Demonstrated proficiency with Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook, and file sharing programs
• Ability to ensure guests of all ages and from diverse backgrounds are welcomed and served in a manner that makes their visit positive, memorable and consistent with Pacific Science Center’s mission, vision, and values
• Ability to communicate the value of Innovation Exhibit activities to museum guests, partners, and prospective donors
• Taking initiative and acting independently, as well as with a team
• Quickly learning and applying new content, policies, and procedures

 

Qualifications

Required

• Minimum two years supervisory experience including both staff and volunteers, preferably in a science center, museum, or other public-facing programmatic space
• Prior experience creating and delivering staff training
  A demonstrated passion for sharing a love for tinkering and making with first-time and repeat museum visitors.
• Work schedules will flex based on seasonal cycle needs throughout the year and includes occasional early mornings and late evenings. Availability to work Saturday and Sunday is preferred
• Willingness to be first aid and CPR certified, training provided by PacSci
• Work must be performed onsite

Preferred

• Prior experience developing educational programming or exhibits, ideally in a makerspace, museum, or similar informal STEM or workshop setting
• Valid driver’s license and personal transportation
• Guests visiting PacSci come from many diverse backgrounds. Proficiency in a second language such as but not limited to Spanish, Somali, Mandarin, ASL, and/or Vietnamese is a highly preferred skill to support with on floor communication

 

This position description generally describes the principal functions of the position, and the level of knowledge and skills typically required. It does not constitute an employment agreement between the employer and the employee, and it is subject to change as the needs of the employer and the requirements of the job change.

 

Compensation

Pay is based on several factors, including market location, job-related knowledge, skills, and years of experience.

Starting Base Salary Range: $27.76 – 30.40/hr

In addition to base salary, regular employees working 40 hrs/week can expect the following benefits:

• Medical, Dental, Vision, basic life insurance, and disability insurance
• 4 weeks of vacation, 12 floating holidays, and sick pay
• 403(b) Retirement Savings
• Commuter benefits
• Employee Assistance Program
• Employee PacSci Membership

Pacific Science Center stands with those who are courageously fighting against hate, racism, and injustice. We recognize that not being racist is not sufficient. We must be actively anti-racist, and we commit to doing so. We prioritize inclusion, diversity, equity, and access in everything we do. Curiosity and critical thinking are essential to the dialogue and changes that need to happen.

Pacific Science Center complies with federal and state disability laws and makes reasonable accommodations for applicants and employees with disabilities. If reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and/or to receive other benefits and privileges of employment, please contact us at HRDepartment@pacsci.org.