Job Listing: Museum Educator (Dumbarton House)

Name of Organization – Dumbarton House

2715 Q Street, Washington, DC 20007 

Closes – January 12, 2025, 11:59 pm

Title – Museum Educator 

Compensation – $17.50 

Type – part-time, hourly, ineligible for benefits

Available Hours: As-scheduled; Dumbarton House is open Saturdays-Sundays; occasional weekday/night hours

Apply – Please submit a cover letter and resume with two references to Dumbarton House Education and Programs Manager, Caroline Eisenhuth, at carolineeisenhuth@nscda.org by January 12, 2025, 11:59pm. 

Interviews for selected candidates will take place between January 15-31 and required training for successful candidates will occur on February 8 and February 22. 

Summary – Museum Educators will primarily be responsible for leading 30–40-minute guided tours of the historic Dumbarton House and serving as front-line staff in the museum. Museum Educators will engage diverse audiences in the social, political, cultural history of colonial and Early America to include that of the complexities of gender, race, and slavery. Museum Educators will also assist with and provide student field trip tours and interpretive programs. Staff will receive all necessary training in historical content, best practices in public history, historic interpretation, among other necessary information to perform the position. 

Responsibilities –

Qualifications – 

Desired Qualifications:

• Must be over 18 years old

• Obtained or in-progress: Bachelor’s degree in history, education, public history, political science, or related field; or equivalent experience

• Ability to lift 30 pounds

• Ability to stand on feet for several hours at a time and climb stairs as needed

• Must enjoy engaging and speaking with diverse audiences, both you and adults

• Excellent verbal communication and interpersonal skills

• Dedication to providing excellent customer service and visitor engagement

• Prior knowledge of American history including 18th and 19th century society, politics, law, war, gender, race, and slavery preferred

• Experience giving guided tours/public speaking and experience operating a cash register/point-of-sale system preferred

• Availability to work weekends and occasional weekday/night hours

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Open and close Dumbarton House through performance of routine duties
• Lead 30–40-minute guided tours for diverse audiences including student field trips and adult group tours
• Serve as front line museum staff
• Greet guests to Dumbarton House, sell admission, facilitate museum shop purchases, promote Dumbarton House memberships, and provide excellent customer service
• Be an ambassador for Dumbarton House’s mission
• Monitor museum phone, email, and online tour booking platforms
• Perform regular cleaning of public and staff spaces including museum shop floors, counters, bathrooms, staff kitchen, house porches and sidewalks, and emptying trash cans
• Assist with student field trips and group tours by greeting teachers, parents, and group representatives; providing group instruction; leading tours and interpretive programs
• Reserve public tours of Dumbarton House via phone, email, and online tour booking platforms
• Occasionally serve as Lead Museum Educator (at an elevated hourly rate) when supervisors are not present on-site
• Help monitor the physical maintenance of house, property, and historic collection and follow established protocols when issues arise

Other Opportunities:

• Assist in content development and research for educational programs and activities
• Contribute written content to Dumbarton House website and social media channels
• Expand Dumbarton House research and knowledge of associated histories
• Learn about collections and archives care, or other aspects of public history and museums

About – Completed in 1799 in the Washington, D.C. neighborhood of Georgetown, Dumbarton House exists as a remarkable example of Federal era architecture. As an 18th-19th century residence to the city’s elite, as well as an urban site of enslavement, Dumbarton House provides a lens through which to examine the vast political, cultural, and social landscapes that shaped the new nation as it built its capital city on the Potomac River. Dumbarton House was preserved and purchased by the National Society of the Colonial Dames of America (NSCDA) in 1928 to serve as both the nationwide organization’s headquarters and a house museum. Today, the mission of Dumbarton House is to support the NSCDA Corporate Societies and their members; to maintain an historic museum property, which serves as a resource for the NSCDA nationally; and to contribute to the cultural life of the surrounding community. Through the interpretation of its historic site and collections, Dumbarton House Museum promotes the understanding of historic preservation and of the early history of our nation, so that the lives and ideals of early Americans inspire current and future generations