PROJECT MANAGER, PA MUSEUMS, HARRISBURG

The PA Federation of Museums and Historical Organizations (PA Museums) has been awarded a National Leadership Grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services.  PA Museums will be working in partnership with the PA Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC) and a team of advisors to design and pilot Accessibility Excellence, a self-assessment program through which museums can establish their accessibility baseline and work to meet national standards for museum access.  The program will result in a tested methodology and an accessibility toolkit.  PA Museums is searching for a Project manager to help direct the Accessibility Excellence program.

Scope of activities:

Communication and administration

• Coordinate communication with and meetings of Access Advisory Council (AAC) and Accessibility Excellence Working Group (AEWG); prepare pre- and post-reports for meetings and distribute as appropriate
• Monitor and manage project timeline
• Organize and participate with AEWG in equity training focused on people with disabilities; project manager will also need to take the PA Association of Nonprofit Organizations (PANO) series of webinars related to people with disabilities that PA Historical and Museum Commission personnel on the AEWG will take as part of pre-grant activities
• Serve as liaison between partners, supporters, AAC, and AEWG
• Track and report own hours and activities; also responsible for receiving and tracking time and activities of other project participants for grant administration purposes
• Work with AAC and AEWG to post grant activities on conventional and social media to build public interest in the project
• Help to coordinate Accessibility Excellence with other DEIA efforts in the Bureau of Historic Sites and Museums of PHMC

Site visits and assessment

• Work with AEWG and AAC to develop all elements of the Accessibility Excellence toolkit, including the museum self-assessment survey
• Work with AEWG and AAC to review, evaluate, and refine the site assessment process and instruments (templates, etc.)
• Work with Center for Independent Living (CIL) partners, AEWG and AAC to finalize survey teams and assign visits
• Work with CIL partners and AEWG to schedule site visits and serve as point-of-contact between survey teams and site personnel regarding logistical and other issues; keep AAC informed of schedules so they may participate if desired
• Participate in 5-6 site visits at a variety of sites (type, location, team make-up) in order to evaluate the prototyping process
• Work with survey teams to ensure all reports follow templates; troubleshoot issues with templates or other prototype elements; make recommendations to AEWG and AAC regarding changes to templates

Recommendations and implementation

• Work with AAC and AEWG to review site reports and identify Bureau/agency level and multi-site recommendations
• Work with AEWG and sites to prioritize site-specific recommendations
• Work with AAC, AEWG, and Concurrent Technologies Corporation to develop technology pilot project/use technology to make toolkit more accessible
• Work with AEWG to develop staff training and resource hub based on recommendations
• Prepare draft IMLS reports for review by AAC, AEWG, and others as appropriate for submission by PA Museums
• Oversee final project review/evaluation using IMLS performance measure standards and draft final IMLS project report for submission by PA Museums
• Work with others to develop session proposals for PA Museums, the Mid-Atlantic Association of Museums, AAM, AASLH, and PANO conferences
• Work with AAC, AEWG, others to assemble toolkit for distribution to other museums, supporters, non-profits
• Work with AAC, AEWG, others to develop and implement a plan for digital distribution of Accessibility Excellence, including methods to track user feedback, monitor maintenance issues and ensure necessary repairs
• Work with AAC, AEWG, others to develop a sustainability plan for Accessibility Excellence
• Work with AAC, AEWG, others to draft long-term BHSM access and inclusion plans; develop quantitative means to measure success of implementation of these plans

Desired qualifications:

• Familiarity with access and inclusion issues for people with disabilities
• An understanding of and commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and access
• Experience working with staff and consultants individually and in teams; ability to adjust communications and interactions as needed; strong interpersonal skills and communication skills
• Excellent organizational skills, preferably experience in administering or managing multifaceted grant projects.  Familiarity with IMLS NLG grant program a plus.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills across various platforms with reasonable accommodations
• Position will be based in Harrisburg, but incumbent must be able to independently travel to historic site/museum locations to participate in site visits, with some overnights required (expenses reimbursed)
• Experience with development and implementation of qualitative data-gathering projects, including analysis; experience compiling, reviewing, and reporting data
• Solid analytical and problem-solving skills
• Be detail-oriented and have strong project management skills
• Familiarity with Microsoft Office 365 suite, Skype, Survey Monkey or other survey management software.  Familiarity with various social media platforms to help promote the project and its activities
• Ability to pass a PA State Police background check
• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field, and two years of experience working in a DEIA-related position

Salary range:  $45,000 - $55,000

This position reports to Rusty Baker, Executive Director of PA Museums.