Education Manager

Description

Organization Overview  

Cantigny, stewarded by the Robert R. McCormick Foundation, is a signature cultural and recreational destination in Chicago’s western suburbs. With nearly 500 acres of gardens, museums, programs, and golf, Cantigny offers an exceptional platform for community engagement and storytelling.  

Position Summary 

The Education Manager leads Cantigny’s development and delivery of educational programs that interpret military history for students, families, and educators. This role is responsible for creating engaging learning experiences that use historical content to advance social science, civic, and STEM education, promote critical thinking, and advance Cantigny’s mission to support an informed and engaged population. The Education Manager oversees school programs, out-of-school youth learning initiatives, family programs and activities, teaches professional development, and supervises full-time, part-time, and volunteer education team members. 

The position requires a creative and collaborative team member, with ambitious vision, organized execution, and diligent evaluation and learning skills to connect youth, families, educators, and peer institutions to advance learning. This role collaborates extensively with other departments, especially the First Division Museum and the Guest Services, McCormick House, Horticulture, and Forestry teams. The role will work closely with these teams to set and integrate educational goals into exhibitions, displays, and other installations and collaborate with the Marketing team on outreach and promotion.  

Essential Functions 

Youth and Student Programs 

• Design, implement, and evaluate curriculum-aligned initiatives, such as field trips, virtual programs, history trucks, primarily for middle school (grades 5–8) and high school audiences (grades 9–12).  
• Design, implement, and evaluate programs for Scouts and Girl Scouts.  
• Create age-appropriate, inquiry-based interpretive experiences that support critical thinking, historical knowledge, and civic engagement 
• Ensure educational content is historically accurate, and programs are aligned with state and national standards. 
• Ensure programs are accessible to schools and students that may face challenges engaging with educational offerings. Oversee transportation scholarship program to help reduce local barriers to participation.  

Educator Programs 

• Design, implement, and evaluate professional development workshops, institutes, and in-service training for teachers.  
• Develop educator resources including lesson plans, primary source sets, pre- and post-visit materials, and digital learning tools.  
• Provide ongoing support for teachers and educators, including curriculum consultation, classroom visits (as appropriate), and instructional coaching related to military history and civic education.  
• Build and maintain a robust network of local educators and serve as a primary point of contact for educators, school districts, and educational partners.  

Family and Public Engagement Programs  

• Design, implement, and evaluate family programs that encourage hands-on learning and intergenerational engagement.  
• Plan and lead programs tied to Cantigny exhibitions, commemorations, and annual themes.  
• Ensure daily drop-in programs and family activities are consistently staffed, well-prepared, and responsive to visitor needs 
• Collaborate with Guest Services team to promote programs and encourage public use.  

Team Management 

• Recruit, train, schedule, supervise, and evaluate educators.  
• Develop facilitation guides, lesson plans, and educator toolkits.  
• Build and maintain a collaborative, ambitious, and mission-driven education team.  
• Manage and grow the corps of volunteer docents that support educational programs.  

Evaluation & Continuous Improvement 

• Develop and deploy evaluation tools to assess learning outcomes for students, families, and educators.  
• Collect and analyze qualitative and quantitative data to inform program improvements.  
• Contribute evaluation findings to reports for leadership and other internal and external stakeholders.  

Administration & Budgeting 

• Manage education program budgets and track expenses 
• Support grant applications and reporting related to education and educator-focused initiatives 
• Ensure compliance with safety protocols, accessibility standards, and institutional policies 

     Perform other miscellaneous duties as assigned. 

Requirements

Qualifications 

Education:  

Required: Bachelor’s degree in Museum Studies, Education, History, or a related field 

Preferred: Master’s degree in Museum Education, Education, or a related field 

Experience 

7+ years in education and program development 

Skills 

Communication:  

• Exceptional leadership presence – internally and externally 
• Must demonstrate exceptional judgment  
• Strong customer service orientation, including outstanding listening skills 
• Concise and coherent speaking, writing, and presenting skills 

Organization: 

• Strong planning and time management skills 
• Thrives in a dynamic environment 
• Flexible and able to succeed amidst ambiguity 

Collaboration: 

• Respected and Respectful Engagement 
• Actively contributes to Cantigny teams 
• Strong emotional intelligence and interpersonal skills 

Program Design and Delivery 

• Demonstrated ability to craft and implement successful strategies with clearly articulated goals, metrics, benchmarks, and data-driven reports on progress and impact 
• Demonstrated experience developing and facilitating hands-on educational programs 
• Experience supervising staff, teaching artists, or volunteers 
• Strong classroom management, facilitation, and communication skills 
• Experience interpreting sensitive or complex historical topics for young audiences 
• Familiarity with state and national social studies standards 
• Experience with program evaluation and data collection 
• Comfort with existing technology and enthusiasm to embrace new technology to enhance efficiency and effectiveness  

Supervisory Responsibilities 

Manages the work of others, including planning, assigning, scheduling, and reviewing work, ensuring quality standards. Is responsible for hiring, terminating, training, and developing, reviewing performance and administering corrective action for staff. 

Working Conditions 

Full-time position. Work is performed in both indoor and outdoor settings, year-round, including during inclement weather. Requires regular weekend and evening work and some holidays required to support family and public programming. Requires the ability to stand for extended periods and lift program materials.