Community Engagement & Accessibility Unit Head - Emirati

Zayed National Museum | متحف زايد الوطني; Abu Dhabi; On-site; AED 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Zayed National Museum seeks a senior leader to drive the accessibility and community engagement strategy, embedding universal design across exhibitions, services, and digital experiences while removing barriers for People of Determination, seniors, and diverse communities.

The role collaborates across departments, develops budgets and KPIs, and represents the museum in national and international accessibility forums, positioning the museum as a regional leader in inclusive culture.

Qualifications

• Demonstrated experience in developing and implementing accessibility strategies and inclusive programmes.
• Strong knowledge of universal design, disability frameworks, and accessibility standards.
• Proven ability to co-create programmes with disability-led organisations and communities.
• Experience leading cross-functional projects with budgets, procurement, and partnerships.
• Fluency in Arabic and English is required; additional languages are an advantage.
• Experience in museums, heritage, or cultural education settings.

Responsibilities

• Lead development and implementation of accessibility and community engagement strategies and policies.
• Develop annual operational plans, KPIs, budgets, and performance measures.
• Manage section personnel, recruitment, performance management, coaching, and development.
• Oversee planning, delivery, evaluation and continuous improvement of programmes.
• Ensure monitoring, reporting, and evaluation of outcomes and impact.
• Represent the museum in accessibility, inclusion, and community engagement matters locally and internationally.

Skills

Accessibility strategy development

Community engagement

Stakeholder management

Cross-functional leadership

Bilingual Arabic/English

Education

Bachelor's degree (required)

Master's degree preferred

Job description

• Lead the museum’s community engagement and accessibility strategy, driving inclusive programmes, partnerships, and initiatives that enhance participation and meaningful access for diverse audiences, particularly People of Determination, seniors, individuals living with dementia, multilingual communities, neurodivergent visitors, and other underrepresented groups.
• Work collaboratively across all museum departments to embed accessibility, universal design, and inclusive practices throughout exhibitions, programmes, services, policies, digital experiences, and operations, ensuring physical, sensory, cognitive, communication, and attitudinal barriers are identified and removed.
• Oversee the development of community-centred learning and engagement initiatives that promote wellbeing, social connection, and cultural participation, positioning accessibility as an organisation-wide commitment and strengthening the museum’s role as an inclusive and trusted community resource.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

• The Museum is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to providing equal treatment and opportunities in all aspects of recruitment and hiring. We encourage People of Determination to apply for positions at all levels. We are dedicated to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals and will ensure that reasonable accommodations are provided to everyone.

Responsibilities

Managerial Responsibilities

• Lead the development and implementation of the museum’s community engagement and accessibility strategy and policies.
• Develop annual operational plans, KPIs, budgets, and performance measures.
• Manage the section team members, including recruitment, performance management, coaching, succession planning, and professional development.
• Oversees planning, delivery, evaluation and continuous improvement of all of community engagement and accessibility programmes.
• Ensure effective monitoring, reporting, and evaluation of programme impact and accessibility outcomes.

Strategic Leadership

• Lead the implementation of museum’s Accessibility Strategy and Community Engagement Strategy.
• Oversee section policies, standards, and guidelines that embed accessibility across all museum functions.
• Ensure accessibility is integrated into strategic planning, visitor experience, exhibitions, programmes, digital content, publications, events, procurement, and capital projects.
• Represent the museum on accessibility, inclusion, and community engagement matters locally and internationally.
• Act as the museum’s accessibility subject matter expert, providing strategic guidance and collaborating across departments to embed accessibility and inclusive practices throughout exhibitions, programmes, visitor services, communications, digital platforms, and the built environment.
• Lead accessibility audits, develop and implement continuous improvement plans, and ensure accessibility considerations are integrated into new exhibitions, events, core projects, and visitor experiences in alignment with emerging legislation, standards, and international best practices.

Community Engagement

• Develop and maintain strategic partnerships with community organisations, government entities, NGOs, educational institutions, healthcare providers, disability organisations, senior communities, and cultural stakeholders to strengthen the museum’s reach, relevance, and role as a trusted community resource.
• Champion the meaningful participation of People of Determination, their families, seniors, and other audiences who may face barries accessing the museum by identifying these barriers and embedding community perspectives into programme design, audience engagement strategies, and institutional planning.
• Lead community-centred programmes and cross-functional initiatives, overseeing stakeholder engagement, operational planning, budgets, contracts, logistics, reporting, and evaluation to deliver inclusive, impactful, and sustainable outcomes while responding to emerging community needs and opportunities.

Access Programmes and Initiatives

• Lead the design, delivery, and evaluation of access programmes and community engagement initiatives across onsite, offsite, and digital platforms, ensuring high-quality implementation, stakeholder coordination, audience development, and impact assessment.
• Develop and co-create programmes, activations/campaigns, and awareness initiatives for People of Determination, seniors, individuals living with dementia, and other community targeted audiences, embedding accessibility and inclusive practices across museum services, exhibitions, learning, and public programmes.
• Establish and manage strategic partnerships with cultural, educational, healthcare, government, non-profit, and community organisations to expand access to culture and deliver innovative outreach initiatives within museums and community settings.

Internal Collaboration

• Provide expert advice and guidance to colleagues across the museum, ensuring accessibility and inclusion principles are embedded across exhibitions, programmes, communications, visitor experiences, and the built environment.
• Lead internal and external accessibility working groups, and deliver training and capacity-building initiatives for staff, volunteers, People of Determination, and senior community stakeholders to foster an inclusive and collaborative culture.

Monitoring & Evaluation

• Establish and monitor accessibility and community engagement KPIs, analyse visitor data, participation trends, and community feedback, and support the evaluation and continuous improvement of programmes and initiatives.
• Prepare reports and impact assessments for senior leadership, demonstrating programme outcomes, organisational impact, and identifying opportunities for innovation and enhanced accessibility practices.

Partnerships & Representation

• Develop strategic partnerships with local, regional, and international organisations.
• Represent the museum in conferences, community and working groups, and sector networks.
• Promote knowledge sharing and position the museum as a regional leader in museum accessibility.

Required Qualifications and Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Museum Studies, Museum Education, Accessibility, Disability Studies, Community Engagement, Heritage Management, Social Sciences, Archaeology, Cultural Studies, History, Art History, Education, Museology, or a related field. A Master's degree in a relevant discipline is preferred.
• Demonstrated experience in developing and implementing accessibility strategies, inclusive access programmes, and community engagement initiatives, particularly for People of Determination, seniors, and other underrepresented audiences, with the ability to co-create programmes in partnership with disability-led organisations and community stakeholders.
• Strong knowledge of diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility frameworks, including Universal Design principles, the Social Model of Disability, the UAE Universal Design Code, and familiarity with international standards and accessibility legislation such as the ADA, Section 508, BS 8300, and BS 8878.
• Proven experience in designing, delivering, and evaluating programmes, events, and audience engagement initiatives across onsite, outreach, and digital platforms, using qualitative and quantitative methodologies to measure impact and drive continuous improvement.
• Experience working within museums, heritage, arts, cultural, education, or community organisations, with a strong understanding of current practices in museum education, audience development, accessibility, and inclusive programming.
• Demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional projects, manage budgets, resources, procurement, and complex initiatives while maintaining effective partnerships across government, education, healthcare, nonprofit, and community sectors.
• Excellent strategic thinking, stakeholder engagement, communication, negotiation, and relationship-building skills, with the ability to influence organisational change, advise multidisciplinary teams, and manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment. Fluency in Arabic and English is required; additional languages are an advantage.