Head of Docent Programs & Education Tours

Newfields; Indianapolis (IN); On-site; USD 55,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

The Educator, Tour and Docent Programs at Newfields provides strategic leadership for docent engagement across the Indianapolis Museum of Art and Lilly House. Under the direction of the Associate Director of Education, this role ensures guided tour content is inclusive, relevant, and connected to the collection and exhibitions.

The Educator advances docent learning, mentors a diverse docent corps, and positions the program as a vital part of Newfields’ educational mission, engaging audiences

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in Museum Education, Art History, Education, or related field, or equivalent experience.
• Minimum 5 years managing docent programs or museum education in an art museum.
• Experience developing and evaluating docent training integrating scholarship and pedagogy.
• Experience with program evaluation and data-driven refinement of tours.
• Proficiency with Volgistics or comparable volunteer systems.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic oversight for the docent program in partnership with the Associate Director of Education.
• Recruit, train, and mentor docents to grow capacity and diversify perspectives.
• Develop docent continuing education integrating scholarship with pedagogy in collaboration with curators.
• Serve as liaison between the docent corps and Newfields teams.
• Implement policies established with the Director of Education.
• Monitor trends in docent programming to keep Newfields at the forefront.
• Develop trainings and new tour formats for exhibitions and special occasions.
• Maintain docent teaching resources aligned with standards and best practices.
• Lead evaluation and assessment of the docent program using visitor feedback and data.
• Track and steward program budgets with the Associate Director of Education.
• Maintain accurate records including docent engagement statistics and attendance.

Skills

Communication

Facilitation

Mentorship

Art Historical Knowledge

Collaboration

Diplomacy

Judgment

Accessibility & Inclusion

Organization

Education

Master’s degree in Museum Education

5 years docent program management

Experience evaluating docent training

Volgistics experience

Tools

Volgistics

Job description

The Educator, Tour and Docent Programs at Newfields provides strategic leadership for docent engagement across the Indianapolis Museum of Art and Lilly House. Under the direction of the Associate Director of Education, this role ensures guided tour content is inclusive, relevant, and connected to the collection and exhibitions.

The Educator advances docent learning, mentors a diverse docent corps, and positions the program as a vital part of Newfields’ educational mission, engaging audiences