Part Time Museum Technician

Planet Word Museum; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 28,000 - 39,000; Part time

Job summary

Planet Word Museum seeks a part-time Museum Technician to join the Museum Technology team. Reporting to the Director of Museum Technology, this hands-on role keeps exhibits in excellent condition and ensures smooth operation on the floor.

You will perform routine fixes, solder, touch up panels, and manage simple AV tasks while maintaining gallery appearance. The position offers growth across exhibit tech in a unique, creative environment.

Qualifications

• High school diploma or equivalent; related technical experience valued.
• Hands-on ability across electronics, soldering, and simple repairs.
• Ability to follow technical documentation and procedures.
• Comfort with light set/build tasks and basic AV tasks.
• Reliable, able to work weekends and adapt to a busy gallery environment.

Responsibilities

• Open, reset, and close exhibitions following daily procedures across galleries.
• Serve as on-site technician on one weekend day and handle exhibit issues.
• Audit exhibit condition and function and escalate as needed.
• Maintain interactive exhibit hardware and manage consumables.
• Document issues and assist with back-of-house spaces and routines.
• Provide light IT help and AV support for programs and meetings.

Skills

Basic electronics

Soldering

Following technical docs

Light scenic/finish work

3D printing

General fix-it/maintenance

Attention to exhibit QA

Independent work

Public-facing calm presence

Education

High school diploma or equivalent

Tools

Show control systems

Media playback systems

BrightSign

3D printing workflows

QLab / audio mixing tools

Job description

Reports to: Director of Museum TechnologyFLSA Status: Part Time, non-exemptSchedule: Up to 25 hours/week; primarily weekday daytime, with

one regular weekend day (typically Saturday) and occasional

ORGANIZATION

Planet Word (www.planetwordmuseum.org) is an interactive museum that brings language to life with unique, immersive experiences for people of all ages. Nothing like it exists anywhere else in the world. Established by educator Ann Friedman, the museum is housed in the Franklin School, a restored and rehabilitated National Historic Landmark at the corner of 13th and K Streets NW in the heart of Washington, D.C. The museum opened in October 2020 and welcomes more than 100,000 visitors annually, alongside a growing portfolio of public and education programming.

Planet Word’s policy is to provide equal opportunity employment (EOE) to all persons.Planet Word recruits, trains, compensates, and promotes regardless of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, disability, age, veteran status, and other protected status. Planet Word’s commitment to promoting diversity, multiculturalism, and inclusion is clearly reflected in the stories we tell. At Planet Word, we strive to provide a forum for civil discourse and to be a place where community, in all its vibrant diversity, can gather to share the words that bridge differences and forge solutions.

POSITION

Planet Word seeks a part-time Museum Technician to join the Museum Technology team. Reporting to the Director of Museum Technology, this is a hands-on role where the museum floor always comes first: when an exhibit needs attention, you'll be the one keeping our award-winning interactives in excellent condition and running smoothly. It is a great fit for a capable generalist who likes variety — someone who can solder a cable, follow a device’s power-up sequence, touch up a scuffed panel, reglue a loose laminate, and build a 3-D-printed replacement part, all in the same week. Breadth and willingness matter more in this role than deep specialization. We are looking for someone comfortable across several of these areas and eager to learn the rest, who takes pride in the appearance of the galleries and the visitor experience. The Museum Technician executes known procedures and routine fixes and escalates anything that calls for diagnosis or vendor coordination to the Lead Technician. This role gives a developing technician room to grow their skills across exhibit, fabrication, and AV systems in a uniquely creative environment.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS (other duties as assigned)

• Open, reset, and close exhibitions following daily on/off procedures across nine permanent galleries and several ancillary experiences, all integrated through a Medialon show control system.
• Serve as the sole on-site technician on one weekend day (typically Saturday) — opening galleries, managing resets, and handling first-line exhibit issues independently, escalating to senior staff (off-site) when needed. This is among the role’s most important responsibilities.
• Conduct regular targeted audits of exhibit condition and function on a set schedule, checking elements for wear and gradual changes or drift in performance and calibration, and addressing or escalating any issues you find.
• Clean and maintain interactive exhibit hardware — touchscreens, projector lenses, headphones, and surfaces — and keep galleries presentable through cable management and general tidying; manage consumable stock including lamps, filters, headphone covers, and batteries.
• Contribute to the organization and upkeep of back-of-house technical spaces: workshop, control room, and storage.
• Document exhibit issues as they occur (what failed, what was observed, what was tried, and the outcome) so recurring problems and patterns are visible to the team; contribute to improving the team’s documentation practices as they evolve.

Repair and Fabrication

• Perform routine, known-procedure fixes — reseating and tracing cables, reformatting media, power-cycling and following device boot/start-up sequences, and swapping known-bad components.
• Carry out light scenic and finish work: touch-up paint, regluing, patching, and minor cosmetic repairs to exhibit elements.
• Solder and assemble basic cabling and connectors (e.g. XLR) and perform simple in-house repairs.
• Produce and finish 3-D-printed replacement parts and small fabricated components as needed.
• Source and purchase components and consumables for exhibit upkeep and projects; contribute ideas to team troubleshooting and propose improvements.

Support and Coverage

• Help track exhibit and AV equipment usage, inventory, and spares.
• Provide basic first-line IT help to staff — resolving simple issues and routing anything more involved to senior staff and the museum’s managed IT service provider.
• Handle routine media and playback tasks for exhibits and programs, e.g. uploading and swapping video files, building and updating playback shows (e.g. QLab), updating BrightSign content, advancing presentation slides, and simple audio mixing on an X32.
• Support the exhibits and technology teams on projects, gallery updates, and vendor visits.
• Provide light AV support for internal meetings and programs — setting up video calls (e.g. Zoom), running slides, and basic mic/sound setup for board meetings, staff events, and similar events.

QUALIFICATIONS AND SKILLS

Required

• One to two years of experience in a related role.
• Demonstrated hands-on ability across several of the following, with genuine eagerness to learn the others: basic electronics/soldering, following technical documentation and operating technical equipment, light scenic/finish work (paint, glue, patching), 3D printing, and general fix-it/maintenance skills.
• A discerning eye for the physical and aesthetic quality of exhibits — the ability to notice when something isn’t right and to make it right.
• Comfort following signal-flow diagrams, manufacturer documentation, and in-house procedures, and documenting what you do.
• Sound judgment and reliability working independently, including managing exhibit technology on a weekend day, with a good sense for when to elevate.
• Clear, friendly communication and a calm, professional presence on a public museum floor.
• Availability to work one regular weekend day and occasional early-morning resets, and late-afternoon breakdowns.
• High school diploma or equivalent; relevant trade, technical, or job experience considered in place of formal education.

Preferred

• Prior work in a museum, theater, performing-arts venue, makerspace, fabrication shop, AV integrator, or similarly hands-on technical environment.
• Familiarity with any of the following: show control or media playback systems, digital signage (BrightSign), audio cabling and connectors, or basic networking concepts.
• Experience with 3D modeling/printing workflows or shop tools.

• OSHA certification (training will be provided if needed).

SCHEDULE

This is a part-time, non-exempt position of up to 25 hours per week. Hours are primarily weekday daytime, with one regular weekend day (typically Saturday) and occasional early-morning starts on exhibit reset days. Most patterns are predictable from a recurring schedule. The job requires a flexible schedule around holidays, events, and the absence of other team members.

WORK ENVIRONMENT AND PHYSICAL DEMANDS

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

This is a physically active role. The employee is regularly required to stand, walk, climb ladders, kneel, crouch, and work in tight spaces behind exhibits and inside equipment racks. The role frequently involves lifting and carrying up to 50 pounds and working overhead while on a ladder. Significant time is spent on the employee’s feet moving through galleries with hand tools, and routinely entering noisy, dirty, and dusty exhibit and back-of-house areas. Work includes the use of hand tools, soldering equipment, paints and adhesives, and shop equipment; Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is required for certain tasks. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is also regularly required to sit and use hands and arms to operate a keyboard, mouse, and phone, and to regularly use senses of sight and hearing.