Supervisor, Visitor Education & Engagement

Obama Foundation; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 79,000 - 99,000; Full time

Job summary

The Obama Foundation in Chicago seeks a Supervisor of Visitor Education & Engagement to lead public-facing staff, coordinate visitor experiences, and deploy museum programming at the Obama Presidential Center. You will escalate priorities, maintain workflows, and ensure tours and exhibits align with the Foundation's goals.

Reporting to the Manager of Visitor Education & Engagement, this role is onsite five days a week at Jackson Park, with potential weekend, evening or holiday hours as needed.

Qualifications

• Demonstrated knowledge of public speaking and/or team leadership across multiple audiences.
• Interest or experience in a public-facing role with accountability for mission-oriented goals in a fast-paced environment.
• Interest or knowledge of history, social science, political science, community engagement, or related fields is a plus.
• Commitment to an inclusive, accessible, and diverse work environment; ideally experience in leading this environment in a customer-centered space, cultural institution, or an educational setting.
• Flexibility of hours including but not limited to early morning, late night, weekends, and holidays across campus in both indoor and outdoor environments.
• Ability to work out of the Obama Presidential Center in Jackson Park.

Responsibilities

• Day-to-day shift leadership of public-facing staff in Museum and campus spaces, promoting an inclusive and welcoming environment aligned with Obama Presidential Center mission and goals.
• Work closely with the Manager of Visitor Education & Engagement to ensure guests receive a world-class experience throughout Museum exhibits and spaces across the campus.
• Oversee a fast-paced work environment including tours, exhibit narratives, and guides.
• Collaborate with internal teams to maintain a working knowledge of Museum programming and displays to communicate up-to-date information in delegating tasks and facilitating storytelling with public-facing staff. Serve as a tour guide or interpretive staff, as needed.
• Model and facilitate integration of inclusivity, accessibility, and multi-modal learning styles into tours and interpretive practices.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Skills

Public speaking

Team leadership

Public-facing experience

Flexible hours

Inclusivity commitment

Onsite work at Jackson Park

Job description

At The Obama Foundation, our mission is to inspire, empower, and connect people to change their world. We seek to build an active democratic culture where people are equipped and motivated to make change in the communities where they live, work, and play. Right here on the South Side of Chicago, we’re building a home for this vision, a global center for change with a range of opportunities - coordinated programming, community outreach events, educational moments, and more - that invite visitors from down the block or across the globe to turn hope into action.

Achieving our ambitious goals starts with an exceptional team built on our Hope to Action Values - Courage, Empathy, Integrity, Accountability, Community, Inclusivity, Pragmatism, Resilience, Imagination, and Hope. A Framework that anyone, anywhere, can use to build trust, activate participation, and expand opportunity in their community.

Purpose of the Role

The Supervisor of Visitor Education & Engagement for the Obama Presidential Center will work closely with internal teams to ensure smooth operations and facilitation of visitor experiences across the campus. This role will support the Manager in coordinating guest experiences and deploying museum programming, including campus tours and exhibit interpretation, as well as escalating priorities and maintaining workflows in alignment with the Obama Foundation’s goals.

As the Supervisor of Visitor Education & Engagement, you’ll be reporting directly to the Manager of Visitor Education & Engagement. This role is required to be onsite at the Obama Presidential Center in Jackson Park in Chicago five days per week, which may include weekends, evenings, and holidays.

Core Job Responsibilities

• Day-to-day shift leadership of public-facing staff in Museum and campus spaces, promoting an inclusive and welcoming environment aligned with Obama Presidential Center mission and goals.
• Work closely with the Manager of Visitor Education & Engagement to ensure guests receive a world-class experience throughout Museum exhibits and spaces across the campus.
• Oversee a fast-paced work environment including tours, exhibit narratives, and guides.
• Collaborate with internal teams to maintain a working knowledge of Museum programming and displays to communicate up-to-date information in delegating tasks and facilitating storytelling with public-facing staff. Serve as a tour guide or interpretive staff, as needed.
• Model and facilitate integration of inclusivity, accessibility, and multi-modal learning styles into tours and interpretive practices.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Key Deliverables / Outcomes

• Serve as a key liaison between Museum staff and Visitor Engagement staff, emphasizing a welcoming environment for guests and streamlined service while bringing exhibits and narratives to life for visitors. Monitor spaces to ensure inclusive and accessible assets, including but not limited to exhibit displays and environments, signage and wayfinding, and storytelling.
• Support the Manager of Visitor Education and Engagement in designing and facilitating curriculum for gallery interpretation, storytelling, and tours in alignment with the Obama Presidential Center mission.
• Ensure coordination between internal teams including but not limited to Visitor Services staff and Security staff for a cohesive and welcoming environment that also ensures guest safety.
• Facilitate training and resource access for staff, including the use of digital resources within exhibits.
• Assist in the scheduling and guidance of Visitor Education & Engagement staff facilitating museum tours and gallery guide experiences. Adjust staffing schedules to align with seasonal fluctuations and special requests, and provide back-up support as needed.
• Promote an inclusive and welcoming environment, emphasizing customer service across Museum and campus spaces.

Required Qualifications

• Demonstrated knowledge of public speaking and/or team leadership across multiple audiences.
• Interest or experience in a public-facing role with accountability for mission-oriented goals in a fast-paced environment.
• Interest or knowledge of history, social science, political science, community engagement, or related fields is a plus.
• Commitment to an inclusive, accessible, and diverse work environment; ideally experience in leading this environment in a customer-centered space, cultural institution, or an educational setting.
• Flexibility of hours including but not limited to early morning, late night, weekends, and holidays across campus in both indoor and outdoor environments.
• Ability to work out of the Obama Presidential Center in Jackson Park.

The salary range for this role is between $79,040 and $98,800.

This role is required to be onsite at the Obama Presidential Center in Jackson Park in Chicago five days per week, which may include weekends, evenings, and holidays.

Equal Opportunity Employer

The Foundation is committed to creating a diverse work environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer.

The Foundation does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, gender identity, religion, sexual orientation, age, disability, parental status, veteran status, or any other protected status under applicable laws.

We encourage individuals of all backgrounds to apply.

If you are a qualified candidate with a disability, please e‑mail us at [e-mail] if you require a reasonable accommodation to complete this application.