Youth Mentor

Children's Museum of Pittsburgh; Pittsburgh (Allegheny County); On-site; USD 19,000 - 28,000; Part time

Job summary

The Children's Museum of Pittsburgh is seeking a Youth Mentor to work with the Senior Manager of MuseumLab, helping design and run developmentally appropriate art and making workshops for middle and high school youth. The role emphasizes hands-on experiences in metalworking, woodworking, printmaking, fiber arts, and technology.

As a union, part-time position, it requires flexibility to support school groups, MACS programming, and weekend activities, while maintaining a welcoming, inclusive

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Art, Art Education or related field required.
• Minimum 2+ years with youth/teens in learning environments.
• Experience leading workshops or classroom activities preferred.

Responsibilities

• Develops hands-on art experiences for programs and visitors.
• Acts as a caring adult liaison between youth and museum offerings.
• Facilitates field trips and workshops for school groups and MACS.
• Keeps tools and materials organized for workshop experiences.
• Prepares and resets MuseumLab spaces before and after workshops.
• Manages inventory and maintenance of youth program supplies.
• Creates a welcoming space for guests and supports after-hours events.

Skills

Youth engagement

Open-mindedness

Classroom management

Written and oral communication

Cultural awareness

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Art, Art Education or related field

Tools

Woodworking

Metalworking

Fiber arts

Digital art

Job description

Job Details

• Job Title: Youth Mentor
• Reports to: Senior Manager of MuseumLab
• FLSA Status: Non-Exempt/Hourly
• Classification: Casual Part Time
• Compensation: $17.00 per hour

About the Museum

The Children's Museum of Pittsburgh provides innovative and inclusive museum experiences that inspire kindness, joy, creativity, and curiosity for all learners. We forge connections with artists, community partners, and neighbors to work on behalf of children, youth, and families. We have a vision to transform education. We believe people of all ages can benefit from different types of learning experiences.

Position Summary

This is a Union position.

The Youth Mentor works with the Senior Manager of MuseumLab to design, prepare, and facilitate developmentally appropriate art and making workshops for school groups, out-of-school time programming, and weekend programming at MuseumLab, with a focus on middle school and high school aged youth. Programs include hands-on experiences with metalworking, woodworking, printmaking, fiber arts, technology, design, and other media.

Essential Job Duties

• Develops hands-on art and making experiences collaboratively and independently for out-of-school time programs, organized groups, and visitors.
• Acts as a visible and accessible, caring adult for youth, serving as a liaison between youth, their interests and potential programs of MuseumLab.
• Facilitates field trips and hands-on workshops and experiences at MuseumLab for school groups and general visitors, as well as elective classes for Manchester Academic Charter School (MACS)
• Ensures that tools and materials in the exhibit spaces are appropriately organized and prepared for workshop experiences.
• Stages and prepares MuseumLab spaces prior to museum open or scheduled workshops and works with fellow education staff to reset spaces at the conclusion of workshops.
• Assists in the inventory and control of supplies and equipment for youth and teen programs and maintenance of MuseumLab spaces.
• Creates a warm, welcoming, and inclusive space for museum guests while staffing exhibits by greeting school groups and families, encouraging exploration and open-ended creating, and providing helpful information to guest inquiries.
• Supports after-hours Education events and offsite outreach programs as needed.
• Engages in regular staff training and professional development, and applies skills and information learned on a daily basis.

Additional Responsibilities

• Positively and accurately represents the Children's Museum of Pittsburgh and its programming initiatives to the community.
• Participates in ongoing learning research and reflective practices.
• Works with the public across other exhibit spaces within the Museum campus.
• Closely monitors exhibit spaces for safety concerns, exhibit maintenance, and housekeeping needs, and communicates these needs effectively.
• Follows Museum's safety and emergency policies and procedures.

This job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time based on business needs and in support of the mission of Children's Museum of Pittsburgh.

Job Qualifications

Education

• Bachelor's Degree in Art, Art Education or related field. Substitution of years of experience may be considered equivalent to formal educational training.

Experience

• 2+ years working with youth and teens, in formal and/or informal learning environments in a related field (e.g. fine art, creative art, interactive media, theatrical arts, education, etc.) required.
• Prior experience working with, or familiarity with, tools and processes that include, but are not limited to: woodworking, digital art, metalworking, fiber, etc. required.
• Experience leading workshops or working in a classroom setting strongly preferred.

Skills

• Interest and enthusiasm for working with youth, teens, educators and families.
• Open-mindedness, flexible thinking, reflective, and ability to adjust expectations and actions as needed.
• Classroom management.
• Consistent engagement in personal growth of process, technique, fluency with materials, etc.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Awareness and understanding of cultural trends and youth interests and issues preferred.

Physical Requirements & Equipment Usage

• This position requires a combination of stationary work as well as frequent movement throughout museum spaces. Must be able to regularly position self to properly interact with visitors and activate museum experiences.
• This position requires moderate physical effort including physical and mental stamina necessary in interacting with people for long periods of time.
• Person in this position frequently communicates with visitors, team members, and supervisors. Must be able to exchange accurate and helpful information when facilitating museum experiences with visitors and when communicating issues to team members and supervisors.
• Must be able to move objects, and use abdominal and lower back muscles to provide support over time without fatigue. Must be able to lift or move up to 15 lbs regularly. Must be able to lift or move furniture, equipment, supplies, and other items weighing up to 50 lbs occasionally with assistance.
• Ability to use and maintain various equipment in compliance with the company's operating safety policies and procedures, such as power tools, utility knives, art materials, etc.

The physical demands and work environment characteristics are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of the job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Work Environment, Hours of Work, and Travel Requirements

• Weekend availability is required (at least 1 day), and evening availability is occasionally required. Scheduled shift lengths range from 3 – 8 hours per day, based on programming needs.
• Reliable travel capabilities to arrive on-site and on time for scheduled work shifts is required.
• Essential duties of this position will be performed in a museum environment with regular interaction with the public, children, and families.

Clearances

• FBI fingerprints (Department of Human Services), PA Child Abuse History Certification (Act 33), and PA State Criminal History Record Check (Act 34) clearances are required.

Children's Museum of Pittsburgh provides equal employment opportunities without regard to race, color, ancestry, national origin, gender, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, marital status, religion, age, disability, gender identity, results of genetic testing, veteran or military status, or any other characteristic or trait protected by local, state, or federal law.

Thank you for your interest.