VICE PRESIDENT OF LEARNING & ENGAGEMENT
POSITION DESCRIPTION
About Weeksville Heritage Center
Weeksville Heritage Center (WHC) is a historic site and cultural center in Central Brooklyn that
uses education, the arts, and a social justice lens to preserve, document and inspire
engagement with the history of Weeksville, one of the largest free Black communities in pre-Civil
War America, and the Historic Hunterfly Road Houses. Founded in 1838, Weeksville was the
second largest of approximately 100 independent African-American communities established
before the Civil War. When a group of community activists led by Dr. Joan Maynard
rediscovered three remaining original homes in 1968, they purchased, rehabilitated, and
restored the Hunterfly Road Houses, re-opening their doors as the Weeksville Heritage Center
in 1973. In 2014, WHC opened its new Cultural Arts and Education Center and campus,
including a visual arts gallery, performance space, resource center, and administrative offices.
WHC is now poised for a bright new era, with the resources and vision in place to fully activate
our history and expand our education, preservation, and public programming.
Recently announced as New York City’s newest Cultural Institutions Group (CIG) member, the
first since 1998, WHC is one of the city’s cultural treasures, dedicated to preserving and
celebrating the story of the 19th century African-American community of Weeksville, as a
nationally significant, exceptionally well-documented and rare extant example of an independent
African American community organized by Black entrepreneurs and land investors to promote
economic, social, and political rights.
About the Opportunity
The Vice President of Learning & Engagement is responsible for developing and implementing
impactful education and public programs that are consistent with WHC’s mission. As a thought
partner, strategist, and implementer of WHC’s education and public programs, The Vice
President of Learning & Engagement will develop work that supports existing projects while
charting new directions, providing a unique and extraordinary opportunity for discussions of
economic freedom and social justice. The Vice President of Learning & Engagement undertakes
this position at a particularly significant time in today’s contentious climate, making WHC primed
to be a national symbol in the quest for racial equity and social justice. WHC is building its
leadership team to take the organization into the next stage of our evolution and to maximize our
impact now and in the future to mark a sustainable future. The position reports to the President
and CEO.
Primary Responsibilities
● Executive Leadership
Implement relevant areas of the current strategic plan and guide WHC’s future growth as a
premiere institution dedicated to the elevation and inspiration of Black history through the
effective use of the organization’s structure, people, and resources.
● Program Development
Serve as the organization’s prime mover on programming, advocating for the inclusion of
audience interests and needs in planning and decision making, and leading the
development and delivery of a slate of high quality, dynamically delivered programs that
build on and expand WHC’s existing intellectual materials and resources to define WHC as
a central institution in Black American history, present, and future.
● Curriculum Development
Review and update WHC’s plan for education programs’ current 6-week curriculum for New
York City students in grades 4 through 8 and develop a new curriculum for high school
students and special audiences to help crystalize their understanding of the Weeksville
legacy and its enduring relevance within the larger national context of the African American
struggle for racial and social justice and the creation of safe and self-sustainable
communities.
● Programmatic Oversight
Provide enthusiastic supervisory support to all staff who have program management and
program delivery responsibilities including all outside educators, trainers, lecturers,
researchers, artists, contributors commissioned to deliver or support programmatic results,
and partner organizations, institutions, or agencies with whom WHC collaborates to achieve
programmatic results.
● Staff Management
Promote a culture of learning and development with a focus on continuous improvement
and accountability for individual performance and contribution to overall outputs; create an
enabling environment and opportunities for program and education staff development and
growth; facilitate the establishment of performance standards against which program staff
(and collaborators) will be assessed; lead knowledge management by ensuring the sharing
of information and best practices across departments and divisions.
● Financial Accountability
Comply with and support the enforcement of all relevant and appropriate systems to
maintain fiscal compliance and sustainability while ensuring that the organization’s
resources and grant funding are effectively used and leveraged.
● Partnership Development
Spearhead the development of new and existing strategic and programmatic partnerships
and alliances, including with local public, charter, parochial, and private schools; leverage
combined network resources to support WHC’s programs and priorities. Generate equitable
collaborative relationships with community members, community-based organizations, and
other cultural institutions and museums.
Abilities and Core Competencies
● Ability to communicate content and goals clearly to a diverse range of stakeholders.
Monitor and measure the impact and progress of programs through rigorous qualitative
and quantitative methods.
● Strong background in museum education and demonstration of successful
museum practices.
● Long-established relationships within the Department of Education, New York K-12
schools and other local and national education networks.
● Work with the President and CEO, Deputy Director, and program staff to create,
manage, and adhere to approved budgets.
● Employ an entrepreneurial mindset with a firm understanding of institutional, individual,
and earned income opportunities as they apply to education and public programs. ●
Oversee the creation of standards-based curricula that is aligned with the New York City
Department of Education.
● Interpret historic homes, collections, and curriculum to create sector leading programs. ●
Develop new approaches to content delivery geared to serve onsite visitors and remote
audiences.
● Demonstrate a clear understanding of the intersection of racial equity and social justice
in relation to WHC’s work.
● Knowledge of technology and new media based approaches to the interpretation of
history and culture.
● Commitment to innovative thinking that will move programming into a new and deliberate
stage of development.
● Foster a collective work ethos that values collegiality, collaboration, and innovation.
Qualifications
Ten plus years of experience in developing standards-based education programs and public
programs in, but not limited to: museums, cultural institutions, and arts organizations.
Experience working in partnership with the New York City Department of Education and other
education institutions.
Education
Bachelor’s degree in education, museum studies, history, anthropology, or related field. An
advanced degree is preferred, but not required.
Employment Status
Full time salaried position
Salary and Benefits
Annual salary of $100,000 with a competitive benefits package, including: medical, dental,
vision, retirement account, pension, paid vacation, sick leave, and personal days.
How to Apply
Submit a resume and cover letter to inquiries@weeksvillesociety.org. Include Vice President of
Learning & Engagement in the subject line. Only those candidates selected for an interview will
be contacted.
Weeksville Heritage Center is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All candidates for
employment are considered without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender identity,
sexual orientation, national origin, physical ability, veteran status, or any other basis
protected by applicable federal, state or local law.
