Public Programs Supervisor

Public Programs Supervisor

Full Time

Non-Exempt

About the Adler Planetarium

The Adler Planetarium connects people to the universe and each other. Whether introducing a guest to the Ring Nebula, a neighborhood school to a community partner, a research team to a network of citizen scientists, or one staff member to another, the Adler’s focus on meaningful connections dates back nearly a century.

Today, the museum typically hosts close to 400,000 visitors annually and reaches millions more through youth STEAM programs, neighborhood skywatching events, online citizen science, and other outreach efforts. With the Adler’s support, people of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities gain the confidence to learn more about science and space discovery, and to explore their universe together under the sky we all share.

The Position

Public Programs Supervisors hire, train, schedule, assess, and supervise guest-facing Public Programs staff teams, and recruit, train, schedule, assess, and oversee department volunteers. They regularly develop and deliver educational activities, programs, and events on a wide variety of science-rich astronomy, telescope, and sky observing topics supporting Adler Planetarium exhibits, dome shows, events, public programs, and the Doane Observatory. 

This individual will be responsible for:

• Hiring, training, and supervising guest-facing public programs staff; recruiting, onboarding, and leading teams of department volunteers. 

• Recruiting, interviewing, and evaluating staff candidates and making hiring recommendations and decisions. 

• Providing ongoing training on science content, floor activities, and customer service for staff and volunteers. 

• Developing staff and volunteer schedules based on institutional, seasonal, and gallery space needs. 

• Interfacing with floor supervisors and other guest-facing staff in other departments.

• Leading staff and volunteer check-in and debrief meetings.

• Assessing staff and volunteer performance, establishing expectations, providing coaching and feedback, and addressing performance and conduct concerns. 

• Documenting performance issues and recommending appropriate corrective action and discipline when warranted. 

• Providing updates on staff and volunteer performance evaluations to department leadership and HR.

• Developing science-rich educational activities for use on the exhibit floor that align to department and Adler priorities, including concept research & development, designing activity plans, identifying materials, & activity prototyping. 

• Reviewing and approving activity plans developed by staff teams.

• Delivering educational activities on a regular weekly schedule at the Adler Planetarium with visitors, including general audiences, students, and youth. 

• Gathering data to support ongoing program evaluation efforts. 

• Selecting, purchasing, organizing, and maintaining stock of activity supplies and equipment. 

• Ensuring designated gallery spaces, carts, and other facilitation spaces and resources are clean and appropriately set and cleared.

• Engaging in professional development to maintain competence and currency in their area of expertise and responsibility, and participating in relevant professional organizations.

The Work Schedule

The typical work schedule for this position is 35 hours per week. The standard work schedule is 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM, Tuesday through Saturday. Staff will be required to work Wednesday afternoons into the evening (until 10:30 pm), and periodic additional night and weekend shifts are required. All shifts must be worked on-site at the Adler.

The anticipated start date for this position is no earlier than February 8, 2027.

The Compensation & Benefits (Full-Time)

Base Pay Range: $25-$30/hr

Work-Life Balance

• 35-hour workweek

• Eligible to accrue up to 15 vacation days per year to start

• 3 sick days as of the date of hire (can accrue up to 6.5 days per year)

• 7 Adler paid holidays

• 4 Personal Holidays (Prorated for new hires starting after January 1st)

• Flexible Work Arrangements

• Paid Family Bereavement Leave & Jury Duty

• Paid Parental Leave

Competitive Health Coverage

• Medical, Dental, & Vision insurance

• Healthcare, Dependent Care & Commuter flexible spending accounts

• Adler Paid Short-Term Disability insurance

Retirement Savings Plan

• 403 (b) plan with Adler match

• Adler match is 100% vested immediately

• Eligible to enroll as of the date of hire  

 Network of Support through our EAP programs

• Resources to help address emotional, legal, and financial issues

• Face-to-face, telephonic, and web-based services

• Free subscription to the Calm Premium app

  Employee Loan Program

  Discounted Onsite Parking Program

  Free Entrance to Chicago area museums and cultural institutions

The Person

Public Programs Supervisors independently develop strategies, initiatives, and projects and assign tasks to their teams based on operational needs and team capabilities. They establish and communicate effective timelines, priorities, and expectations to team members and ensure successful execution through a well-organized cadence of review, follow-up, and documentation. They manage the day-to-day activities of assigned team members and deliver performance evaluations. 

Public Programs Supervisors also motivate others through clear expectations, coaching, and accountability. They earn team members' trust and confidence, demonstrate the ability to attract, develop, and retain a high-performing team, rely on experience and professional judgment to lead teams, and are accountable for the team’s success. 

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s Degree or at least five years of professional work experience

• Two years of experience in facilitating educational programming at an informal science organization and supervising teams of facilitators who deliver science-rich educational programs for in-person audiences.

• Demonstrated experience in all of the following areas: 

  • Science communication, inquiry education, speaking, writing, and program facilitation for a variety of informal (out-of-school time) audiences.

  • Managing a team of staff to deliver educational programs for informal, attraction-based audiences.

  • Ability to manage a team, including scheduling, time management, performance management, and developing a positive team culture in a public-facing organization.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Degree specialization: physics, astronomy, astrophysics, education, or museum education

• Certification from the National Association for Interpretation or a similar organization

• At least four years of experience in any of the following areas: 

  • Facilitating educational programming at an observatory or planetarium.

  • Supervising, coaching, and training volunteers, and developing volunteer training programs. 

  • Using collections, planetarium shows, and exhibits as teaching tools.

  • Volunteering for an educational/public-facing organization.

• Experience in any of the following: 

  • Conversant or fluent in a second language, especially Spanish. 

  • Knowledge in any of the following areas: history of astronomy, telescopes, sky observing, astronomy, spacecraft missions, and/or space exploration.

  • Using Volgistics to manage volunteers and volunteer programs.

The Adler Planetarium is dedicated to complying with its Equal Opportunity employer obligations. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to any characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law.

If you need reasonable accommodation for any part of the employment process, please email the Human Resources Department at [email protected] and let us know the nature of your request and your contact information. Accommodation requests will be considered on a case-by-case basis.