Docent Supervisor

Docent Supervisor (Starting Spring 2022)

Mill River Park Collaborative - Stamford, CT

Organization Background:

Mill River Park Collaborative provides the leadership and resources for the creation and maintenance of Mill River Park in downtown Stamford, Connecticut. The Collaborative is a public/private partnership of government, corporate, and community interests committed to building an inviting and exciting park and greenway and ensuring its enduring success. 

The Docent program provides work experience to qualified high school and college students who have done our Stewards Internship and successfully completed the National Association for Interpretation's Certified Guide Training. The program is an important part of laying the foundation for what we are building in the community with the Whittingham Discovery Center in terms of how the community sees and thinks of MRPC.

There is a three-prong goal for the Docent program

1. To engage visitors in the park
2. To help activate every corner of the park
3. To help cultivate and establish a connection in the mind of the community between the park and science and education. 

Job Description:

The Docent Supervisor is the on-site adult, supervising and aiding high school and college Docents in delivering pop-up programs in the park and museum-style demonstrations in or outside the Whittingham Discovery Center once it opens. This position will most of the time oversee and coach others to deliver the pop-up lessons. However, when particularly large crowds are anticipated, for example, in the hours leading up to a concert in the park, the Docent Supervisor will lead by example, delivering enigmatic and entertaining large-scale museum-style demonstrations. The Docent Supervisor reports to the Director of Environmental Education & Sustainability. This position frequently has hours in the evening and on weekends.  

Salary & Hours:

$20/hr 

Spring semester: six hours per shift. With shifts averaging every other week for 21 weeks

Summer:  Up to 20 hours per week for 13 weeks

Fall:  an average of eight hours per week for 18 weeks

The goal is to schedule these shifts around high traffic times in the park. So in the colder months particularly, shifts will be scheduled around events or times that the ice rink is open and maybe clustered together rather than spread out over the month.  

The Docent Supervisor and Director of Education & Sustainability would work together to develop a schedule that works in the beginning. Then as the Docent Supervisor becomes familiar with the flow of people in the park, they would gradually take over the responsibility of scheduling the Docents' Shifts, and the Director of Education & Sustainability would sign off on it.    

Docents are on sight for 4 hours/ shift. The Docent Supervisor has an hour of setup time and an hour of clean-up time per shift. 

In the beginning, there may only be one or two docents. During this period, the Docent Supervisor will go around the park with them, helping to deliver a short 15 min or less lesson to park visitors. Later in the spring, when there are enough Docents to work in groups of  3, the Docent Supervisor will take on more of a supervisory role. During that time, the Docent Supervisor will be responsible for periodically checking on the docents and troubleshooting any issues. In addition, they will use the remainder of the time to schedule the docents' shifts, track metrics, and other projects as assigned to help us get ready for the Whittingham Discovery Center to open. 

After the Discovery Center opens, fewer projects will be assigned to allow the Docent Supervisor to deliver lessons to large audiences. However, this will need to be balanced with supervising the Docents and the other job responsibilities. 

When there are fewer hours for this role during the school year, there may be the opportunity to pick up hours teaching school groups or helping with other programs and projects, if desired. 

We are looking to fill this position ASAP, and applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

Responsibilities:

• Supervise and aid Docents in delivering 15 min pop up lessons around the park
• Take the lead delivering entertaining large scale museum-style lessons to large audiences
• Schedule the Docents 
• Maintain lesson supplies and delivery materials. Including tracking supply inventory, restocking as needed, and communicating purchasing needs to the Director of Education & Sustainability 
• Input engagement metrics for tracking
• Troubleshoot any issues that arise for the docents
• Provide Docents with feedback and coaching on lesson delivery
• Other tasks as assigned

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Environmental Studies or a related field
• 2+ years of experience in education, museum programs, or similar professional experience
• Strong public speaking skills 
• The ability and desire to work outdoors on your feet for 6 hours at a time
• Ability to lift 50lbs
• Must be safety oriented 
• A passion for STEM and the environment and working with youth and the public are paramount. 
• A high-energy level
• Organizational skills
• Team player
• Strong communication skills are critical  

Added Consideration will be given to those with the following qualifications:

• Bicycle repair and maintenance skills 
• Someone who shines in the spotlight & will coach others to shine there as well
• Multi-lingual

MRPC takes COVID safely for our staff and constituents very seriously, and all staff are required to be vaccinated or tested, along with following masking and distancing protocols. Additional testing frequency may be required for public-facing roles.

Mill River Park Collaborative is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate in employment opportunities or practices on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, citizenship, age, disability, military or veteran status, sexual orientation, genetic information, gender identity or expression (including transgender) or any other characteristic protected by law.

How to apply:

Please send a cover letter and resume to Kristia@millriverpark.org with "Docent Supervisor Application" in the subject line to apply for this position. Please make sure to mention any current certification you hold. Applicants who meet the requirements will be contacted to set up an interview.