Program Coordinator, Bayou Bend

Summary

Bayou Bend is the MFAH house museum for American decorative arts and paintings. The house is situated on 14 acres of gardens in Houston’s historic River Oaks neighborhood. Open year-round, Bayou Bend welcomes thousands of visitors annually for tours and special programs. The Program Coordinator plays a key role in planning, coordinating, and delivering educational programs, public events, tours, and community engagement initiatives that connect visitors of all ages with Bayou Bend's collections, history, and gardens. Working closely with the Senior Manager of Public Programs and other members of the Learning and Interpretation team, this position helps bring a wide range of experiences to life, from school tours and workshops to large-scale festivals and special events attended by thousands of visitors annually.

Primary Responsibilities:

Under the supervision of the Senior Manager of Public Programs, coordinates and supports on-site, virtual, and hybrid programs and events for a range of audiences at Bayou Bend.

Educational Programs & Public Engagement

• Coordinates the planning, implementation, and evaluation of educational programs, public events, workshops, tours, festivals, and community engagement initiatives.
• Coordinates and supports the development of educational activities and interpretive experiences for diverse audiences.
• Facilitates programs and educational experiences for visitors, students, families, and community groups.
• Represents Bayou Bend at community outreach activities and partner events.

Program Operations & Event Logistics

• Oversees program logistics, room setups, installations, equipment, supplies, and event support.
• Coordinates school tour scheduling, scholarship applications, and program communications.
• Provides audiovisual support for in-person, virtual, and hybrid programming.

Administrative Support

• Maintains records, budgets, registrations, calendars, reservations, and program documentation.
• Coordinates volunteer and staffing requests for educational programs and special events.

Skills, Knowledge, and Abilities

• Excellent organizational and project coordination skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities, deadlines, and program details simultaneously while maintaining a high level of accuracy.
• Strong interpersonal and customer service skills, with the ability to build positive and professional relationships with visitors, volunteers, educators, community partners, vendors, and museum staff.
• Ability to communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing, with audiences of varying ages, backgrounds, and levels of familiarity with museums, history, and the arts.
• Demonstrated ability to coordinate educational programs, public events, tours, workshops, festivals, and other audience engagement initiatives from planning through implementation and evaluation.
• Ability to facilitate programs, present information, and engage groups in a welcoming, professional, and inclusive manner.
• Strong administrative skills, including recordkeeping, scheduling, budget tracking, registration management, and preparation of reports, correspondence, and program materials.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications, including Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Teams, with the ability to learn and use museum and event management systems.
• Ability to operate, troubleshoot, and support audiovisual equipment and virtual meeting platforms for in-person, hybrid, and virtual programming.
• Ability to work independently while exercising sound judgment and taking initiative, as well as collaboratively as a member of a cross-functional team.
• Flexibility and adaptability in a dynamic environment where program needs, priorities, and schedules may change.
• Strong attention to detail and commitment to delivering high-quality visitor and participant experiences.
• Ability to handle confidential and sensitive information with professionalism, discretion, and good judgment.
• Intellectual curiosity and an interest in learning about American decorative arts, history, gardens, and museum interpretation, with the ability to translate that knowledge into engaging experiences for varied audiences.

Education and Experience:

• Bachelor's degree in Museum Studies, Education, History, Art History, Arts Administration, Communications, Public Humanities, Nonprofit Management, or a related field preferred; or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Minimum two years of relevant experience coordinating programs, events, educational initiatives, community engagement activities, or related projects required. Relevant internships, graduate assistantships, and substantial volunteer leadership experience may count toward the experience requirement.
• Experience planning and supporting public programs, educational activities, tours, workshops, performances, festivals, or special events preferred.
• Experience teaching, facilitating, presenting, or delivering educational content to varied audiences strongly preferred.
• Experience working with schools, educators, youth programs, volunteers, cultural organizations, or community partners preferred.
• Experience with registration systems, databases, CRM platforms, virtual meeting technology, or event management software preferred.
• Interest in American decorative arts, history, gardens, museums, and lifelong learning required.
• Bilingual proficiency (English/Spanish) is a plus.

Work Schedule and Physical Requirements

Ability to work occasional evenings, weekends, and special events as program needs require.

The position requires regular movement throughout Bayou Bend's historic house and gardens, including navigating stairs and uneven terrain, working outdoors in varying weather conditions, and setting up, moving, and handling program materials and equipment.

Equal Opportunities for All

At the MFAH, we believe that diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusivity are fundamental to our organization. We welcome all candidates whose experience has prepared them to contribute to our organization and our pledge for workplace diversity, inclusion, and excellence.

Our commitment to our policy and practice of nondiscrimination represents more than good intentions. It provides for employment decisions that are made without regard to race, creed, color, age, gender, sexual orientation, religion, national origin, gender identity or expression, genetic information, disability, or veteran status, or any other protected characteristic as established by law or any other reason unrelated to your ability to join and contribute to our organization and support our mission to provide a museum experience for all.

Research shows that some individuals from underrepresented backgrounds often apply to jobs only if they meet 100% of the qualifications. We recognize that it is highly unlikely that an applicant meets 100% of the qualifications for a given role. If you believe your skills and experience, make you a strong fit for this role, we encourage you to apply!

The MFAH is equally committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals interested in employment with the organization. As part of this commitment, we want to ensure that persons with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation needed to 1) participate in the job application or 2) interview process; 3) perform essential job functions; and/or 4) participate in the benefits and privileges of employment with the MFAH. If reasonable accommodation is needed, please contact the human resources department: HR@mfah.org