Associate Director for Interpretation, Learning, and Public Programs (IS-1001-14)
Smithsonian Institution
Washington, DC, USA
USD 143,913-158,306 / year
Posted on Mar 3, 2026
OPEN DATE: March 2, 2026
CLOSING DATE: March 16, 2026
POSITION TYPE: Trust Fund
APPOINTMENT TYPE: Indefinite
SCHEDULE: Full Time
DUTY LOCATION: Washington, DC
What are Trust Fund Positions?
Trust Fund positions are unique to the Smithsonian. They are paid for from a variety of sources, including the Smithsonian endowment, revenue from our business activities, donations, grants and contracts. Trust employees are not part of the civil service, nor does trust fund employment lead to Federal status. The salary ranges for trust positions are generally the same as for federal positions and in many cases trust and federal employees work side by side. Trust employees have their own benefit program, which may include Health, Dental & Vision Insurance, Life Insurance, Transit/Commuter Benefits, Accidental Death and Dismemberment Insurance, Annual and Sick Leave, Family Friendly Leave, 403b Retirement Plan, Discounts for Smithsonian Memberships, Museum Stores and Restaurants, Credit Union, Smithsonian Early Enrichment Center (Child Care), Flexible Spending Account (Health & Dependent Care).
Conditions of Employment
- Pass Pre-employment Background Check and Subsequent Background Investigation for position designated.
- Complete a Probationary Period.
- Maintain a Bank Account for Direct Deposit/Electronic Transfer.
- The position is open to all candidates eligible to work in the United States. Proof of eligibility to work in U.S. is not required to apply.
- Applicants must meet all qualification and eligibility requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement.
- Application Deadline
- March 16, 2026
- Department
- National Museum of Asian Art
- Employment Type
- Full Time
- Location
- Washington, DC
- Workplace type
- Onsite
- Compensation
- $143,913 - $158,306 / year
- Reporting To
- Deputy Director of Operations and External Affairs
OVERVIEW
About the National Museum of Asian Art
Through an ambitious program of collection, conservation, exhibitions, programming, and research, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art serves as a global and national resource for understanding the arts and cultures of Asia and their interaction with America, past and present. By presenting the arts and cultures of Asia in their extraordinary diversity, we aim to exemplify foundational ideals of curiosity, creativity, and respect. In a world growing ever more interdependent, we believe that cross-cultural understanding is crucial to personal and collective well-being.
Through an ambitious program of collection, conservation, exhibitions, programming, and research, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art serves as a global and national resource for understanding the arts and cultures of Asia and their interaction with America, past and present. By presenting the arts and cultures of Asia in their extraordinary diversity, we aim to exemplify foundational ideals of curiosity, creativity, and respect. In a world growing ever more interdependent, we believe that cross-cultural understanding is crucial to personal and collective well-being.
NMAA opened in 1923 as America’s first national art museum and the first Asian art museum in the United States. The museum now stewards one of the world’s most important collections of Asian art, with works dating from antiquity to the present, from China, Japan, Korea, South Asia, Southeast Asia, the pre-Islamic Near East, and the Islamic world (inclusive of Central Asia, the Middle East, and North Africa). The museum also stewards an important collection of nineteenth- and early twentieth-century American art.
Today, NMAA is emerging as a leading national and global resource for understanding the arts, cultures, and societies of Asia, especially at their intersection with America. Guided by the belief that the future of art museums lies in collaboration, increased access, and transparency, NMAA is fostering new ways to engage with its audiences while maintaining its commitment to excellence.
Today, NMAA is emerging as a leading national and global resource for understanding the arts, cultures, and societies of Asia, especially at their intersection with America. Guided by the belief that the future of art museums lies in collaboration, increased access, and transparency, NMAA is fostering new ways to engage with its audiences while maintaining its commitment to excellence.
NMAA celebrated its centennial in 2023 and is determined to make the museum’s second century as accomplished as its first. The museum is building on its core strengths—the quality and depth of our collections, scholarship, and conservation—while embracing experimentation and new approaches to its work. The museum is transforming digitally, physically, and programmatically to draw in new audiences to celebrate, learn, and connect with Asian and American art and cultures, past and present.
Located on the National Mall in Washington, DC, the museum is free and open 364 days a year. The Smithsonian, which is the world’s largest museum complex, welcomes twenty to thirty million visitors yearly. For more information about the National Museum of Asian Art, please visit asia.si.edu
The Opportunity
The National Museum of Asian Art has just launched its 2025–2030 Strategic Plan and is adopting a comprehensive interpretation strategy that establishes interpretation not as a supporting feature, but as a central means through which the museum expands impact, deepens engagement, and advances learning. This senior position will serve as both a strategic driver and an operational anchor for interpretive vision.
The Opportunity
The National Museum of Asian Art has just launched its 2025–2030 Strategic Plan and is adopting a comprehensive interpretation strategy that establishes interpretation not as a supporting feature, but as a central means through which the museum expands impact, deepens engagement, and advances learning. This senior position will serve as both a strategic driver and an operational anchor for interpretive vision.
Reporting to the Deputy Director for Operations and External Affairs, the Associate Director for Interpretation, Learning, and Public Programs, will serve as the museum’s senior leader for NMAA’s interpretive vision and learning strategy. In this role, the Associate Director will provide strategic and operational leadership for the Public Programs and Education Departments and will lead all interpretation efforts including approaches and staff. With clear authority to shape, approve, and integrate interpretive content, the Associate Director will ensure the museum speaks with a consistent voice aligned with mission, learning priorities, and brand identity.
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Strategic Leadership and Planning
· Drive the museum’s ambitions to foster understanding of the communities, cultures, and societies of Asia. Offer transformational experiences that invite visitors of all ages to broaden their perspective and create connections between the museum’s collection and contemporary issues
· Lead the museum-wide strategy for interpretation and learning aligned with NMAA’s 2025–2030 Strategic Plan, positioning interpretation, education, and public programs as core mechanisms for mission delivery, engagement, and learning
· Exercise clear authority to shape, endorse, approve, and integrate interpretive content across exhibitions, permanent installations, public programs, and museum wide initiatives—ensuring alignment with mission, learning priorities, accessibility standards, and brand identity
· Drive the museum’s ambitions to foster understanding of the communities, cultures, and societies of Asia. Offer transformational experiences that invite visitors of all ages to broaden their perspective and create connections between the museum’s collection and contemporary issues
· Lead the museum-wide strategy for interpretation and learning aligned with NMAA’s 2025–2030 Strategic Plan, positioning interpretation, education, and public programs as core mechanisms for mission delivery, engagement, and learning
· Exercise clear authority to shape, endorse, approve, and integrate interpretive content across exhibitions, permanent installations, public programs, and museum wide initiatives—ensuring alignment with mission, learning priorities, accessibility standards, and brand identity
· Define and champion a culture of interpretation and learning that is collaborative, visitor-centered, and inclusive of multiple voices from within and beyond the museum
· Embed interpretation and learning early in institutional planning and project development by establishing workflows, standards, and review cycles
· Partner with the Visitor Engagement team to define evaluation methods and success measures (qualitative and quantitative), assess content impact and interpretive effectiveness, and use findings to drive continuous improvement
Community Engagement
· Strengthen the museum’s connection to broad audiences by expanding and deepening the stories told across the institution, ensuring interpretive and learning experiences are welcoming, relevant, and responsive
· Integrate audience feedback and community-informed insights into interpretive, education, and program development to improve how the museum communicates, teaches, and connects
· Ensure narrative coherence across public-facing experiences—aligning interpretive materials, school and family offerings, adult learning, exhibitions, and public programs into a unified visitor journey
· Integrate audience feedback and community-informed insights into interpretive, education, and program development to improve how the museum communicates, teaches, and connects
· Ensure narrative coherence across public-facing experiences—aligning interpretive materials, school and family offerings, adult learning, exhibitions, and public programs into a unified visitor journey
· Work with museum staff to develop best in class approaches to community engagement that are project and goal informed. Ensure that the resources to achieve these ambitions are clearly articulated and resourced.
Team Leadership and Collaboration
· Provide strategic and operational leadership for the museum’s Interpretation, Education and Public Programs team, aligning annual priorities with the Strategic Plan
· Make recommendations to Deputy Director for Operations and External Affairs on contractor and staff support required to meet institutional objectives
· Lead and develop a high-performing team—setting clear expectations, fostering accountability and professionalism, and supporting staff growth, wellbeing, and performance management
· Build strong cross-department partnerships to ensure interpretation and learning are integrated early, resourced appropriately, and delivered with consistency and excellence.
QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS
Education and Experience:
To qualify for this position, applicants must possess a bachelor’s degree (B.A.) from an accredited four-year college or university on a related field, and/or 8-10 years of related experience (described below); or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
To qualify for this position, applicants must possess a bachelor’s degree (B.A.) from an accredited four-year college or university on a related field, and/or 8-10 years of related experience (described below); or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
· Minimum of 8 years of experience in museum interpretation, education, or public programming
· Demonstrated leadership and project management skills, particularly in leading cross-functional teams
· Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal, with the ability to engage and inspire diverse audiences
· Experience managing budgets and staff, ensuring efficient and effective program delivery
· Demonstrated ability to provide management oversight, leadership, and direction with at least five years of supervisory experience, including experience creating and managing a budget
· Demonstrated experience, ability, and desire to collaborate with colleagues from multiple departments and disciplines.
· Passion for the museum's mission
· A data centric mindset as demonstrated by the understanding and use of audience data to inform decision making
· Experience managing large scale public engagements
· Experience with public speaking
Education completed outside the United States must be deemed equivalent to higher education programs of U.S. Institutions by an organization that specializes in the interpretation of foreign educational credentials. This documentation is the responsibility of the applicant and should be included as part of your application package.
Any false statement in your application may result in rejection of your application and may also result in termination after employment begins.
Join us in "Inspiring Generations through Knowledge and Discovery."
Resumes should include a description of your paid and non-paid work experience that is related to this job; starting and ending dates of job (month and year); and average number of hours worked per week.
What To Expect Next: Once the vacancy announcement closes, a review of your resume will be compared against the qualification and experience requirements related to this job. After review of applicant resumes is complete, qualified candidates will be referred to the hiring manager.
Relocation expenses are not paid.
The Smithsonian Institution provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities where appropriate. Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation should contact nmaa-hr@si.edu. Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis. To learn more, please review the Smithsonian’s Accommodation Procedures.
The Smithsonian Institution provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities where appropriate. Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation should contact nmaa-hr@si.edu. Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis. To learn more, please review the Smithsonian’s Accommodation Procedures.
The Smithsonian Institution is an Equal Opportunity Employer. To review The Smithsonian's EEO program information, please click the following: https://www.si.edu/oeo
About National Museum of Asian Art
Established a century ago, the National Museum of Asian Art was the Smithsonian’s first art museum. Committed to preserving, exhibiting, researching, and interpreting art in ways that deepen our collective understanding of Asia and the world, the museum stewards one of North America’s largest and most comprehensive collections of Asian art.
Its rich holdings bring the arts of Asia into direct dialogue with an important collection of nineteenth- and early twentieth-century American works, providing an essential platform for creative collaboration and cultural exchange between the United States, Asia, and the Middle East.
Beginning with a 1906 gift that paved the way for the museum’s opening in 1923, the National Museum of Asian Art is a leading resource for visitors, students, and scholars in the United States and internationally. Its galleries, laboratories, archives, and library are located on the National Mall in Washington, DC, and are part of the world’s largest museum complex, which typically reports more than 27 million visits each year. The museum is free and open to the public 364 days a year, making its exhibitions, programs, learning opportunities, and digital initiatives accessible to global audiences.
When you visit our galleries or delve into the stories of our collections online, we hope you find a portal to different ways of interpreting our world. We invite you to learn and explore in your own way—to look deeply into the past to better understand the present and to break through the artificial barriers that can separate us.
Its rich holdings bring the arts of Asia into direct dialogue with an important collection of nineteenth- and early twentieth-century American works, providing an essential platform for creative collaboration and cultural exchange between the United States, Asia, and the Middle East.
Beginning with a 1906 gift that paved the way for the museum’s opening in 1923, the National Museum of Asian Art is a leading resource for visitors, students, and scholars in the United States and internationally. Its galleries, laboratories, archives, and library are located on the National Mall in Washington, DC, and are part of the world’s largest museum complex, which typically reports more than 27 million visits each year. The museum is free and open to the public 364 days a year, making its exhibitions, programs, learning opportunities, and digital initiatives accessible to global audiences.
When you visit our galleries or delve into the stories of our collections online, we hope you find a portal to different ways of interpreting our world. We invite you to learn and explore in your own way—to look deeply into the past to better understand the present and to break through the artificial barriers that can separate us.
Our Hiring Process
Stage 1:
Applied
Stage 2:
Qualifications Review
Stage 3:
Phone Screen
Stage 4:
First Interview