Head of the Education Department, Participation & Interpretation

“The Van Gogh Museum inspires a diverse audience with the life and work of Vincent van Gogh and his era.” All employees contribute to this mission through their own expertise. Together, we are making great strides and remain open to what is happening around us. We are eager to lead the way while collaborating closely with others. We focus both on our immediate surroundings and on the international community.

The Van Gogh Museum’s Presentation and Programming Department is tasked with translating the content and scholarly knowledge of the Van Gogh Museum and the Mesdag Collection into formats accessible to the general public, with the aim of inspiring and moving them. We achieve this through target-audience-specific educational and interpretive resources, exhibitions, and publications. In doing so, we focus in particular on the audience of the future: youth and young adults. We also strive to be inclusive of people who face barriers, such as people with disabilities, older adults, and young Amsterdammers with a bicultural background.

The Group also includes the Publications, Exhibitions, and De Mesdag Collection departments. The Participation & Interpretation department is tasked with translating the content and scholarly expertise of the Van Gogh Museum and De Mesdag Collection into public programming for adult and young adult audiences. This is achieved through target-audience-specific educational and interpretive resources that engage and foster connection, both within the museum and beyond. The department’s activities include the exhibition texts in the museum for the permanent and temporary exhibitions, the audio tour(s), and all workshops and activities for (young) adults. Together with the Education & Youth department, the Participation & Interpretation department serves the broad range of audiences at the Van Gogh Museum and the Mesdag Collection.

The department is a key partner for matters related to funding and sponsorship, as well as other collaborative efforts within the organization.

We are currently seeking a candidate for the Participation & Interpretation Department to start immediately:

Head of Participation & Interpretation

32–36 hours

What will you be doing?

As Head of the Participation & Interpretation Department, you will be working in an ambitious environment:

• You will provide direct leadership to the educators, project leaders, and program managers for onsite and outreach programs (15 colleagues) in an inspiring and supportive manner.
• You and your team are responsible for developing and implementing educational policies for adults and young adults
• You and your team will develop a vision for digital offerings based on a widely supported digital education strategy
• In collaboration with the Marketing department, you will develop a communication strategy for educational programming aimed at adults and young adults
• You will work closely with other departments within the Group and the organization
• Together with the team lead for supervised programs, the head of education and youth, and the group leader, you will ensure well-thought-out, target-group-oriented educational programming
• You identify opportunities, both within and outside the organization, to achieve organizational goals
• You will prepare the schedule and (multi-year) budget for the department and submit reports
• You identify relevant social trends and advise the management team
• You will initiate and maintain new partnerships and provide substantive input for grant, foundation, and sponsorship applications
• You and your team are part of various project teams and, together, make a significant contribution based on your educational expertise and professional knowledge

Who are you?

We are looking for an honest, ambitious, and collaborative colleague who brings the following qualities to the table:

• College or university level of work and thinking in the field of cultural studies, art history, or a related field
• Knowledge of and experience with educational programming in a cultural institution, as well as with teaching methods and techniques
• At least 3 years of experience in a similar leadership role at a museum or other cultural institution
• You have a clear vision of education, participation, and co-creation
• You know how to motivate and inspire your team and foster creativity
• You are enterprising and results-oriented
• You excel at clarifying roles, responsibilities, and work processes, and you have a project-based approach to your work.
• You are focused on collaborating both within and outside your team, as well as with external parties, and your communication style is clear
• Excellent command of the Dutch language

Where will you end up?

In the heart of Amsterdam, you’ll find yourself in a cultural and commercial work environment where you can seize every opportunity to bring out the best in yourself and your team. The Museum Collective Labor Agreement applies. The full-time salary (36 hours) ranges from €4,951 to €7,093 gross per month, based on education and experience, with pay scale 13 applying. In addition, we offer vacation pay, a year-end bonus, a Museum Card, an iPhone, and a laptop, and you can take advantage of a health care plan (€150 per year).

Are you coming along?

Have you read this job posting with enthusiasm and would you like to join our team? We’d love to have you on board! You can apply by clicking the “Apply” button. Please send us your cover letter and resume (as a PDF file) by June 19. For this position, we are looking for candidates who live in the Netherlands and are legally authorized to work here (EU/EEA nationals or holders of a valid work permit). If you would like to know more, please contact Astrid Hertog at 06-23997715. The first round of interviews will take place during the week of June 15 and/or the week of June 22.

We are an organization for everyone, where we embrace the widest possible range of people. We believe that diversity is the foundation of creativity, inspiration, and innovation. We are committed to embodying our mission within our organization to be as accessible and approachable as possible to as many people as possible. Of course, it doesn’t matter what your name is, where you’re from, what you look like, or what you believe in. So we’re here for you too, and you’re more than welcome to apply!