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About the Role

The Director of Public History and Engagement provides strategic leadership and program management in uncovering, contextualizing, and learning from the complex history of Amherst College. This role focuses on advancing institutional memory, particularly concerning underrepresented communities, and shaping how Amherst understands its past, engages its present, and considers its future.

Responsibilities

• Lead committees and working groups to advance public art and story-mapping projects.
• Oversee the creation and presentation of physical and digital historical materials.
• Advance learning opportunities within curricula and develop new strategies to learn from Amherst’s history.
• Identify and create new learning opportunities beyond existing projects.
• Advance dialogues and community-building opportunities around history.
• Create learning spaces for faculty on teaching and research of Amherst’s history.
• Oversee and enhance dedicated digital platforms, websites, and multimedia storytelling tools.
• Oversee research into histories of underrepresented backgrounds, including archival research, oral histories, and investigative projects.
• Aggregate and guide student research projects to identify thematic intersections and gaps.
• Sustain, repair, and cultivate relationships with regional and descendant communities.
• Serve as an institutional point person and coordinator for community members.
• Organize on-campus visits and visits to descendant communities.
• Learn from other campuses and share Amherst's work.

Requirements

• Master's degree in History, Public History, African American Studies, American Studies, Ethnic Studies, Indigenous Studies, Museum Studies, Digital Humanities, Higher Education Administration, Social Justice education, or related field; or an equivalent combination of education and directly applicable knowledge and professional experience.
• Minimum of three years of experience in historical research, public humanities, or community engagement.
• Minimum of three years of project management.
• Demonstrated ability to lead multi-faceted teams towards decision-making.
• Excellent oral, written, and public communication skills.
• Proven ability to translate complex historical narratives for diverse audiences.
• Exceptional organizational skills.
• Ability to balance strategic planning with attention to detail and project completion.
• Proven ability to work independently and handle sensitive relationships and historical narratives with care.
• Successful completion of required background and/or reference checks.
• Prior experience with assessment and data management tools (Preferred).
• Prior experience working within a higher education environment (Preferred).
• Deep conceptual understanding of diversity, equity, and inclusion principles (Preferred).
• Experience engaging with diverse communities and salient identity groups (Preferred).
• Desire to continue to learn (Preferred).
• Experience managing program budgets (Preferred).
• Experience with digital content platforms (Preferred).

Skills

• Historical research
• Public humanities
• Community engagement
• Project management
• Team leadership
• Communication (oral, written, public)
• Translating complex narratives
• Organizational skills
• Strategic planning
• Attention to detail
• Independent work
• Handling sensitive relationships
• Assessment and data management
• Digital content platforms

Location

• Amherst College

Work Type

• Full-time
• Year-round

Experience Level

• Minimum of three years of experience in historical research, public humanities, or community engagement
• Minimum of three years of project management

Education Level

• Master's degree in History, Public History, African American Studies, American Studies, Ethnic Studies, Indigenous Studies, Museum Studies, Digital Humanities, Higher Education Administration, Social Justice education, or related field; or an equivalent combination of education and directly applicable knowledge and professional experience.

Salary/Compensations

• $95,000-110,000/year

Benefits

• Comprehensive, highly competitive benefits package that meets the needs of staff and faculty and their families.

About the Company

• Amherst has taken a leadership role among highly selective liberal arts colleges and universities in successfully diversifying the racial, socio-economic, and geographic profile of its student body.
• The College is similarly committed to enriching its educational experience and its culture through the diversity of its faculty, administration and staff.

Equal Opportunity

• Amherst College is committed to an inclusive hiring process and will provide reasonable accommodations for candidates throughout the application and interview process upon request.
• It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.