Planetarium Manager

Located on downtown Bradenton’s waterfront, The Bishop Museum of Science and Nature is the largest natural history museum on Florida’s Gulf Coast. The Bishop Museum of Science and Nature offers engaging exhibits as well as educational programs which interpret the scientific and cultural knowledge of Florida, the world, and our universe. In addition to  the permanent exhibits, The Bishop features a constantly changing lineup of temporary exhibitions – offering something new to discover with each visit, featuring fossil evidence of Florida’s earliest animal inhabitants and archaeological materials representing Paleo-Indian, Archaic, and pre-contact cultures, as well as local history and creative exhibitions. The Museum also features an all-digital Planetarium and the Parker Manatee Rehabilitation Habitat. At The Bishop Museum of Science and Nature, you can learn about the world around you – land, sky, and sea – through the lens of Florida’s natural sciences.

The Parker Manatee Rehabilitation Habitat is a second stage rehabilitation facility that provides a temporary home for manatees, as a part of the Rescue, Rehabilitation and Release program run by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). Manatees come to The Bishop from critical care hospitals once they are stable and no longer in need of treatment. While here, manatees have some time to put on weight and build on life skills before their eventual return to the wild.

Job Title: Planetarium Manager

Reports To: Director of Museum Experience

Classification: Full-time, salaried, exempt

Schedule: Primarily Tuesday – Saturday 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM. Occasional hours outside of this schedule will be required.

Compensation: $35,000 – $45,000

Summary
The Planetarium Manager is responsible for the daily operation of Planetarium Theatre. As The Bishop’s astronomy ambassador, the Planetarium Manager uses their passion for space science to support the Museum’s mission of inspiring the joy of discovery and wonder for all ages.

Essential Functions

• Manage daily operations of the Planetarium Theatre.
• Oversee the maintenance and servicing of equipment.
• Develop and present live planetarium programming for a variety of audiences including museum guests and students of all ages.
• Collaborate with the Learning Department as a subject matter expert to aid in the development of astronomy programming for students and adults.
• Stay up to date on current astronomy news and research.
• Research and vet new theater content to improve visitor experience.
• Collaborate with Museum Experience team to create a cohesive and inspiring visitor experience.
• Foster a culture of trust, collaboration, mutual respect, and teamwork within the Museum Experience department, as well as cross-departmentally throughout the institution.

Customer Service

• Proactively engage guests in meaningful and inspiring interactions.
• Anticipate guest needs and solve guest issues with a positive, courteous, and professional attitude.

Operational Support

• Attend department meetings and daily all-staff morning meetings.
• Perform core operational functions of guest safety.
• Assist during emergency and evacuation situations.

Importantly, we recognize and honor that the qualifications required to excel in this position can come from a range of both professional and lived experiences. Below we describe what we believe to be important qualities for a candidate to have while remaining open to the diversity of experiences that can lead to these skill sets. We strongly encourage anyone who feels passionate about this work and believes they have what it takes to thrive in this role to apply.

Qualities

• Bachelor of Science in Astronomy or related field.
• A strong working knowledge of observational astronomy and space science.
• A high degree of technical ability and interest in maintaining complex projection systems and related equipment.
• A passion to share and communicate knowledge of astronomy and space science.
• The ability to articulate complex astronomical concepts clearly and comfortably to guests of all ages and knowledge levels.
• Comfortable presenting to a live audience.
• Excellent written, oral, and interpersonal communication skills.
• Strong autonomous work-ethic and problem-solving skills.
• Comfortable working independently and as part of a team.
• Dependable, adaptable, and flexible.
• Proficient in the MS Office Suite.
• Ability to lift and move 30 pounds. The position requires full mobility including standing, walking, climbing stairs, kneeling, crawling, stooping, bending, and crawling as well as carrying and/or lifting materials.

Preferred Experience

• Familiar with Digistar Planetarium Software
• Experience operating telescopes
• Spanish Fluency

To Apply
Please send your resume and cover letter to Human Resources at The Bishop:
Email to: AWaite@bishopscience.org

Mail to:
Ashley Waite
The Bishop Museum of Science and Nature
PO Box 9265
Bradenton, Florida 34206