Senior Museum Exhibit Designer, Box OCE-1615/27560

Job Description

The New York State Education Department's (NYSED) Office of Cultural Education is seeking candidates for a Senior Museum Exhibit Designer, SG-17 position in the New York State Museum (NYSM).
Under the general direction of an Associate Exhibition Planner, the Senior Museum Exhibit Designer's primary responsibility will be the design and ongoing development of the Museum's interactive exhibition environments. This includes the design and development of the "Kids Zone", a play-based learning environment for children in pre-K through 4th grade; designing and preparing the Museum's fourth floor for traveling exhibitions; and developing interactive, hands-on exhibition elements for permanent and temporary exhibitions throughout the Museum that engage visitors from elementary school age children to adults.
Working collaboratively with exhibit teams, the Senior Museum Exhibit Designer will develop designs for long-term, temporary, and traveling exhibitions while creating engaging, accessible, and educational visitor experiences.
Duties of this position include, but are not limited to, the following:
• Design and support of the Museum's Kids Zone, creating immersive, play-based educational experiences for children of all ages;
• Design and prepare the Museum's fourth-floor spaces for traveling exhibitions, adapting exhibition layouts to existing spaces while coordinating facility and installation requirements;
• Design and develop interactive, hands-on exhibition components and learning experiences for permanent and temporary exhibitions serving audiences from 4th grade through college and adult learners;
• Collaborate with outside exhibition developers and lending institutions to successfully integrate traveling exhibitions into NYSM spaces;
• Develop exhibit designs in collaboration with museum scientists, historians, planners, graphic designers, educators, and other museum professionals;
• Determine the visual and experiential direction of exhibitions and assume responsibility for the design and development of three-dimensional exhibition environments;
• Create measured floor plans, wall elevations, exhibit furniture, case layouts, and other three-dimensional exhibit components;
• Work closely with the production team throughout fabrication, installation, and implementation to ensure the final exhibition accurately reflects the approved design intent.
Preferred Qualifications
o Demonstrated experience designing play-based, interactive museum exhibits that encourage active participation, exploration, experimentation, and discovery among children and families.
o Experience with children's museum or informal learning environments, including the design of developmentally appropriate exhibits and experiences for young children, school-age audiences, families, and caregivers.
o Strong understanding of hands-on, experiential, and visitor-centered exhibit design, with the ability to translate educational concepts into engaging physical experiences that invite visitors to touch, manipulate, build, move, and explore.
o Experience designing inclusive and accessible play environments that accommodate a range of ages, abilities, learning styles, and levels of engagement, with particular attention to child and family audiences.
o Demonstrated ability to carry interactive exhibits from concept through fabrication and installation, including prototyping, testing with children and families, refining designs based on observation and feedback, and collaborating with educators, fabricators, and other multidisciplinary partners.

Minimum Qualifications:
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:
Non-Competitive: six years of experience in architecture, exhibit design/planning, industrial design, museum exhibit design involving three-dimensional designs, or museum exhibit production. College coursework in Architecture, Exhibition Design/Planning, Fine Arts, Media Arts, Digital Media and Communication Design, Graphic Design, Interior Design, Museum Exhibit Design, or Museum Studies may be substituted for experience on a year for year basis up to a maximum of four years with 30 semester credit hours equaling one year.
It is essential that candidates clearly and concisely indicate exactly how they meet the above minimum qualifications in their resume. Failure to show how you meet the minimum qualifications above may result in disqualification and removal from consideration.

Minimum Qualifications

six years of experience in architecture, exhibit design/planning, industrial design, museum exhibit design involving three-dimensional designs, or museum exhibit production. College coursework in Architecture, Exhibition Design/Planning, Fine Arts, Media Arts, Digital Media and Communication Design, Graphic Design, Interior Design, Museum Exhibit Design, or Museum Studies may be substituted for experience on a year for year basis up to a maximum of four years with 30 semester credit hours equaling one year. It is essential that candidates clearly and concisely indicate exactly how they meet the above minimum qualifications in their resume. Failure to show how you meet the minimum qualifications above may result in disqualification and removal from consideration.

Requirements

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:
Non-Competitive: six years of experience in architecture, exhibit design/planning, industrial design, museum exhibit design involving three-dimensional designs, or museum exhibit production. College coursework in Architecture, Exhibition Design/Planning, Fine Arts, Media Arts, Digital Media and Communication Design, Graphic Design, Interior Design, Museum Exhibit Design, or Museum Studies may be substituted for experience on a year for year basis up to a maximum of four years with 30 semester credit hours equaling one year.
It is essential that candidates clearly and concisely indicate exactly how they meet the above minimum qualifications in their resume. Failure to show how you meet the minimum qualifications above may result in disqualification and removal from consideration.