Mary Jaharis Managing Educator, Access

Mary Jaharis Managing Educator, Access

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Met presents over 5,000 years of art from around the world for everyone to experience and enjoy. The Museum lives in two iconic sites in New York City—The Met Fifth Avenue and The Met Cloisters. Millions of people also take part in The Met experience online. Since its founding in 1870, The Met has always aspired to be more than a treasury of rare and beautiful objects.

We are committed to fostering a collaborative and respectful work environment with a staff as diverse as the audiences we engage. Our staff members are art lovers who are passionate about working toward a common goal: creating the most dynamic and inspiring art museum in the world. At The Met, every staff member lives by our core values of respect, inclusivity, collaboration, excellence, and integrity.

The Met’s Department of Education is dedicated to making art meaningful and accessible for everyone and is central to the Mission of the Museum. The Department is a national and international leader in museum-based education and public programming, pushing boundaries through continuous innovation and experimentation. In‑person and virtual programs include high school and college internships that promote career development and diversity;
PreK‑12 educator programs that train teachers to integrate art into curricula across disciplines; performances, concerts, lectures and symposia that feature preeminent artists and scholarship; daily tours in multiple languages, and so much more.

Reporting to the Educator in Charge, Teaching & Learning, you are an experienced leader providing oversight of The Met’s Access programs for visitors with disabilities and other communities that experience or perceive challenges engaging with the Museum. You seek to understand audiences and the perceived or experienced challenges they face and use this knowledge to develop and implement programs and experiences that help existing and new audiences feel ownership of and belonging to the Museum.

You will partner internally and externally to ensure accessibility and inclusive practice in all museum experiences, including, but not limited to programs, exhibitions, festivals, etc.

• In alignment with departmental and institutional vision and goals, oversee development and implementation of annual budget, interdisciplinary pedagogy, programming, and systematic evaluation for all programs and resources for Access audiences.
• Establish and align efficient processes and systems for program development and evaluation. Collaborate with other members of Education staff and with staff throughout the Museum to create high‑quality on‑site, off‑site, and virtual programs that foster engagement with new and existing Access audiences.
• Contribute expertise and skills on institutional initiatives as it relates to reducing experiential or perceived challenges in engaging with the museum. Serve on cross‑departmental committees and working groups, as needed.
• Manage a team of two full‑time staff in a high‑paced environment, instilling high performance levels and accountability; provide general oversight to contractual educators/teaching artists, Education Department volunteers, and interns/fellows; ensure appropriate allocation of personnel to programs relative to complexity and impact.
• Establish training for educators and staff in inclusive knowledge and practices that reduce experiential or perceived challenges as it relates to the Museum.
• Work across the Education team and The Met at large to invest in quality partnerships with key external organizations and/or leaders to develop dynamic collaborations and interdisciplinary approaches that include and represent the experiences of people with disabilities. Identify and implement strategies to reach the communities who experience access barriers to broaden audiences and build awareness of the Museum’s programs.
• With the Educator in Charge, Teaching and Learning, develop and manage the area’s annual budget, work closely with the…