Associate Director of School & Youth Programs

The Associate Director of School & Youth Programs serves as the strategic and operational lead for all K–12 and youth-facing educational programming at Colonial Williamsburg (CW). This role is responsible for envisioning, designing, and executing the long-term business model for how CW engages school groups and youth audiences — through both mission-aligned educational experiences and sustainable, revenue-generating programs.
Working closely with the Executive Director of K–12 Education and key institutional stakeholders, the Associate Director shapes CW’s offerings to meet the evolving needs of learners and educators nationwide. This includes developing immersive field trips, digital learning experiences, seasonal and outreach programs, and new models of school and district partnerships. All programs must reflect CW’s commitment to historically accurate, inquiry-based, age-appropriate learning rooted in the relevance of early American history.
In addition to leading program design and delivery, the Associate Director is responsible for optimizing the use of available resources (~$100K annually), identifying opportunities for revenue growth, and guiding how that revenue is reinvested to expand reach and impact. The role also stewards external relationships, contributes to funding proposals and marketing strategies, and represents CW within the national museum and education sectors.
As the primary architect and owner of CW’s school and youth engagement strategy, the Associate Director ensures that Colonial Williamsburg is positioned as the nation’s most trusted and impactful historic learning resource for K–12 audiences.

Required Education and Experience:

• Graduate degree (master’s or higher) in history, education, museum studies, or a related field.
• Minimum of 10 years of progressively responsible experience in K–12 education, museum education, public history, or other experience directly relevant to the position.
• Demonstrated experience in program evaluation, data collection, and impact reporting.
• Proven ability to lead cross-functional collaboration and manage complex educational initiatives.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience designing and launching educational programs from concept through execution.
• Background in revenue-generating program models or entrepreneurial approaches to educational programming.
• Experience working with school districts, tour operators, or community-based education partners.

Key Skills / Competencies:

• Ability to design and implement educational programs appropriate for school and group services customer base.
• Familiarity with historical interpretation, living history environments, or cultural institutions.
• The ability to establish rapport, relationships and networks across a broad range of people and groups.
• Must be able to work evenings and weekends a few times per month and to travel at least once per month.

 

***Must reside or be ready to relocate to Williamsburg Virginia***