New

Senior Manager of Public Programs

New York Historical Society
life insurance, paid time off, 403(b), retirement plan
United States, New York, New York
170 Central Park West (Show on map)
Jun 12, 2025
JOB TITLE: Senior Manager of Public Programs DEPARTMENT: External Affairs REPORTS TO: SVP & Chief Content Officer ABOUT THE NEW YORK HISTORICAL New York's first museum, The New York Historical is a leading cultural institution documenting over 400 years of American history through a peerless collection of art, documents, and artifacts. Our offerings span groundbreaking exhibitions; acclaimed educational programs for teachers and students nationwide; and thought-provoking conversations among leading scholars, journalists, and thinkers about the past, present, and future of the American experiment. The New York Historical is a museum of museums and a collection of collections. We are home to the Patricia D. Klingenstein Library, the Center for Women's History, the Reiss Family Graduate Institute for Constitutional History, the Dorothy Tapper Goldman Center for Teaching Democracy, the DiMenna Children's History Museum, and the future American LGBTQ+ Museum. We elevate the perspectives and scholarship that define the United States' democratic heritage and challenge us all to shape our ongoing history for the better. JOB SUMMARY The Senior Manager of Public Programs leads the strategy, development, promotion, and production of dynamic, relevant, and high-profile public programming presented year-round-both on-site and virtually. This role is ideal for a culturally attuned, intellectually curious individual with a deep understanding of history, public affairs, and audience engagement. The Senior Manager helps curate and deliver programs that respond to the moment, spotlight thought leaders, and amplify the institution's mission, drawing from a strong awareness of forthcoming books, public policy issues, and programming trends across cultural organizations. In addition the Senior Manager oversees programs staff, freelance production teams, and collaborates across departments to ensure seamless delivery and impactful audience experiences. The ideal candidate is confident engaging with publicists, agents, and talent; comfortable pitching ideas internally and externally; and adept at navigating the evolving needs of diverse audiences. This is a full-time position requiring regular evening work (2-4 nights per week) and select weekends. On-site presence is required for all public programs and key planning activities, in addition to regular work. ESSENTIAL JOB DUTIES Research, develop, and produce a robust and diverse roster of more than 100 annual programs-delivered in-person and virtually-including donor-named lectures, talks, panel discussions, and seminars centered on history, culture, and civic life; Maintain a keen awareness of current events, emerging public policy issues, and forthcoming book releases to identify timely and compelling program topics and speakers; Monitor programming trends across cultural organizations to ensure a competitive, engaging, and audience-driven slate of offerings; Cultivate and maintain relationships with publicists, literary agents, speakers bureaus, and individual talent to secure high-profile guests and enhance program visibility; Actively pitch program ideas internally and externally, leveraging content strategy, institutional goals, and audience development insights; Plan and oversee all aspects of program production including pre-event preparation, on-site logistics, and post-event evaluation; Collaborate with the marketing team on strategy and promotional campaigns to maximize attendance, audience engagement, and media visibility; Negotiate speaker agreements, appearance contracts, and partnerships with external organizations, media outlets, and foundations; Partner with the Chief Content Officer, President & CEO, and Development team to conceptualize and produce public-facing programs tied to major institutional fundraising and cultivation events; Produce and coordinate approximately 15 annual episodes of the History with David Rubenstein PBS series, and 20 annual episodes of the For the Ages: A History Podcast including guest research, outreach, and live event logistics; Supervise and support the academic programming of the Bonnie and Richard Reiss Graduate Institute for Constitutional History, including seminars and special events; Stay informed on audience trends, including demographic shifts and engagement strategies, to refine and grow attendance and impact; Manage program staff and freelance production crews; Additional duties as assigned. REQUIREMENTS Bachelor's degree required; Master's degree or Ph.D. in history, public policy, journalism, or related field strongly preferred; Demonstrated knowledge of and enthusiasm for American history, civic discourse, and cultural programming; Proven experience producing public programs at cultural or educational institutions; Strong awareness of the media landscape, publishing industry, and contemporary issues influencing public conversation; Exceptional interpersonal skills and comfort in engaging with high-profile speakers, scholars, and public figures; Skilled at pitching creative concepts, identifying emerging talent, and curating content that resonates with diverse audiences; Experience with live event and broadcast/video production, including on-stage moderation or speaker coaching; Proven ability to manage complex projects, budgets, and timelines with precision; Outstanding writing, editing, organizational, and problem-solving abilities; Fluency with Microsoft Office, Google Suite, Zoom, and project management tools; Diplomatic, strategic, and highly collaborative with demonstrated success working across departments and with external stakeholders, donors, and trustees. PHYSICAL DEMANDS The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee with or without accommodation, to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. This position may require the employee to lift, bend, stoop, walk, run, speak and stand for up to 5 hours in a day, during program execution. Sedentary computer work is also required. COMPENSATION & BENEFITS The expected salary range for this position is $100,000 - $110,000 per year. The successful candidate will be offered a salary within this range based on specific factors such as their individual qualifications, experience, and internal equity considerations. The New York Historical provides a generous benefits package for eligible employees to support their health and wellbeing, which includes: Paid time off, including vacation, sick and personal days, and holidays observed by the Museum; Medical, dental, vision and life insurance; Short and long-term disability coverage options; 403(b) retirement plan with eligibility for employer contributions following one year of full-time service; Flexible spending accounts for health-related expenses, dependent care, and parking and transit expenses; Employee Assistance Program for all employees and their families; 20% discount at the NYHistory Store; Free admission to various museums and cultural institutions across the city. The New York Historical is an Equal Opportunity Employer.