Interpretation Senior Specialist (Experience)

Zayed National Museum is located at the heart of Saadiyat Cultural District Abu Dhabi. The national museum of the United Arab Emirates celebrates the rich history, culture and stories of its people from ancient times to modern day. It tells the story of the UAE’s Founding Father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, whose enduring example still guides the nation and its people today.

Through its exhibitions, research and public programmes, Zayed National Museum explores the origins of Sheikh Zayed’s values and their lasting influence on the country he founded. Renowned for his wisdom and humility, his life was defined by his deep devotion to his Islamic faith, determined leadership and unshakeable belief in the power of unity. The museum celebrates his timeless values and his unwavering commitment to openness, knowledge and education, all embedded within a deep understanding of Emirati culture and history.

As a cultural institution dedicated to knowledge and inclusive public engagement, Zayed National Museum builds on the long-standing role of the UAE as a global meeting place and a vibrant centre for the exchange of ideas. It aims to provide visitors with a welcoming, informative and unique experience that honours the legacy of Sheikh Zayed and his lifelong commitment to preserving the rich culture and heritage of the UAE and its people.

Job Purpose:

Interpretation (Experience) Senior Specialist is responsible for supervising and supporting Museum Experience Specialists who will be delivering innovative museum interpretive programmes for a wide variety of increasingly diverse audiences.

Responsibilities:

• Lead the Museum Experience Specialists team in the development and delivery of interpretive content by designing high quality and engaging learning workshops and interpretive tours that connect all types of audiences to the museum’s story and collection.
• Ensure that story-led, visitor-focused, object-rich learning experiences are delivered to an agreed programme at the highest quality of international standards in interpretation.
• Full dedication to Creating a welcoming environment for visitors, conducive to experiential informal learning, through quality interpretive tours, special projects, workshops and materials.
• Support the Interpretive Experience team in providing qualitative and quantitative data of the audience participating in workshops and tours.
• Establish reporting methodology in coordination with Interpretive Experience Unit Head for regular reporting of daily Museum Experience Specialists' performance and/or incidents.
• Manage and develop evaluation methods to assess existing programmes to ensure adaptability of visitors’ feedback.
• Keep up-to-date with interpretation trends both locally and internationally to ensure that tours and workshops are relevant to diverse audiences.
• Stay up-to-date with schedules of all programmes and workshops across all relevant projects and Museum Experience Specialists rotations, shifts and schedules.
• Update and maintain an archive of model programmes and workshop materials.
• Ensure the team are working in harmony and have all the tools to perform their duties successfully.
• Monitor and ensure proactive planning of the Museum Experience Specialists scheduled programmes in alignment with the seasonal offering scheduled by the Learning & Public Engagement Department.
• Coordinate with the Interpretive Experience Unit Head to resolve any issues, which may involve cross departmental communication.
• Distribute required equipment (if required) to the team and ensure it is returned.
• Take part and assist with training sessions.
• Be flexible and willing to cover for any staff shortages or high demand.
• Demonstrate 1st class customer service at all times and ensure the team are following your lead.

Required Experience:

• Minimum of 5 years of experience on designing and leading educational workshops in a museum, cultural or educational setting.
• Experience in developing engaging interpretive themes, visitor journeys, exhibits, storyboards and content with clear learning outcomes including emotional and action-based outcomes for a variety of audiences in a museum, heritage / cultural centre or educational institution.
• Demonstrated organization and communication skills.
• Competent knowledge of a subject matter relevant to the narrative and collection of the museum.
• Demonstrated ability to lead arts and cultural interpretive tours and workshops.
• Ability to tailor often complex messages to a wide range of audiences.
• Knowledge of current practice in museum interpretation, visitor experience, and audience engagement.
• Dedication to ensuring that interpretive experiences are inclusive and accessible.
• Knowledge of evaluation methods, ability to design and implement interpretive programs and guided tours.
• Fluency in Arabic and English.

Preferred Experience

• Additional languages.
• Knowledge of the UAE Culture and Heritage.

Required qualification s:

• Bachelor degree in a relevant subject, e.g. tourism, art, history or museum studies.