Heritage Programming Coordinator

**Background**

Memory Lane Heritage Village provides a dynamic and inclusive working environment within a non-profit organization that is a leading community museum and tourist attraction. Memory Lane is a living history museum, depicting life in the 1940s in rural coastal Nova Scotia. This was a time of innovation, when rapid changes transformed rural Nova Scotia: electricity, road building, women’s work outside the home, and the time-saving inventions of modern living.

Memory Lane is a key anchor tourist attraction along the Eastern Shore, just 50 minutes outside Dartmouth. Every year the Village welcomes more than 13,000 visitors from around the world, and hosts a variety of special events and festivals, including the Cold Waters Seafood Festival, the Father’s Day Antique Car Show, the Nova Scotia Forest Festival as well as outdoor theatre productions, concerts and youth camps. In addition to these annual events, the Village also organizes group tours for seniors, school groups, special needs youth and adults, and tour busses.

The Heritage Programming Coordinator will work closely with the Executive Director and Senior Staff to create 1940s programming for special events, tours, school field trips, as well as assist with a youth volunteer program in partnership with other community stakeholders. This position is also the main coordinator for the Villages’ 100+ volunteers, who provide assistance with animation and guiding, along with many other day to day operations.

**Specific Skills and Abilities**:

- is self-directed, logical and highly organized - has a knowledge of, or interest in, the 1940s
- is reliable, honest and task oriented
- is resourceful and has creative ideas
- has acting or animation experience
- ideally possesses a valid driver’s license
- has public speaking experience
- is able to work weekends
- has preferably 2 years post-secondary studies
- has knowledge of MS Office & Google Workspace

**Duties**
- The Heritage Programmer will:_
- Develop and coordinate school and special programming with senior staff guidance
- Assist with the development and management of a youth volunteer summer program
- Work with volunteers to coordinate daily animation on site
- Work with Executive Director and volunteers to develop experiential learning sessions

For each program or event, the Heritage Programmer will:

- Work with staff and the Executive Director to compile research, visuals, artifacts related to the event
- Prepare tasks lists and workplans, working with the Visitor Services Manager & assistants to assign tasks
- Assist volunteers and staff in ensuring event animations are authentic, safe and smooth experiences
- Engage local youth volunteers, including setting up a training program in partnership with HRM Recreation
- Coordinate programs and oversee visitor exit surveys, follows-up and collect volunteer / staff input
- Assist with set-up, execution and take down of event experiences
- Write a report on the program for use by organizers next year, including evaluation by volunteers & staff
- In the case of repeating programs, gather feedback and improve for the next offering
- Provide heritage animation for tours and day to day visitors
- Assist in costuming, props, artifacts etc. for animators and volunteers

**General Requirements**
- be prepared to conceal / remove visible personal fashion that is not historical to the 1940s (tattoos, piercings, etc.)
- become aware of the interpretive elements of the 1940s
- be available to work weekends, with occasional evening hours

**Terms of Employment**:
May 12th to August 24th for 15 weeks at 37.5 hrs. / week at $16.50 per hour + 4% vacation pay + free

**Job Type**: Seasonal
Contract length: 15 weeks

Pay: $16.50 per hour

Expected hours: 37.5 per week

**Benefits**:

- Discounted or free food
- On-site parking

Schedule:

- 8 hour shift
- Holidays
- Weekends as needed

Application question(s):

- We are located in a rural area in Eastern HRM (Lake Charlotte, NS) which does not have access to public transportation. Are you able to commute to this workplace?

Work Location: In person

Application deadline: 2025-03-31
Expected start date: 2025-05-12