Los Angeles Museum Connections Specialist - Santa Monica, CA

Los Angeles Museum Connections Specialist · Organization: Cayton Children's Museum · Classification: Part-Time, Non-Exempt (Hourly) · Schedule: 22.5 hours/week - Flexible schedule (3 days per week, flexible, with 1 to 2 weekend days depending on meetings and/or programming events ...

Job description

Los Angeles Museum Connections Specialist

Organization: Cayton Children's Museum

Classification: Part-Time, Non-Exempt (Hourly)

Schedule: 22.5 hours/week - Flexible schedule (3 days per week, flexible, with 1 to 2 weekend days depending on meetings and/or programming events).

Hybrid: Field-based and on-site at Cayton with in-person partner meetings required

Reports to: CEO or Chief Program Officer

Compensation: $30 - $35/hour

Position Overview

The Cayton Children's Museum serves as the first cultural institution for thousands of young children and families across Los Angeles. Just as a preschool teacher is the first teacher of every profession, a children's museum is the first point of connection to the broader cultural world.

The Los Angeles Museum Connections Specialist builds structured, ongoing partnerships between Cayton and the dozens of museums and cultural institutions across Los Angeles County. This role designs and activates collaborative programming that introduces young children and families to the larger museum ecosystem — through shared exhibits, artists-in-residence, membership exchanges, co-funded initiatives, and cross-institutional storytelling.

This is a relationship-building, field-facing role designed to deepen Cayton's civic integration across Los Angeles while creating tangible benefits for partner museums.

Core Purpose

To position the Cayton Children's Museum as the "front door" to the broader Los Angeles cultural landscape — building authentic partnerships that:

• Introduce families with young children to major and mid-sized museums
• Create shared programming and funding opportunities
• Strengthen philanthropic alignment across institutions
• Expand access and visibility for cultural partners seeking to reach families

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Museum Partnership Development

Build and steward relationships with cultural institutions including (but not limited to):

• Los Angeles County Museum of Art
• The Broad
• Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County
• California Science Center
• Autry Museum of the American West

• Hammer Museum

• Skirball Cultural Center

• Academy Museum of Motion Pictures
• California African American Museum
• Museum of Contemporary Art
• Japanese American National Museum
• Getty Center
• Petersen Automotive Museum

Responsibilities include:

• Identifying shared mission alignment
• Designing co-branded pilot programs
• Structuring reciprocal audience introductions
• Creating executive-level relationship continuity

Collaborative Program Design

Develop structured, visible partnership activations such as:
- Connected Exhibit Pathways

Small satellite installations at Cayton introducing a partner's collection or theme, with clear pathways to visit their institution.
- Artist / Curator / Educator in Residence

Short-term residencies featuring educators or artists from partner museums embedded within Cayton's environment.
- Shared Membership Weekends

Reciprocal access weekends encouraging families to explore partner museums.
- Museum Passport Program

A child-friendly cultural exploration guide encouraging visits across LA institutions.
- Family Preview Days

Exclusive early-access programming for Cayton families at partner institutions.
- Co-Funded Traveling Micro-Exhibits

Scaled-down interactive interpretations of partner exhibits suitable for early childhood audiences.

Philanthropic & Funding Alignment

• Identify collaborative grant opportunities
• Map shared donor networks between institutions
• Develop co-authored funding proposals
• Align corporate sponsorship pathways
• Build multi-institution cultural impact narratives

This role directly supports contributed revenue growth through partnership-driven funding proposals.

Civic Positioning

• Represent Cayton at inter-museum meetings and professional gatherings
• Support executive relationship-building
• Strengthen Cayton's position within the Los Angeles cultural leadership network
• Help articulate Cayton's role as the early childhood cultural gateway

Strategic Outcomes

Within the first 12 months, this role should achieve:

• 8+ formalized museum partnerships
• At least 3 visible collaborative activations on-site at Cayton
• 8+ co-authored funding proposals
• 1 citywide early childhood cultural pathway initiative
• Measurable cross-visitation between Cayton and partner institutions

Qualifications

• Background in museum education, cultural programming, or arts administration
• Strong relationship-building skills across institutions
• Understanding of philanthropic and collaborative funding structures
• Familiarity with the Los Angeles cultural ecosystem
• Ability to think both programmatically and strategically

Preferred:

• Experience working with multiple cultural institutions
• Grant-writing collaboration experience
• Knowledge of early childhood development principles

Why This Role Matters

Los Angeles has one of the richest museum ecosystems in the world. Yet for many families with young children, those institutions can feel distant or intimidating.

The Cayton Children's Museum can serve as the bridge.

This specialist role builds that bridge — creating pathways from early childhood play to lifelong cultural engagement, while simultaneously strengthening institutional partnerships and unlocking collaborative funding across the region.

The Result:

A more connected cultural Los Angeles — starting with its youngest citizens.