Education and Collections Coordinator

Classification

Full Time Non-Exempt

Director of Museums

January, 2026

Join Historic Charleston Foundation (HCF) in bringing Charleston's storied past to vibrant life! We are seeking a dynamic Education and Collections Coordinator who will serve as both storyteller and steward—igniting curiosity in students and adults alike while safeguarding the tangible treasures that connect us to our shared heritage. In this multifaceted role, you'll be joining a team dedicated to transforming our historic house museums into immersive learning environments, forging meaningful partnerships across our community, and ensuring that every object in our care is preserved, documented, and presented with the reverence and scholarly rigor it deserves.

If you're passionate about making history accessible, building bridges between past and present, and inspiring the next generation of preservation advocates, this is your opportunity to make a lasting impact at one of Charleston's most vital cultural institutions.

This role is perfect for a versatile professional who thrives at the intersection of education and preservation. You're equally comfortable leading an animated group of third-graders through a historic drawing room and meticulously cataloging an 18th-century artifact in climate-controlled storage. You possess the creativity to design curriculum-aligned programs that make history tangible and relevant, paired with the scholarly rigor to research provenance and maintain conservation standards.

Perhaps you're an emerging museum professional eager to wear multiple hats, or an experienced educator looking to deepen your impact through hands-on work with historic collections. You build relationships naturally—whether with classroom teachers, community partners, or fellow museum staff—and you're energized rather than overwhelmed by variety in your daily work. If you're someone who sees historic objects not as relics behind glass but as powerful teaching tools, and if you're committed to making Charleston's rich cultural heritage accessible and meaningful to diverse audiences, you'll find this role both challenging and deeply rewarding.

Built in c. 1820, the Aiken-Rhett House is the most intact property showcasing urban life in antebellum Charleston. HCF purchased the home in 1995 and adopted a preserved “as found” conservation approach to the interpretation of this important house and its outbuildings. This allows visitors to explore connections among all members of the Aiken household, free and enslaved.

Visitors may also admire the grand Federal townhouse of Charleston merchant Nathaniel Russell with its exuberant interior architecture and spacious formal gardens. HCF has restored the 200-year-old Nathaniel Russell House to its original 1808 splendor using forensic analysis and cutting-edge conservation technology. The most recent preservation initiative uncovered material history which further illuminated the lives of the people who lived and worked there.

This is an exciting role for a museum professional seeking to create and promote educational programs for students and adults and help to steward the museum collections. Working directly with the Director of Museums, this position creates and promotes educational programs for students and adults and helps to steward the museum collections. This position advances the strategic priorities of HCF through the development of programming that expands community engagement and visitation.

Examples include special tours, lectures, exhibitions, and virtual programming. This position also requires the scheduled assessment, maintenance, cleaning, and meticulous documentation of the HCF’s collection objects. The successful candidate will work directly with the Director of Museums and regularly coordinate with the museum managers and archives across two historic house.

The Education and Collections Coordinator will shape two distinct elements supporting the museums team:

• Developing and implementing K-12 education programs—with HCF’s historic house museums serving as core venues—and for…