Department: Education
Schedule: Full-time, Non-Exempt
Reports to: Senior Manager of Open Education Programming
Job Grade: TBD
The International Center of Photography (ICP) is the world’s leading institution dedicated to photography and visual culture. Through our exhibitions, education, public programs, and community outreach, we offer an open forum for dialogue about the power of the image. Since our founding in 1974, we have presented more than 700 exhibitions and offered thousands of classes, providing instruction at every level. Our new integrated center on the Lower East Side reunites our school and museum in one space to become the cultural anchor of Essex Crossing.
Position Summary:
The Open Education Assistant plays a key role in the daily operations of the Open Education (OE) Department at ICP. This highly visible position serves as the first point of contact for students, faculty, and visitors, providing a welcoming and professional presence. The Assistant supports all aspects of the department’s work, including class registration, student services, and administrative tasks, while ensuring a smooth and positive experience for current and prospective students. The role requires strong communication skills, excellent organizational abilities, and the capacity to collaborate effectively with students, faculty, and staff in a dynamic, fast-paced environment.
Key Responsibilities & Competencies
- Manage Open Education class enrollments, including registrations, transfers, and waitlists.
- Serve as a primary point of contact for current and prospective students, responding promptly and professionally to inquiries by email, phone, and in person; route non-Open Education questions to the appropriate departments.
- Provide exceptional customer service to all Open Education students, ensuring a welcoming and supportive experience.
- Produce and distribute student IDs and lab hour cards in compliance with building policies, ensuring accurate collection and storage of required data.
- Communicate lab policies and pick-up procedures to eligible students.
- Maintain up-to-date knowledge of ICP’s course offerings to provide accurate advising and student support.
- Coordinate classroom scheduling, maintaining the accuracy of the classroom calendar.
- Oversee student and faculty communications related to schedule changes, classroom adjustments, and cancellations.
- Assist the Faculty Liaison with guest speaker logistics, including honorarium processing and scheduling models.
- Collaborate with the Open Education Program Coordinator to maintain class preparation documents and ensure all pre-class tasks are completed.
- Support the Bursar with tracking and reporting on Open Education data, including course cancellations, enrollment numbers, and fill rates; assist with data analysis as needed.
- Contribute to program strategy by researching and conducting comparative analyses of peer institutions’ programs, tuition, and offerings.
- Assist the Program Coordinator with Part-Time Program student registrations as needed.
- Manage departmental supplies, including IDs, lab cards, and related materials.
- Support the planning and execution of Open Education events.
Additional Responsibilities
- Participate in weekly departmental and cross-departmental meetings.
- Proof and verify student registration data prior to the launch of each new term.
- Conduct facilities tours for prospective students.
- Stay current on trends and best practices in photographic and arts education.
Requirements
Education Qualifications:
- B.A. degree required; higher degree preferred.
Experience Qualifications:
- 2–3 years of office administration experience required; background in sales a plus.
- Strong administrative, clerical, and organizational skills with excellent follow-through.
- Proficiency with computer applications, including word processing, Excel, and database systems; prior experience with educational databases preferred.
- Experience managing and maintaining complex databases.
- Strong interpersonal and communication skills, both verbal and written.
- Commitment to delivering exceptional customer service and working collaboratively as part of a team.
- Photography knowledge and skills strongly preferred.
- Ability to remain current with trends in photography and arts education a plus.
Working Conditions
Physical Demands:
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
- The employee must frequently lift and/or move up to 25 pounds and occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds.
- While performing the duties of this Job, the employee is regularly required to sit and talk or hear.
- The employee is occasionally required to stand and use hands to finger, handle, or feel and reach with hands and arms.
Compensation and Benefits
Compensation will be competitive and commensurate with experience.
The International Center of Photography is committed to equal opportunity employment. We believe that diversity, equity, and inclusion are values that are integral to offering an open forum for dialogue around photography and visual culture that is open to all.
Salary Description
$21 - $23 / hr