Product Manager, Interpretation
San Francisco, CA
Interpretive Media /
Full-Time /
Hybrid
The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art is one of the largest museums of modern and contemporary art in the United States and a thriving cultural center for the Bay Area. We cannot imagine life without art; it inspires and connects us every day. Now more than ever, these connections matter and are aligned with our values.
Inclusive: We strive to be a museum of many voices in dialogue.
Passionate: We believe working with art is more than a job or trusteeship - it's a way of life.
Brave: We are committed to approaching our work with courage and a sense of adventure, always ready to explore new perspectives.
Empathic: We aim to act like a person, not an institution.
SFMOMA is a place for the infinitely curious to explore, support, and experience the art of our time. We believe that modern and contemporary art can influence the way we think, view the world, and embrace the many voices and perspectives around us. We aspire to foster an environment that elicits joy, nurtures a sense of belonging and purpose—where difference is seen as a strength, and every one is appreciated for their whole self.
Schedule: Full Time, 35 hours/week, at least three days working onsite
Interpretive Media (IM) at SFMOMA is an award-winning interpretation department focused on interpretive planning for exhibition and collection rotations and the creation, deployment, and evaluation of polymodal interpretive affordances to support visitor meaning making. Through products including, but not limited to: audio/video assets, interactives for in-museum and online use, content strategy, audience research and editorial support for gallery texts, IM puts artist and community voices at the center of compelling stories and experiences designed to make modern and contemporary art more engaging, relevant and accessible to a broad and diverse public.
Under the supervision of the Director of Interpretive Media, the Product Manager, Interpretation manages the technical infrastructure, publishing, and deployment of interpretive materials, with a special emphasis on in-museum digital interactives, visitor-centered research, and accessibility. The Product Manager provides detailed project management for interpretive programs such as interpretive galleries, audio guides, interactive kiosks, accessibility affordances, and the information systems upon which they are built. This position manages formative and summative evaluation of prioritized interpretive offerings, aggregating, analyzing, and reporting on both qualitative and quantitative audience research.
In the first year of work in this position, key milestones will be:
· By 30 days: establish understanding of key Interpretive Media projects, roles, and procedures and contribute to projects as assigned; begin developing departmental, cross-departmental, and cross-divisional relationships necessary for collaborative work.
· By the first quarter: contribute to an increased number, scale, and variety of projects while continuing to develop collaborative working approach.
· By one year: work independently and problem-solve proactively on multiple simultaneous ongoing projects as well as those in development; take the lead in refining departmental and cross-departmental workflows; expand knowledge of technical best practices; and deepen key professional collaborations while providing mentorship to other Interpretive Media staff members.
Responsibilities & Duties
- Support the development, production, logistical implementation, and troubleshooting of interpretive materials, with a special emphasis on interactive multimedia designed for in-museum use.
- Develop processes for new interactive Interpretive projects; identify dependencies, stakeholders, and outside partners.
- Facilitate platform development workflows in collaboration with IT, AV, Digital, and Collections Technical
- Oversee timelines, scoping, testing and implementation, and troubleshooting of interpretive software and hardware.
- Liaise with Digital Experience, AV, and outside vendors on platform management and maintenance; collaborate with Design Studio to improve platform UX.
- Oversee audio guide platform, content, and signage updates. Track collection rotations and plan content updates accordingly; prepare assets for publication and authoring.
- Stay up to date on emerging technologies and their potential interpretive uses in museums and cultural heritage.
- Represent Interpretive Media in museum-wide efforts to quantitatively and qualitatively evaluate in-museum interpretive resources as part of the overall visitor experience.
- Guide research and evaluation processes based on audience needs and user experience; oversee visitor observation; gather and synthesize qualitative and quantitative data; prepare reports on findings or oversee the completion of these tasks.
- Track and report project analytics on a quarterly basis; oversee analytics tracking tools and generate analytics reports.
- Stay abreast of ongoing research into museum audiences in order to identify visitor experience needs and opportunities around Interpretive offerings.
- Participate in institution-wide accessibility initiatives. Stay abreast of best practices and current research around museum and cultural sector affordances for disabled visitors.
- In collaboration with Visitor Experience (VEX), Design, and Curatorial, propose and implement improvements and measures required to make onsite interpretive resources accessible to all visitors; manage captioning and subtitling of onsite video assets for accessibility.
- Serve as a point of contact for community accessibility advisors and advocates.
- Strategize processes and improvements to ensure the scalability, discoverability and longevity of interpretive and access materials.
- Strategize and implement improvements to Interpretive Media information systems, working in collaboration with colleagues in Archives and Art Resources, IT and Digital Experience as required.
- Liaise with vendors and staff in other departments regarding digital asset generation, storage and systemization.
- Undertake other duties as assigned.
Qualifications & Skills
- Possession of a B.A., B.F.A., or graduate degree in computer science, new media, museum studies, or related field from an accredited college or university. An advanced degree in creative technology, experience design, digital humanities preferred, or equivalent experience.
- Minimum five (5) years of experience in audience-facing digital production within the cultural sector, including experience as a technical project manager, multimedia producer, and/or content strategist.
- Strong research, computer, and multimedia skills.
- An understanding of and enthusiasm for contemporary best practices of interactive museum multimedia.
- Passion for the arts and a seasoned understanding of project management methodologies.
- Experience in UX/UI/HCI, experience design, immersive entertainment, or related fields preferred.
- Platform management, audience research, and content strategy experience required,
- Attention to detail. Ability to meet deadlines.
- Independent thinking and problem-solving while being a hands-on team player.
- Strong organizational, editorial, and proofreading skills.
- Ability to deal effectively and tactfully with artists and their representatives, writers, designers, producers, technical specialists, community members and all levels museum staff.
- Familiarity with Microsoft Office Suite, and with productivity tools such as Asana and Airtable.
- Expertise with digital media production tools such as Adobe CS. Expertise with technical product and platform management tools and workflows.
- Familiarity with digital asset and records management tools and systems.
Working Conditions
- Must be able to do extended periods of work at a computer.
- Required to talk, hear, and review materials visually as well as audially
$74,469 - $90,125 a year
Job posting open date: 6/24/25
All jobs posted will remain open for at least five business days.
We encourage both internal and external candidates to apply within the initial open posting period as the application close date may or may not be extended beyond that initial period. Applications will not be accepted after a posting has been closed.
Location: San Francisco, 151 3rd Street.
Benefits: PTO, Medical, Dental, Vision, Flexible Spending Accounts, Pet Insurance, Life and AD&D Coverage, Disability Insurance, Mental Health and Wellness Benefits, Discount Programs, Pre-Tax Commuter Benefits, 403(b) Retirement Savings Plan, SFMOMA Membership, and more
Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.
SFMOMA is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility. No person shall be discriminated against based on race, color, religion, gender, gender identity, age, genetic information, ancestry/national origin, marital status, disability, medical condition, HIV status, sexual orientation, veteran/military status, and any other category protected by federal of state law.
You may request reasonable accommodation if you are unable to or are limited in your ability to access job postings or provide additional information asked in the job posting.
You can request reasonable accommodation by contacting the People Team at talent@sfmoma.org.
