Ellicott City Historic Sites Manager-(Natural Resource Program Manager II) - Recreation and Parks

Howard County:
Conveniently located in the heart of central Maryland between Baltimore and Washington, Howard County offers the charm of a historic past mixed with the excitement of a cosmopolitan community.

Howard County Governmment:
Howard County Government is a leader in innovation, sustainability, and consistently ranked as one of the best places to live and work in the country. In 2025, Howard County Government received a record-breaking 83 Achievement Awards from the National Association of Counties (NACo) – the highest number of annual NACo awards achieved in the history of the State of Maryland, and the highest number of awards out of any county in the State of Maryland which received a collective 136 awards. NACo is the leading organization representing county-level government operations. These awards recognize innovative and transformative programs that provide new services for county residents, improve existing programs, upgrade working conditions, and enhance citizen participation and public policymaking.

What are we looking for?
We are looking for outstanding individuals to join our team and contribute to excellence in Howard County operations. 

What you'll like most about working at Howard County Government:

• We are committed to workplace excellence in every area of County government.  
• We have a highly talented, diverse, and inclusive workplace. Your input will not only be heard, but it will be encouraged!  
• We offer competitive compensation and great benefits including medical, retirement, and wellness programs. 
• As a member of the Howard County Government team, you'll be helping drive our culture and directly impact what makes us an amazing place to work.

POSITION SUMMARY:

This position is responsible for managing, oversight and daily operations of County owned historic facilities within historic Ellicott City district.  Sites currently include, the Baltimore & Ohio Ellicott City Station Museum, the Ellicott City Firehouse Museum, the Ellicott City Colored School Museum, the Log Home, the Barnard Fort House and the Patapsco Female Institute Historic Park.   Work includes creating new, and re-envisioning existing exhibits, generating new excitement to attract visitors, and creating new partnerships with the community.

STARTING SALARY HIRING RANGE:
$33.61 - $36.75/hourly
$69,913 - $76,434/Annually

*This is the anticipated starting salary range for this position. Please note that the final salary will be determined by the Office of Human Resources, commensurate with experience and aligned to ensure internal equity with similarly situated roles.*

CLASS DESCRIPTION:
Performs mid management and advanced level natural resources work, which may include supervisory responsibility, under general supervision from an administrative or technical superior.   Work may include developing natural resource management plans, managing natural resource field operations and regulation implementation and compliance.  Work may also include providing technical direction related to natural resource/ecosystem management, developing natural resource policies and procedures, and overseeing county-wide deer or other wildlife management programs.

*This is a Classified position, meaning that it is a part of the Howard County Classified Service upon completion of a probationary period of at least six (6) months*

Operations and Site Management:

• Direct and manage operations at five (5) County-owned Historic Ellicott City buildings.
• Monitor conditions of museum sites and submit work orders to County Facilities and Historic Buildings Crew.
• Coordinate building repairs and renovations with Facility Managers.
• Oversee rentals and building use by individuals, community groups, nonprofits, and external/internal users.
• Maintain museum event calendar and staff schedule.
• Work regular weekday, evening, weekend hours and provide on-call assistance.
• Apply sustainability practices in departmental operations.
• Serve on committees as assigned.
• May be deemed essential in emergencies at the discretion of the director.

Exhibits, Interpretation and Programming:

• Create permanent and rotating exhibits.
• Oversee implementation of the Ellicott City Historic Sites Interpretive Plan.
• Manage Historic Sites Docent Program, including staffing, training, and interpretive scripting.
• Collaborate with Historic & Cultural Resources Section Manager and African American History Program Manager on site-related programs.
• Coordinate artifact donations and evaluate potential collection items.
• Work with Marketing to develop strategies for programs and events.
• Recommend updates for museum social media and web content.

Financial, Gift Shop and Administrative Oversight:

• Oversee gift shop operations including purchasing, product research, inventory, promotions, and displays.
• Reconcile and verify daily/weekly deposits; report financial data to the Office of Finance.
• Oversee cash and credit donations.
• Complete fiscal and financial reports.
• Compile and prepare monthly data and reports.
• Maintain accurate visitation records.

Safety, Security and Customer Service:

• Create and conduct drills for lost-child procedures and emergency evacuations.
• Ensure safety and security of patrons and staff.
• Handle customer requests, inquiries, and concerns.
• Provide customer service to internal and external clients.

Leadership, Staffing and Volunteer Coordination:

• Supervise full- and part-time staff; verify and approve timesheets.
• Assist with interviewing, training, planning, supervising, disciplining, and assigning work.
• Coordinate volunteer recruitment with the Department’s Volunteer Coordinator.

Planning, Grants and Strategic Development:

• Direct and propose long-term management plans, goals, and visions for Ellicott City sites.
• Serve as primary grant investigator and administrator.

General Workplace Expectations:

• Performs other related duties as assigned.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES:
Supervises three (3) contingent employees at the B&O Station Museum, an Assistant Manager, Museum Specialist and cashier positions, along with volunteers and docents.  Bachelor Degree and two (2) years related experience or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

REQUIRED CERTIFICATIONS, LICENSES, AND REGISTRATIONS:

• Possession of a valid driver's license.  License must remain valid, as long as individual is employed in this class.
• Possession of CPR and First Aid certification.

PREFERRED EDUCATION, KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES:

• Bachelor’s degree in museum studies, History, Historic Preservation, Archaeology, or a related field. 
• Museum Operations and Management experience.  
• Computer skills especially in Word, Excel, Access, Publisher, Outlook as well as website management.
• Good organizational skills and the ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships.
• Proficient in public relations skills, accounting procedures and effective data entry abilities.
• Experience interpreting American history.
• Ability to research, organize and present historical information to the public.
• Ability to exercise tact, discretion, and judgment with patrons in person and on the telephone.
• Ability to exercise initiative, imagination, and sound judgment in making decisions conforming to Museum policies.
• Ability to establish and maintain harmonious working relationships with staff, volunteers, and the public.
• Experience with collections management and related software. 

 

PHYSICAL DEMANDS AND WORK ENVIRONMENT:

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.

• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk or hear.
• The employee is occasionally required to walk; reach with hands and arms; climb or balance; stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl; and taste or smell.  
• The employee must frequently lift and/or move up to 10 pounds and occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds.  
• Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision and distance vision.

WORK ENVIRONMENT:
The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. 

The work environment encountered with this position is a combination of both indoor environments consistent with working in an office, meeting/classroom and in outdoor interpretation.  This would include activities in hot, cold, wet, rainy, snowy and other forms of inclement weather conditions.

LANGUAGE SKILLS, MATHEMATICAL SKILLS AND REASONING ABILITY:

LANGUAGE SKILLS:

• Ability to read and understand simple instructions, short correspondence, and memos.
• Ability to write simple correspondence.
• Ability to effectively present information in one-on-one and small group situations to customers, clients, and other employees of the organization

MATHEMATICAL SKILLS: 

• Ability to add, subtract, multiply, and divide in all units of measure using whole numbers, common fractions, and decimals.
• Ability to compute rate, ratio, and percent, and to draw and interpret bar graphs.

REASONING ABILITY:

• Ability to apply common sense understanding to carry out detailed but uninvolved written or oral instructions.
• Ability to deal with problems involving a few concrete variables in standardized situations.