Vice President, Arts Education

Job Description

Job Description

NJPAC – the New Jersey Performing Arts Center located in Newark, New Jersey – is one of the most exciting, active, diverse and innovative cultural organizations in the country. The Arts Center, which presents and produces more than 1,200 events and performances every year, is an anchor cultural institution deeply rooted in the life of its home city, a resource for audiences and cultural organizations across the state, and a national leader in the fields of arts education, arts and well-being, community engagement and creative place-making.

Now in its 28th season, NJPAC is engaged not only in its perpetual work of bringing performances by world-class pop, hip hop, jazz, classical, dance and spoken word artists to New Jersey audiences, it is also enmeshed in several transformational projects:

● The $336 million redevelopment of its 12-acre campus into an arts-infused

downtown neighborhood complete with retail outlets, 350 new residential units

and new cultural spaces;

● The construction of the Cooperman Family Arts Education and Community

Center, a purpose-built home for NJPAC’s social impact work, as well as the site of a new professional rehearsal studio that will bring artists and arts organizations to Newark to create new work;

● The establishment of Lionsgate Newark, a new TV and film production studio in

the city’s South Ward that will offer both jobs and career development opportunities to Newark’s community when it opens in 2027;

Arts Education at NJPAC

NJPAC is one of New Jersey’s largest providers of arts education programs; the Arts Center annually reaches almost 100,000 students (from pre-K to grade 12), teachers and families. Thousands of New Jersey kids who experience world-class performances on Arts Center stages go on to classes where they study jazz, acting, musical theater, hip hop arts and culture and more employing the maker model of education - providing a platform for self-expression, allowing students to explore their interests, passions, and identities. NJPAC’s professional development opportunities for teachers — classes, workshops and a podcast through which classroom teachers strengthen or learn new skills — have elevated arts education offerings in Greater Newark schools and surrounding areas. NJPAC’s multifaceted education programs, launched before the Arts Center’s theaters were built, is now part of a larger social impact initiative that also includes Community Engagement and Arts & Well-Being programming — all efforts to harness the power of the arts to transform lives.

The Opportunity

NJPAC’s Social Impact creates unique and diverse experiences and programs that leverage the arts to improve the health, education, and civic life of our communities for the collective good of our region and beyond. This intentionality requires new innovative approaches to arts education that transcends traditional models of arts training and professional development and reflects the future of the Arts Center.

NJPAC has an opportunity for a strategic, entrepreneurial, compassionate, arts-focused, community-engaged and innovative educator, arts administrator and producer to join the Arts Center’s senior leadership team in the role of Vice President, Arts Education.

Reporting to the Senior Vice President, Social Impact, the VP will serve as an advocate and thought leader for the arts in educational systems and community and civic engagement and will work across multiple sectors and disciplines to help position NJPAC as a state and national hub for transformative arts learning. Through deep partnerships with schools, diverse communities, and other cultural institutions such as libraries and museums, the VP will ensure that Arts Education at NJPAC is culturally relevant, accessible, and impactful.

The ideal candidate will marry a passion for the performing arts with deep experience in the classroom, community writ large, financial acumen and fundraising as well as the attention to detail required to manage a staff of both full-time administrators and part-time teaching artists, and young artists who currently range in age from 8 to 18, drawn primarily from schools in Newark, but also come from Greater Newark and northern New Jersey.

NJPAC’s next Vice President, Arts Education, will oversee the launch of new arts education programming made possible by the construction of the Cooperman Family Arts Education and Community Center. They will also be responsible for creating, launching and managing innovative educational ventures that merge artistic skill with business acumen. They will develop curricula, secure funding, market programs, make data-driven decisions and foster community, bridging artistic practice with financial sustainability and social impact.

The VP will also work closely with other members of the Social Impact team, especially the AVP, Arts and Well-Being, AVP, Community Engagement and Senior Director, Social Impact to create and maintain an expansive and innovative approach to life-long learning, including early childhood and creative aging. In addition, the VP will have a deep partnership with the Senior Director, Research and Evaluation, to regularly research, evaluate and assess arts educational programs for their effectiveness and impact.

As a key member of NJPAC’s Social Impact team, the VP will activate a dynamic vision that aligns with NJPAC's campus-wide priorities: to activate the transformative power of the performing arts to enrich lives, engage communities, advance well-being and catalyze economic development.

This is an exciting opportunity for a transformative, community-engaged and entrepreneurial leader to help shape the next era of arts education at New Jersey’s most diverse anchor cultural institutions. The Vice President, Arts Education will lead NJPAC’s Arts Education Department with strategic clarity and programmatic excellence while advancing new models of learning that prioritize social impact, access, and innovation.

Key Responsibilities

• Leadership:

  • Innovate and lead the strategic vision and implementation of arts education programs (e.g., in-school, community-based, and venue-based) that aligns with NJPAC's mission

  • Serve as a predictable and public-facing thought leader and partner with schools, educational institutions and community in arts education innovation

  • Build strong collaborative partnerships internally and externally to foster shared vision and impact

• Program Management:

  • Oversee the administration of all education initiatives to ensure excellence, quality and impact.

  • Innovate new learning models to engage new and/or underserved communities of learners.

• Community Engagement:

  • Cultivate deep and meaningful key relationships and partnerships with schools (public, private, and charter), community organizations, anchor cultural institutions, arts organizations and artists to expand program reach.

• Entrepreneurial Growth and Financial Management:

  • Identify opportunities to increase earned income through innovative programming and monetized arts education services.

  • Create, launch, and manage innovative educational ventures and develop curricula, explore bridging artistic practice with financial sustainability and social impact.

• Organizational Leadership:

• Lead, mentor, and develop a diverse, high-performing team committed to access, co-creation, innovation, collaboration and excellence

• Model equitable and transparent leadership that foster professional growth and authentic teamwork

• Provide strategic leadership and management and guide the staff through growth, change and innovation with empathy and a positive outlook

• Research & Assessment:

  • In strategic partnership with Research and Evaluation, regularly assess and evaluate educational programs for efficacy and impact.

  • Co-create and co-design and arts-based arts education research projects with NJPAC’s Research and Evaluation department, schools, community partners and/or research organizations (higher education, non-profits)

• Coordination:

  • Partner with the other Social Impact departments - Arts and Well-Being and Community Engagement - to establish and maintain innovative programs and coordinated impact

• Fundraising Support:

  • Collaborate with the CEO, SVP and Development on philanthropic opportunities

  • Serve as an ambassador and advocate with donors, foundations, government partners and corporate sponsors.

  • Assist with shaping grant proposals and reporting for arts education initiatives.

Required Qualifications

• Experience:

  • Significant (10+ years) experience in arts education management, program development, staff leadership, community engagement and fundraising.

  • Professional and academic training in the arts, education and/or research.

  • Experience working directly with urban, diverse communities and fostering partnerships between arts organizations and local residents.

  • Demonstrated commitment to culture, belonging, and inclusion in arts education and deep belief in the power of the arts to bring about societal change.

• Knowledge:

  • Demonstrated deep understanding of performing arts education pedagogy and community outreach.

  • Knowledgeable about arts education across the education landscape, from Pre-K -12 extending to life-long learning.

• Skills:

  • Strong collaborator and critical thinker who thrives at the intersection of mission and impact

  • Entrepreneurially-minded and able to identify opportunities for new revenue streams

  • Effective communicator who has the ability to engaged diverse stakeholders (educators, youth, families, community members, civic, for-profit, and non-profit leaders, artists, donors)

  • Demonstrated ability to inspire across diverse communities and stakeholders locally, regionally, and nationally

  • Ability to work primarily on-site at NJPAC, schools and venues in Newark and throughout the State of New Jersey, including some evenings and weekends

Personal Attributes

• Visionary yet grounded, with the ability to inspire across diverse communities and stakeholders.

• A listener, collaborator, and strategic thinker who thrives at the intersection of mission and impact.

• Deep belief in the power of the arts to improve the health of community

About NJPAC

NJPAC’s offices are located in the thriving cultural district of Newark, NJ. The Center is dedicated to offering transformative arts learning experiences to New Jersey’s children and families. The organization is a proud equal-opportunity employer and is committed to diversity.

NJPAC is an equal opportunity employer and is proud to offer a generous benefits package which includes medical, vision, dental, 401K with match, life, AD&D, PTO, sick time and discounted show tickets.