Opera House Managing Director

A respected performing arts and cultural venue in the northwest Chicago suburbs is seeking an accomplished Managing Director to provide strategic, financial, artistic-programming, and operational leadership for a dynamic community-centered organization.

This is a highly visible senior leadership opportunity for an experienced arts, entertainment, or cultural-sector executive who can balance creative vision with disciplined business management . The Managing Director will oversee programming strategy, financial performance, venue operations, audience development, community partnerships, fundraising initiatives, staff leadership, and long-term facility planning.

The successful candidate will bring a strong understanding of live performance and theater operations, demonstrated senior leadership experience, and the ability to work effectively with employees, artists, producers, community organizations, public-sector stakeholders, donors, sponsors, and other external partners.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide strategic direction and long-range vision for the venue while aligning programming and operations with organizational priorities and community needs.
• Lead all major aspects of venue operations, including administration, programming oversight, patron services, marketing coordination, financial management, and operational planning.
• Supervise, mentor, and develop a multidisciplinary management team overseeing production, business operations, hospitality, and creative operations.
• Foster a collaborative, professional, inclusive, and service-oriented culture that promotes creativity, accountability, innovation, and high performance.
• Lead programming vision and strategy, including performance evaluation, booking oversight, scheduling coordination, market analysis, and program portfolio development.
• Guide a collaborative programming governance process and facilitate informed decision-making among staff, advisory stakeholders, and organizational leadership.
• Oversee the programming calendar to ensure strategic scheduling and effective use of venue resources.
• Direct contract negotiation, coordination, and execution for performances and events involving independent producers, artists, and resident organizations.
• Oversee show budgeting, financial review, risk assessment, and approval processes.
• Develop and administer the annual operating budget; monitor revenue and expenditures; prepare forecasts; review individual show profitability; and support long-term financial sustainability.
• Establish and maintain strong financial controls, reporting practices, and accountability standards.
• Identify and pursue funding opportunities, including grants, corporate sponsorships, government funding, memberships, individual giving, and other contributed-revenue strategies.
• Support donor cultivation and fundraising initiatives designed to strengthen long-term organizational stability.
• Partner with marketing professionals to develop promotional strategies that support ticket sales, attendance, audience growth, and profitability.
• Analyze attendance trends, audience feedback, patron behavior, and performance metrics to inform programming and promotional decisions.
• Develop strategies to attract new audiences while strengthening loyalty among existing patrons and stakeholders.
• Serve as a visible ambassador and spokesperson for the venue within the broader community.
• Build collaborative partnerships with regional arts organizations, nonprofits, community groups, cultural institutions, performance venues, and other stakeholders.
• Represent the organization on boards, committees, commissions, and community organizations as appropriate.
• Oversee facility maintenance, safety compliance, capital improvements, renovations, equipment planning, and long-term facility enhancement initiatives.
• Ensure compliance with applicable federal, state, and local regulations, operational standards, labor requirements, and safety practices.

What We’re Looking For

• Bachelor’s degree in Arts Management, Theater, or a related field required ; graduate degree preferred.
• Minimum of seven years of senior management or leadership experience within the arts, entertainment, or cultural sector .
• Strong understanding of theater operations and program management .
• Demonstrated ability to develop and manage a diverse arts and cultural programming portfolio .
• Proven experience leading teams, mentoring managers, and building a high-performing workplace culture.
• Strong financial acumen, including operating budgets, forecasting, revenue management, expense control, financial analysis, and long-range planning.
• Experience with programming strategy, booking processes, event economics, contracts, and performance scheduling.
• Strong stakeholder-management skills with the ability to build trust across diverse internal and external constituencies.
• Excellent public speaking, presentation, written communication, negotiation, and consensus-building skills.
• Ability to manage sensitive matters with professionalism, judgment, tact, and discretion.
• Strong project-management, organizational, and prioritization capabilities.
• Ability to obtain and maintain applicable Illinois liquor-service licensing or BASSET certification , as required for venue operations.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working with municipal governments, public-sector organizations, or community-based institutions .
• Knowledge of regional and national arts programming networks and funding sources.
• Experience with grants, sponsorship development, donor cultivation, memberships, or other fundraising strategies.
• Experience overseeing capital improvements, facility planning, renovations, or venue infrastructure.
• Strong understanding of audience development, patron engagement, and community outreach.
• Established relationships within the arts, entertainment, cultural, or live-performance ecosystem.
• Genuine passion for the arts and a commitment to fostering a vibrant and accessible cultural landscape.

Performance Priorities

The Managing Director will be expected to:

• Achieve annual attendance and revenue goals.
• Maintain a balanced, diverse, and financially responsible programming portfolio.
• Drive measurable growth in audience engagement and community participation.
• Strengthen long-term financial sustainability.
• Successfully lead capital and facility improvement initiatives.
• Build productive relationships with artists, producers, community partners, sponsors, donors, public stakeholders, and patrons.

Work Environment

This is an on-site leadership position requiring flexibility to support the realities of a live-performance environment. Regular evening and weekend availability, along with occasional holiday hours, will be required based on performances, events, community initiatives, and operational needs.

Why Consider This Opportunity?

This position offers the opportunity to lead a highly visible cultural institution with a meaningful role in its community. The Managing Director will have broad influence across programming, operations, financial strategy, audience development, partnerships, fundraising, team leadership, and the venue’s long-term future.

The organization is seeking a leader who can respect the institution’s legacy while bringing the strategic discipline, creativity, commercial awareness, and collaborative leadership required for its next chapter.