Managing Director
POST DATE: Feb 13, 2025
STATUS: Full-time permanent, exempt
SALARY: Level One of Ars Nova’s Fair Pay Guidelines: $135,000 - $145,000 annually, paid bi-weekly
Ars Nova is seeking an accomplished and dynamic Managing Director (MD) to help guide the organization through its next exciting phase. In this highly collaborative role, the MD will oversee day-to-day operations, financial management, fundraising and marketing efforts, while fostering a creative and inclusive environment that supports the company’s mission: to discover, develop, and launch singular theater, comedy, and music artists. This position offers a unique opportunity to work alongside Ars Nova’s Co-Artistic Directors and a talented leadership team, contributing to the development of groundbreaking work and cultivating the next generation of audiences.
ABOUT ARS NOVA
Ars Nova exists to discover, develop and launch singular theater, comedy and music artists who are in the early stages of their careers. Our dynamic slate of programs supports outside-the-box thinking and encourages innovative, genre-bending work. By providing a protective environment where risk-taking and collaboration are paramount, Ars Nova amplifies the voices of a new generation of diverse artists and audiences, pushing the boundaries of live entertainment by nurturing creative ideas into smart, surprising new work. Ars Nova has been honored with a Lucille Lortel Award, an Obie Award, and a Special Citation from the New York Drama Critics’ Circle, all for the sustained quality and commitment to the development and production of new work. Notable past productions include three-time Lortel Award-winner, including “Outstanding Musical,” (pray), created by Obie Award-winner nicHi douglas with music by S T A R R Busby and JJJJJerome Ellis, the NY Times’, NY Mag, and New Yorker “Best of 2022” Oratorio for Living Things; the Lortel Award-winning “Outstanding Musicals” Rags Parkland Sings The Songs Of The Future and KPOP, which transferred to Broadway in 2022; and the Tony Award-winning smash-hit Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812.
Ars Nova recognizes both that it is a predominantly white institution and that our institutional practices have historically led to the exclusion of people of the Global Majority from our team. We are actively working to become a more diverse, anti-racist, inclusive organization; please see our commitments and progress towards these objectives HERE. We hope candidates of the Global Majority will accept our invitation to apply.
Founded in 2002, and steered by a 16 member board of trustees including Board Chair Alisa Lessing and Founding Chair Jenny Steingart, Ars Nova operates two venues in New York City:
We are committed to creating a collaborative and innovative environment that champions diverse voices and groundbreaking new work.
THE POSITION
Reporting directly to the Board Chair, and more broadly to the Executive Committee and full board, the Managing Director co-leads the organization with the Co-Artistic Directors (Co-ADs) and oversees all operational, financial, and strategic initiatives. The MD will play a critical role in balancing business acumen with Ars Nova's bold artistic vision. This position is ideal for a leader who is both highly strategic and comfortable working in an entrepreneurial, fast-paced environment.
Ars Nova is at a transformational moment, evolving to shape its next chapter. As recently announced, Founding Artistic Director Jason Eagan will step down in July 2025, and the organization will move to a new model led by Co-Artistic Directors Andrew Neisler and Anna Morton Stacey, alongside a Managing Director. Eagan will transition into an advisory role to support a smooth handover, providing strategic guidance while ensuring stability and space for the new leadership to chart Ars Nova’s future. This is a pivotal time for the organization, presenting an exciting opportunity for the right candidate to help shape the path forward.
SPECIFIC RESPONSIBILITIES AND COMPETENCIES
The responsibilities, competencies and expectations outlined below are representative, not exhaustive. Responsibilities may shift as needed to best align with organizational needs.
IDEAL CANDIDATE
The ideal Managing Director will be a seasoned arts leader with a unique balance of business savvy and creative vision. We are looking for someone who can drive both the administrative and financial success of Ars Nova while maintaining a focus on fostering an environment where artists and staff can thrive.
We know there are candidates who may not have all of the qualifications listed above but possess intuitive knowledge or other transferable skills. If that’s you, don’t hesitate to apply and tell us about yourself.
Please note that Ars Nova currently uses a hybrid work environment. However, this position will require onsite, in-person activity (including some evenings, weekends and holidays), so the applicant should intend to reside in the greater NYC area.
AN EXCEPTIONAL OPPORTUNITY:
This is an exempt, full-time position with a starting annual salary range in Level One of our Fair Pay Guidelines, between $135,000 and $145,000 commensurate with experience. Ars Nova aims to compensate fairly and competitively within the not-for-profit entertainment industry, and on a transparent level salary system within the organization; our recent Fair Pay Guidelines are available HERE. Benefits include health and dental insurance, an open paid time off policy, an Employee Assistance Program offers confidential counseling, legal support, work-life solutions and the like, opt-in 401(k) retirement savings plan with an employer match up to 3.5%, FSA, vision insurance, long-term disability, life insurance and TransitChek plans, and more. Ars Nova is based in NYC and offers a flexible work schedule and remote/in-person hybrid work space. This position will require regular onsite, in-person activity (including some evenings, weekends and holidays), so the applicant should intend to reside in the greater NYC area. Ars Nova works on-site Tuesdays-Thursdays every week, with greater flexibility to work remotely if desired and possible on most Mondays & Friday
APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS:
Please submit a resume and a personal statement. Ditch the “cover letter” and speak from the heart about what excites you about this job opportunity. While we ask that resumes be submitted in written form, we invite applicants to submit their personal statement via a written piece, audio or video recording – whatever form best supports your self-expression.
APPLY HERE. https://form.asana.com/?k=wfBBcU7AvsfgJA-VMCQZZQ&d=75190075101323
HIRING PROCESS:
Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis through March 14, 2025 by members of the senior leadership team including the Founding Artistic Director, Jason Eagan; applicants may also be pre-screened by a member of the HR team. Selected candidates will have a first round video interview with a member of the HR team and/or Interim Executive Director. Second Round Interviews will be in-person with members of our leadership team including the incoming Co-Artistic Directors. Finalists will 1) have a full day in-person with several members of the Ars Nova team and 2) meet with board leadership. The board will make the final hiring decision. Additionally, finalists may request a meeting with members of our affinity group for staff members who identify as people from the global majority if that perspective would be helpful to them. References will then be checked and an offer is expected to be made in April 2025, with a start date soon thereafter.
Managing Director
POST DATE: Feb 13, 2025
STATUS: Full-time permanent, exempt
SALARY: Level One of Ars Nova’s Fair Pay Guidelines: $135,000 - $145,000 annually, paid bi-weekly
Ars Nova is seeking an accomplished and dynamic Managing Director (MD) to help guide the organization through its next exciting phase. In this highly collaborative role, the MD will oversee day-to-day operations, financial management, fundraising and marketing efforts, while fostering a creative and inclusive environment that supports the company’s mission: to discover, develop, and launch singular theater, comedy, and music artists. This position offers a unique opportunity to work alongside Ars Nova’s Co-Artistic Directors and a talented leadership team, contributing to the development of groundbreaking work and cultivating the next generation of audiences.
ABOUT ARS NOVA
Ars Nova exists to discover, develop and launch singular theater, comedy and music artists who are in the early…
Managing Director
POST DATE: Feb 13, 2025
STATUS: Full-time permanent, exempt
SALARY: Level One of Ars Nova’s Fair Pay Guidelines: $135,000 - $145,000 annually, paid bi-weekly
Ars Nova is seeking an accomplished and dynamic Managing Director (MD) to help guide the organization through its next exciting phase. In this highly collaborative role, the MD will oversee day-to-day operations, financial management, fundraising and marketing efforts, while fostering a creative and inclusive environment that supports the company’s mission: to discover, develop, and launch singular theater, comedy, and music artists. This position offers a unique opportunity to work alongside Ars Nova’s Co-Artistic Directors and a talented leadership team, contributing to the development of groundbreaking work and cultivating the next generation of audiences.
ABOUT ARS NOVA
Ars Nova exists to discover, develop and launch singular theater, comedy and music artists who are in the early stages of their careers. Our dynamic slate of programs supports outside-the-box thinking and encourages innovative, genre-bending work. By providing a protective environment where risk-taking and collaboration are paramount, Ars Nova amplifies the voices of a new generation of diverse artists and audiences, pushing the boundaries of live entertainment by nurturing creative ideas into smart, surprising new work. Ars Nova has been honored with a Lucille Lortel Award, an Obie Award, and a Special Citation from the New York Drama Critics’ Circle, all for the sustained quality and commitment to the development and production of new work. Notable past productions include three-time Lortel Award-winner, including “Outstanding Musical,” (pray), created by Obie Award-winner nicHi douglas with music by S T A R R Busby and JJJJJerome Ellis, the NY Times’, NY Mag, and New Yorker “Best of 2022” Oratorio for Living Things; the Lortel Award-winning “Outstanding Musicals” Rags Parkland Sings The Songs Of The Future and KPOP, which transferred to Broadway in 2022; and the Tony Award-winning smash-hit Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812.
Ars Nova recognizes both that it is a predominantly white institution and that our institutional practices have historically led to the exclusion of people of the Global Majority from our team. We are actively working to become a more diverse, anti-racist, inclusive organization; please see our commitments and progress towards these objectives HERE. We hope candidates of the Global Majority will accept our invitation to apply.
Founded in 2002, and steered by a 16 member board of trustees including Board Chair Alisa Lessing and Founding Chair Jenny Steingart, Ars Nova operates two venues in New York City:
We are committed to creating a collaborative and innovative environment that champions diverse voices and groundbreaking new work.
THE POSITION
Reporting directly to the Board Chair, and more broadly to the Executive Committee and full board, the Managing Director co-leads the organization with the Co-Artistic Directors (Co-ADs) and oversees all operational, financial, and strategic initiatives. The MD will play a critical role in balancing business acumen with Ars Nova's bold artistic vision. This position is ideal for a leader who is both highly strategic and comfortable working in an entrepreneurial, fast-paced environment.
Ars Nova is at a transformational moment, evolving to shape its next chapter. As recently announced, Founding Artistic Director Jason Eagan will step down in July 2025, and the organization will move to a new model led by Co-Artistic Directors Andrew Neisler and Anna Morton Stacey, alongside a Managing Director. Eagan will transition into an advisory role to support a smooth handover, providing strategic guidance while ensuring stability and space for the new leadership to chart Ars Nova’s future. This is a pivotal time for the organization, presenting an exciting opportunity for the right candidate to help shape the path forward.
SPECIFIC RESPONSIBILITIES AND COMPETENCIES
The responsibilities, competencies and expectations outlined below are representative, not exhaustive. Responsibilities may shift as needed to best align with organizational needs.
IDEAL CANDIDATE
The ideal Managing Director will be a seasoned arts leader with a unique balance of business savvy and creative vision. We are looking for someone who can drive both the administrative and financial success of Ars Nova while maintaining a focus on fostering an environment where artists and staff can thrive.
We know there are candidates who may not have all of the qualifications listed above but possess intuitive knowledge or other transferable skills. If that’s you, don’t hesitate to apply and tell us about yourself.
Please note that Ars Nova currently uses a hybrid work environment. However, this position will require onsite, in-person activity (including some evenings, weekends and holidays), so the applicant should intend to reside in the greater NYC area.
AN EXCEPTIONAL OPPORTUNITY:
This is an exempt, full-time position with a starting annual salary range in Level One of our Fair Pay Guidelines, between $135,000 and $145,000 commensurate with experience. Ars Nova aims to compensate fairly and competitively within the not-for-profit entertainment industry, and on a transparent level salary system within the organization; our recent Fair Pay Guidelines are available HERE. Benefits include health and dental insurance, an open paid time off policy, an Employee Assistance Program offers confidential counseling, legal support, work-life solutions and the like, opt-in 401(k) retirement savings plan with an employer match up to 3.5%, FSA, vision insurance, long-term disability, life insurance and TransitChek plans, and more. Ars Nova is based in NYC and offers a flexible work schedule and remote/in-person hybrid work space. This position will require regular onsite, in-person activity (including some evenings, weekends and holidays), so the applicant should intend to reside in the greater NYC area. Ars Nova works on-site Tuesdays-Thursdays every week, with greater flexibility to work remotely if desired and possible on most Mondays & Friday
APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS:
Please submit a resume and a personal statement. Ditch the “cover letter” and speak from the heart about what excites you about this job opportunity. While we ask that resumes be submitted in written form, we invite applicants to submit their personal statement via a written piece, audio or video recording – whatever form best supports your self-expression.
APPLY HERE. https://form.asana.com/?k=wfBBcU7AvsfgJA-VMCQZZQ&d=75190075101323
HIRING PROCESS:
Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis through March 14, 2025 by members of the senior leadership team including the Founding Artistic Director, Jason Eagan; applicants may also be pre-screened by a member of the HR team. Selected candidates will have a first round video interview with a member of the HR team and/or Interim Executive Director. Second Round Interviews will be in-person with members of our leadership team including the incoming Co-Artistic Directors. Finalists will 1) have a full day in-person with several members of the Ars Nova team and 2) meet with board leadership. The board will make the final hiring decision. Additionally, finalists may request a meeting with members of our affinity group for staff members who identify as people from the global majority if that perspective would be helpful to them. References will then be checked and an offer is expected to be made in April 2025, with a start date soon thereafter.
Managing Director
POST DATE: Feb 13, 2025
STATUS: Full-time permanent, exempt
SALARY: Level One of Ars Nova’s Fair Pay Guidelines: $135,000 - $145,000 annually, paid bi-weekly
Ars Nova is…
Please submit a resume and a personal statement. Ditch the “cover letter” and speak from the heart about what excites you about this job opportunity. While we ask that resumes be submitted in written form, we invite applicants to submit their personal statement via a written piece, audio or video recording – whatever form best supports your self-expression.
Please submit a resume and a personal statement. Ditch the “cover letter” and speak from the heart about what excites you about this job opportunity. While we ask that resumes be…