Managing Director

Position Summary
As a member of ArtYard’s senior leadership team and reporting to the Executive Director, the Managing Director will provide strategic and operational oversight at a pivotal moment in the organization’s growth. The Managing Director will ensure that ArtYard remains financially sound, well managed, and aligned with its mission as a multidisciplinary arts organization, playing a central role in shaping the systems and structures that support its artistic ambitions. They will lead all finance and business operations, including budgeting, accounting oversight, fiscal compliance, and reporting to the Executive Director, Board, and regulatory agencies. They will steward ArtYard’s facilities, guide human resources functions, and ensure that visitor services reflect the organization’s commitment to hospitality, accessibility, and community engagement. Working closely with the Executive Director, the Managing Director will help translate organizational priorities into clear operational goals, foster cross departmental collaboration, and support the execution of programs, exhibitions, and festival events. The Managing Director will play a key part in sustaining ArtYard’s creative culture and advancing its long term strategic direction, offering an exceptional opportunity to contribute to an innovative arts organization known for experimentation, community connection, and bold artistic vision.

Organization
ArtYard is a contemporary arts center dedicated to serving as an incubator for creative expression and a catalyst for collaborations that illuminate the transformational power of art. Founded on the belief that artistic exploration thrives in an environment of curiosity and care, ArtYard is both a physical campus and an animating ethos, a multidisciplinary hub where artists are invited to stay, work, and share their practice within a supportive community.

Located along the Delaware River and just 75 minutes from both New York City and Philadelphia, ArtYard’s campus includes ArtYard Center, a state of the art exhibition facility with four galleries and a 162 seat theater; the five bedroom Creekside Residence and five apartment Bridge Street Residences for visiting artists; and ArtYard Workshop, a flexible space for exhibition preparation, events, and artistic experimentation. Together, these facilities enable ArtYard to support artists at every stage of their creative journey, from early incubation to full public presentation.

Artists in residence receive far more than time and space. They are welcomed into a vibrant community, supported with meaningful stipends and state of the art technical resources, and encouraged to share their process through public talks, open rehearsals, and participatory workshops. ArtYard embraces experimentation as an essential part of artistic growth, fostering an environment where discovery and risk taking are celebrated. The integration of residencies, exhibitions, performances, festivals, and community programs allows artists to move fluidly across disciplines and engage audiences eager to explore the creative process. Work developed at ArtYard has gone on to be presented at leading cultural institutions, including the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, the Brooklyn Academy of Music, and the Museum of Latin American Art, underscoring the organization’s role as a launchpad for ambitious artistic projects.

Since opening in 2016, ArtYard has earned a reputation for presenting exhibitions of international scope and for championing artists whose voices have been historically underrepresented. Its curatorial program foregrounds BIPOC, LGBTQ+, immigrant, disabled, older adult, and women artists, pairing this commitment with robust contextual programming. Regular convenings of artists, critics, scholars, and audiences deepen engagement with the themes explored in ArtYard’s exhibitions and performances.

ArtYard has also nurtured the development of its sibling nonprofit, Studio Route 29, located on the ArtYard campus. A leader in the Progressive Studio movement pioneered by Creative Growth in Oakland, Studio Route 29 provides a platform for neurodiverse artists. ArtYard dedicates one of its four galleries to exhibiting work by neurodiverse and neurotypical artists side by side, an approach recently recognized at a Museum of Modern Art panel as a model for other arts organizations.

ArtYard is governed by a seven-member board of trustees led by Board Chair and Executive Director Jill Kearney. For the fiscal year ending December 31, 2024, ArtYard reported total operating revenue of $2.2 million, supported by $1 million in sales of assets, $429,385 in dividends, $381,760 in other income, and $249,930 in contributions received. The organization’s assets currently stand at $51 million.

Community
With its historic charm and riverside setting, Frenchtown is a small but vibrant community perched along the Delaware River, just steps from the rolling landscapes of bucolic Bucks County. Long a haven for bohemians, bicyclists, and creative thinkers, the town has cultivated a distinctive character shaped by its natural beauty, independent spirit, and emerging arts scene. Visitors and residents alike enjoy riverside bike paths, wooded hiking trails, historic hotels, and an array of local restaurants and cafés that reflect the region’s eclectic sensibilities. Frenchtown is home to a world class independent bookstore operated by a retired New York Times designer, as well as Finnbar, a celebrated veggie forward restaurant led by Cal Peternell, former head chef of Chez Panisse in Berkeley, California. Families benefit from a range of educational options, including highly rated public schools in nearby Bucks County, a beloved elementary school in Frenchtown proper, and Waldorf and Montessori programs. The town and surrounding region have long been known for their LGBTQ friendly culture, a legacy rooted in decades of community life in New Hope and Lambertville, just 25 minutes to the south.

Frenchtown’s community life is animated by a year-round calendar of events that bring people together and celebrate local creativity. ArtYard is a vital contributor to the community’s vibrancy, hosting film festivals, a Tiny Talks series spanning topics from bees to batik, as well as music and dance performances, poetry readings, and its biennial Hatch and Aqualumina Festival, which activates the entire town and riverside. While its reach is international, ArtYard is deeply rooted in Frenchtown’s ecosystem, embracing its role as part of a larger whole and actively stimulating the local community. Seasonal art walks, outdoor markets, and holiday festivals transform the historic downtown into a lively hub of activity, while music and cultural events spill into parks, sidewalks, and shared public spaces. More recent traditions, such as the Pride festival, now in its seventh year, underscore Frenchtown’s welcoming ethos and collaborative spirit. Summer concerts, film nights, and community fundraisers invite participation from all ages, filling the town’s streets with color, sound, and a palpable sense of connection.

Together, these traditions reflect a broader identity in Frenchtown, one where local culture thrives alongside natural beauty, and civic warmth and creative energy shape daily life. Whether attending a downtown block party, browsing an artisan fair, or enjoying a quiet evening by the river after a community concert, residents experience Frenchtown not merely as a picturesque destination but as a place defined by engagement, pride, and shared endeavor. The blend of artistic vitality, neighborly spirit, and riverside tranquility is central to Frenchtown’s enduring appeal.

Sources: Frenchtownboro.com, Frenchtownalive.com, Lovefrenchtown.org, Travelandleisure.com

Roles and Responsibilities
Organizational Leadership
• Provide strategic and operational leadership as a member of the senior leadership team, collaborating with the Executive Director to inform decision making, set priorities, and advance organizational goals.
• Report to the Executive Director and Board on operational and financial matters, offering transparent analysis, timely updates, and informed recommendations that support effective governance.
• Supervise the Human Resources Manager, Facilities Maintenance Supervisor, Finance Manager, IT Support, and Gallery/Theater Manager, ensuring clarity of roles, accountability, and alignment with organizational needs.
• Support staff professional development through an equity management approach, providing coaching, training, and opportunities that promote growth, inclusion, and professional advancement.
• Serve as an escalation point for employee relations issues, supporting resolution and organizational alignment.
• Embrace additional organizational leadership responsibilities as required.

Finance and Budgeting
• Partner with Finance staff to develop, manage, and monitor organizational budgets, ensuring accurate tracking of income and expenses.
• Lead the annual budgeting process, including oversight of the wage compensation program and long term financial planning.
• Develop exhibition budgets with the Executive Director and curatorial team, aligning artistic goals with financial stewardship.
• Review and monitor quarterly and annual financial reports and prepare analyses, recommendations, and presentations for Board of Directors meetings.
• Evaluate best practices and assess internal systems and resource needs, balancing future organizational requirements with fiscal responsibility.
• Embrace additional finance and budgeting responsibilities as required.

Operations
• Engage in strategic and organizational planning, fostering cross functional communication and collaboration to strengthen cohesion and operational excellence across departments.
• Maintain a visible, solutions-oriented presence at performances and events, reinforcing operational readiness, guest experience standards, and ArtYard’s commitment to hospitality and community engagement.
• Gather and respond to feedback from visitors, clients, and community partners to continually strengthen operations and guest experience.
• Embrace additional operations responsibilities as required.

Administration and Oversight
• Oversee property management functions, including rental tenants, vendors, and architects, and resolve any operational issues as they arise.
• Manage building systems, maintenance, repairs, and vendor relationships across HVAC, security, information technology, deliveries, cleaning maintenance services, and capital equipment needs.
• Provide project management for festival events, ensuring operational readiness, coordination, and execution.
• Develop and refine systems for scheduling, event coordination, service agreements, production logistics, and vendor management to support efficient operations.
• Oversee insurance, risk management, information technology, execution of contracts, and serve as liaison with legal counsel as needed.
• Ensure compliance with federal, state, and local laws and regulations.
• Maintain and communicate safety and compliance procedures, including physical work safety rules, emergency egress protocols, and required staff training.
• Embrace additional administration and oversight responsibilities as required.

Traits and Characteristics
The Managing Director will be a people-centered, emotionally intelligent leader who communicates clearly, listens actively, and builds trust across a wide range of stakeholders. Fluency in visual art and performance culture, and the organizational systems that support them, is essential. A commitment to equity, access, and inclusive leadership, along with the ability to foster a culture of transparency, responsiveness, and professionalism, is foundational to success in the role.

Other key competencies include the following:
• Planning, Organizing, and Project Management – The acumen to utilize objectives and resources to translate artistic vision into executable programming aligned with organizational goals, budgets, and logistical realities while managing multiple complex tasks, mobilizing wide-ranging resources, and delivering desired outcomes within allotted time frames and budgets.
• Teamwork and Interpersonal Skills – The acuity to achieve shared success, recognizing and valuing individual contributions, and cultivating an inclusive and respectful organizational culture, while effectively communicating, building rapport, and relating well to a variety of stakeholders.
• Time and Priority Management – The dexterity to prioritize and complete tasks to deliver desired outcomes within allotted time frames, in accordance with the dynamics and nature of the performing arts.
• Diplomacy – The ability to effectively and tactfully handle difficult or sensitive issues and the versatility to modify, respond, and adapt to change and challenges with minimal resistance and maximum efficiency.

Qualifications
The Managing Director will be a strong business manager who understands project management, delegation, department coordination, collaboration, and communication. A bachelor’s degree and a minimum of five years of nonprofit arts management experience are preferred. Demonstrated fluency in operational and administrative systems and strong technical proficiency, including comfort with platforms such as Airtable is extremely desirable, and willingness to learn systems is essential. Experience overseeing cross-functional teams, managing complex event or venue operations, and coordinating financial and vendor systems, preferably within an arts or cultural environment, is necessary. The Managing Director must also be able to meet the physical demands of the position. Equity-centered organizational practice is highly valued, as is familiarity with community-engaged programming.

ArtYard values the many ways leadership and operational expertise are developed, both professionally and personally, and strongly encourages applications from individuals whose lived experience and diverse career paths have comparably prepared them to provide operational and cultural leadership at the highest level.

Compensation and Benefits
ArtYard offers a collaborative, supportive work environment that values innovation and inclusivity. This full-time position is based in Frenchtown, New Jersey, with regular in-person on-site time required, including presence at evening and weekend performances and events. Salary will be commensurate with experience, with a stated range of $110,000 to $115,000, plus 403(b) and employer-matched health insurance.

Applications and Inquiries
To submit a cover letter and resume with a summary of demonstrable accomplishments, please visit https://artsconsulting.com/opensearches/artyard-seeks-managing-director/

ArtYard is an Equal Opportunity Employer and welcomes candidates regardless of race, color, sex, age, national origin, creed, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or political affiliation.