Manager, Residencies & School Partnerships

New Jersey Performing Arts Center • Newark, New Jersey, United States • $65k - $72k / year • 23h ago

About the Role

NJPAC's Center for Arts Education brings the arts into classrooms across New Jersey, with deep roots in Newark and the Greater Newark Area. The Manager of Residencies & School Partnerships is the person who makes those partnerships work: renewing and growing school partnerships, matching schools with the right Teaching Artists (TAs), and seeing every residency through from first conversation to the culminating experience.

We're looking for a driven, organized relationship-builder who is equally comfortable meeting with a principal, supporting a Teaching Artist, and keeping contracts, schedules and data in order. This role brings fresh ideas for new residencies and builds strong programs on trust with schools and Teaching Artists alike.

The Manager is the primary day-to-day contact for school partners and for all TAs assigned to residencies, and works closely with the Manager of Sales and Outreach and the Creative and Performance teams.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Duties include but are not limited to:

Residency and Teaching Artist Management (40%)

Support the recruitment, matching and assignment of TAs to residencies based on art form, grade level, school culture and partner goals, drawing on the vetted TA roster and planning staffing ahead from the sales pipeline.
Serve as the day-to-day contact for residency TAs: field questions, troubleshoot classroom and scheduling issues, and provide steady support throughout each residency.
Onboard TAs to each site with clear orientation on school policies, schedules, classroom teacher expectations and residency goals.
Facilitate planning meetings between TAs and classroom teachers so residencies are co-planned and aligned to the New Jersey Student Learning Standards for the Visual and Performing Arts.
Maintain a working knowledge of all residency curricula and ensure each program meets its structure and learning goals.
Conduct site visits and classroom observations, and report observations and quality concerns to the Director of Faculty and Curriculum.
Attend culminating performances (final shares) and support tabling events, exhibitions and partner showcases.

Operations and Compliance (35%)

Prepare and send letters of agreement (LOAs), school contracts, forms and orientation materials, and confirm schools and TAs within SOP timelines (14–21 days before each residency starts).
Manage residency scheduling and logistics, including space, materials, room access and school-calendar conflicts such as testing windows and holidays.
Keep residency data accurate and current in Salesforce and the residency tracker.
Review and approve TA hours for payroll accurately and on schedule.
Attend residency projection meetings with Finance, and raise capacity or staffing concerns with leadership before any residency is declined or changed.
Monitor residency budgets, collect feedback from partners, teachers and TAs, and supply data and narrative for grant and funder reports.

Partner Relationships and Renewals (20%)

Lead mid-year and end-of-year check-ins with existing partners, and open renewal, multi-year and expansion conversations before the school budget season.
Build relationships beyond a single contact at each school (principal, arts supervisor, classroom teachers, after-school coordinators).
Support the Manager of Sales and Outreach on discovery conversations and residency proposals for new schools, districts and community partners, with weekly check-ins on the pipeline and TA availability.
Represent NJPAC at school, district and community events, communicating the mission and value of NJPAC Arts Education.

Additional Tasks as assigned (5%)

Qualifications

Experience and Education

Two or more years of experience in arts education program management, with responsibility for coordinating teaching artists, faculty or staff and delivering school-based programs.
Two or more years of experience working in or with schools (in-school, after-school or summer camp settings); familiarity with how schools make decisions, schedule and budget.
Preferably a bachelor's degree in the arts, arts education or a related field, or equivalent experience.

Skills and Qualities

Relationship-builder: builds trust quickly with principals, teachers and artists, and keeps partners and TAs feeling supported and heard.
Persuasive communicator: strong written and verbal skills; translates program value into terms that matter to school leaders.
Highly organized and self-directed: manages many residencies, deadlines and stakeholders at once, follows through, and adapts calmly when schedules or school priorities change.
Culturally responsive: strong understanding of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in practice, including anti-racist and culturally responsive approaches to teaching and partnership.
Proficiency in Google Workspace and Salesforce (or willingness to learn)

Work Requirements

Reliable transportation for travel throughout New Jersey; travel up to 50%.
Able to sub for a residency as a last resort, only when a scheduling conflict cannot be resolved.