Associate Director, Curatorial Affairs & Collections - Library for the Performing Arts

The New York Public Library•New York, NY

19d•$135,000 - $150,000•Hybrid

About The Position

The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts (LPA), located at Lincoln Center, houses extensive circulating, reference, and rare archival collections documenting dance, theatre, music, and recorded sound. The Associate Director of Curatorial Affairs & Collections is a member of LPA’s senior leadership team, providing strategic curatorial direction and overseeing the Curators of Dance, Music & Recorded Sound, and Theatre. The role builds on the expertise of these teams, supports equitable resource allocation, and aligns collecting and programming with NYPL’s FY26–30 strategy. The Associate Director establishes a forward-looking vision for collecting, scholarly and public outreach, exhibitions, programs, fundraising, and publications. The role promotes a unified approach across divisions while respecting their distinct subjects, formats, and histories, and supports NYPL’s position as a global leader in collections-based public scholarship. In collaboration with Collections and Research Services, the Associate Director also shapes LPA’s digital strategy, prioritizes high-impact digitization, and oversees workflows that make digitized performing arts materials accessible to global audiences. The position manages and mentors three curators, who in turn manage other staff, and works closely with library leadership and teams across collections, preservation, processing, public programs, education, development, legal, and communications. The role includes strategic and operational leadership, public representation of LPA collections, donor and partner relationship management, and oversight of research fellowships and interpretive projects.

Requirements

Advanced academic degree in the performing arts, humanities, library sciences, or a related field; a terminal degree is preferred.
At least 10 years of experience at a collecting institution, including acquisitions and collection development.
Five to seven years of experience managing and mentoring high-level professionals, such as curators, faculty, or scholars.
Experience with, exposure to, or participation in digitization projects, digital repository initiatives, or digital access workflows in a library, archive, or cultural institution.
Experience collaborating across functions and departments to shape and execute institutional priorities.
Budget and administrative management experience.
Commitment to representing the full breadth of the performing arts and its diverse voices and histories.
Ability to balance the expertise and needs of individual divisions with institutional goals, connect local work to system-wide goals, build consensus, and resolve complex problems.
Collaborative, visible leadership; ability to build trust, inspire a team, develop and mentor talent, and guide staff through change with clarity, transparency, and care.
Working knowledge of digital access trends, multimedia rights clearance, or digitization approaches that extend archival collections’ reach to global audiences.
Demonstrated success in grant writing, donor cultivation, and securing support for large-scale curatorial projects.
Exceptional public speaking and writing skills, and ability to represent the Library’s collections with authority and passion.
Excellent problem-solving, advocacy, and decision-making skills.
Ability to manage a team of three curators, each of whom manages managers, specialists, or more junior curatorial staff.
Availability for some evening and Saturday work.

Nice To Haves

Terminal academic degree.
Deep knowledge of the history and current landscape of theatre, dance, and/or music.

Responsibilities

Establish and drive an overarching curatorial strategy for LPA across the Dance, Music & Recorded Sound, and Theatre divisions, in collaboration with the Executive Director and other curatorial and collections leaders.
Work with curators to identify acquisition priorities, including diversifying the archive and documenting underrepresented performing arts histories, while following collection-development parameters.
Directly oversee and mentor the Curators of Dance, Music & Recorded Sound, and Theatre, ensuring equitable distribution of resources, staffing, and institutional support.
Serve in leadership roles on NYPL-wide working groups and committees.
Partner with Collection Development to streamline special-collection acquisitions, train curators on evolving processes, and oversee acquisition budgets across divisions and cost centers.
Partner with Preservation Services on security, storage, and management of special collections and coordinate curatorial workflows for collection movement, exhibitions, loans, requests, and displays.
Work with Collections and Research Services and curators to establish digitization priorities that reflect diverse, underrepresented, and highly requested histories while balancing physical preservation needs.
Collaborate with Legal and Collections and Research Services on performance rights, copyright, and licensing to expand safe online access to digitized materials.
Ensure curatorial teams work effectively with Special Collection Processing teams to prioritize archival processing and rare-materials cataloging.
Partner with Curators and Public Programs & Exhibitions to develop and deliver interpretive projects, ensuring they reflect LPA values and include diverse voices, including guest curators.
Oversee the overall vision for LPA Research Fellowships and support new and diverse scholarship using LPA collections.
Collaborate with the Associate Director of Education to integrate curatorial expertise into educational initiatives and K–12 and post-secondary programs.
Partner with the Director of Public Service to integrate curatorial and subject-matter expertise into public services.
Work with the Fleischman Executive Director and Development department to identify grant opportunities and philanthropic support, and oversee completion and reporting for grant-funded projects.
Steward relationships with high-level individual donors and foundations.
Represent LPA collections to media, stakeholders, donors, the academic community, and the broader performing arts community.
Lead, manage, and evaluate strategic partnerships with arts companies, academic and cultural institutions, and foundations.
Work with NYPL Communications teams to use collection materials for public engagement, including social media and digital content.
Partner with Communications to identify press opportunities related to acquisitions, collection milestones, and institutional achievements, and serve as a primary curatorial media liaison.
Perform other related duties as assigned.