Director of Cultural Arts
About The Position
The Director of Cultural Arts is a visionary cultural leader responsible for developing, curating, and implementing a dynamic range of arts, culture, and educational programs that reflect Jewish values, creativity, history, and contemporary Jewish life. This role oversees the Dr. Esther Grushkin Center for Arts & Culture and collaborates with departments across the JCC to ensure cultural arts serve as an inspiring gateway to Jewish connection for people of all ages and backgrounds. The Senior Director supervises arts staff, teaching artists, Israeli emissaries, interns, and volunteers, while working closely with community partners, educators, and the Center for Lifelong Development. ABOUT YOU You are a passionate cultural arts professional who will design innovative programs, nurture community partnerships, and expand the JCC’s cultural impact. You strive to make Jewish life accessible through creative experiences, deepen cultural literacy, and bring diverse Jewish and Israeli voices to the community. You enjoy leading teams collaboratively, inspiring creativity in others, and working with colleagues to build a vibrant and inclusive cultural hub.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree or professional experience in arts administration, Jewish education, cultural programming, museum/theater/arts management, or related field preferred.
- Demonstrated experience in designing or managing arts and cultural programming.
- Knowledge of Jewish history, culture, and Israel, with comfort facilitating learning in cultural settings.
- Strong organizational, communication, and leadership skills, with experience supervising teams.
- Ability to manage multiple projects and work a flexible schedule, including evenings and weekends.
- Genuine passion for the arts, Jewish life, creativity, and community building.
Responsibilities
- Develop and execute a robust calendar of arts and culture programs for adults, including lectures, concerts, film screenings, exhibitions, theater events, trips, workshops, author talks, and holiday celebrations.
- Oversee programming for the Center for Lifelong Development and lead programming for the Dr. Esther Grushkin Center for Arts & Culture , ensuring offerings are engaging, accessible, and rooted in Jewish learning and creative expression.
- Coordinate select family programs, including the annual Richmond County Orchestra event.
- Embed Jewish values, history, tradition, and cultural narratives into programming through arts education, storytelling, and experiential learning.
- Collaborate with youth, family, senior, and education departments to provide meaningful learning opportunities through the arts.
- Build and maintain relationships with local artists, arts organizations, synagogues, schools, community partners, and Israeli cultural institutions.
- Serve as a cultural ambassador, expanding visibility and participation in Jewish arts and culture throughout Staten Island and beyond.
- Supervise staff, teaching artists, Israeli emissaries (shlichim), and volunteers connected to the Dr. Esther Grushkin Center for Arts & Culture.
- Oversee program budgets, artist contracts, logistics, and scheduling with strategic and fiscal responsibility.
- Collaborate with the Communications Department to promote cultural programming and grow audiences.
- Lead planning and execution of the semi-annual Grushkin Gala fundraiser.
- Oversee and sustain an active Arts & Culture Advisory Committee made up of dedicated volunteer community members.
- Champion Israeli arts and culture through innovative programming that highlights Israeli society, creativity, diversity, and contemporary life.
- Host Israeli artists, performers, and educators, and integrate global Jewish cultural traditions (Sephardi, Mizrahi, Ethiopian, Ashkenazi, Russian-speaking, and more).
- Work with partners in our sister city, Binyamina, Israel , to coordinate delegations, cultural exchanges, and Maccabi-related teen experiences.
- Support ongoing teen programming in collaboration with Israeli emissaries in local schools, at the JCC, and within Early Childhood Education.
Benefits
- The JCC of Staten Island is committed to keeping you and your family healthy and happy through a comprehensive benefits program.
- Offerings include: subsidized options for Medical; offerings for Dental and Vision coverage, FSA and Dependent Care.
- We also offer free LTD, STD, Life Insurance, a Pension, 403B, generous program discounts, free membership, ample time off and much more!
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Director
Number of Employees
101-250 employees
