The posting
Important: We kindly request that you apply for this role by submitting your materials to: Diane Carlyle, DCX Search [email protected]
Overview For more than 125 years, The New York Public Library (NYPL) has been an essential provider of books, information, ideas, and education. With collections numbering more than 56 million items and serving more than 16 million patrons in person each year and millions more online, NYPL’s reach is both local and global. Our mission is to inspire lifelong learning, advance knowledge, and strengthen our communities.
At our world-class research centers–including the Humanities and Social Sciences Research Library at the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building, the Library for the Performing Arts, and the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture–expert staff facilitate the work of our diverse communities, offering inspiring reading rooms, exhibitions, fellowships, and a dynamic range of research services. Their work is supported by dedicated staff on the Collections and Research Services teams. We are proud to be the most public and widely used research library in the world.
The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts (LPA), located at Lincoln Center, houses one of the world's most extensive combinations of circulating, reference, and rare archival collections in its field. As part of The New York Public Library’s (NYPL) research centers, LPA is a vital cultural anchor dedicated to documenting and preserving the history of dance, drama, and music while fostering a living archive for artists, scholars, and the public.
The Associate Director of Education is a key member of the LPA senior leadership team, providing high-level, strategic vision for education at LPA and overseeing the programs and staff that bring the Library’s collections and performing arts expertise to learners from elementary school through post-secondary study and beyond. This leader will be collaborative, building on the expertise of their team, and will ensure that educational programming is balanced equitably across Dance, Music & Recorded Sound, and Theatre, resources are distributed strategically, and the Library’s educational activities align with the NYPL FY26–30 Strategy: Investing in Our Collective Potential. This leadership position will establish and execute a strategic and forward-thinking vision for school and student programs, teen programs, community outreach, fundraising, and collaborations with Lincoln Center’s resident organizations, positioning LPA as a leader in arts education in New York and nationally. While honoring the distinctiveness of each discipline, the Associate Director of Education drives a unified approach to performing arts education that fosters economic and social mobility and brings the history held in LPA’s collections into the classroom through primary-source inquiry. This position will play a central role in building a newly forming department at a pace the team can sustain, collaborating closely with NYPL’s Center for Educators and Schools, Branch Libraries Education, and the other research libraries to integrate LPA’s collections into citywide curricula, and working alongside the Associate Director of Curatorial Affairs & Collections and the Director of Public Services to connect curatorial expertise and public service to every learner.
Some expectations for this role that are within:
1 month, this person will:
- Meet with the education team to learn current programs, schedules, and how staff work across sites
- Meet with the leads of NYPL’s Center for Educators and Schools, Schomburg Education, and the Humanities and Social Sciences Research Library to understand their structures and programs
- Begin working closely with the Associate Director of Curatorial Affairs & Collections and the Director of Public Services to identify opportunities for collaboration
- Gain an understanding of LPA’s collections and how they are currently used in school, teen, and community programs
3 months, this person will:
- Assess the capacity of the education team against current programs and ambitions
- Learn the approvals and logistics required for school visits and programming that serves minors
- Begin understanding NYPL practices and policies for budget management, HR, fundraising, and public service, and clarify the department’s budget and funding at the start
- Build working relationships with the resident organizations across Lincoln Center and with the Strategy & Public Impact team
6 months and beyond, this person will:
- Develop, with the Executive Director, a vision and organizing structure for education, whether by grade level, discipline, or another model, and a case for sustainable growth tied to it
- Identify how LPA’s collections can support classroom learning across subjects and grade levels, including elementary students
- Establish data-informed measures of the effectiveness and reach of education and outreach, with the Strategy & Public Impact team
- Have built working relationships with Development, Communications, and curatorial colleagues to support fundraising and public engagement
Responsibilities Strategic Education Leadership & Vision
- Develop and implement a vision for LPA’s education department that aligns with NYPL’s goal to expand learning and democratize research, building on the expertise of the team and in collaboration with the Executive Director.
- Promote equity in access to arts education by balancing educational programs across all areas of LPA, while honoring the distinct subjects and histories of each discipline.
- Partner with NYPL’s Center for Educators and Schools (CES) and Branch Libraries Education to integrate LPA’s archival focus into citywide K-12 and post-secondary curricula and coordinate early with education leads at Schomburg and the Humanities and Social Sciences Research Library.
- Create a strategy for integrating students who use LPA as a third space into programs, exhibitions, and archival access.
- Partner with the Strategy & Public Impact team to develop data-informed models that assess the effectiveness and reach of education and outreach.
Operations
- Oversee, structure, and scale key initiatives, including TOFT in Schools, the Harvey Fierstein Theatre Lab, student tours and programs, and the Teen Theatre Ensemble, and create other opportunities for K-12 interaction with LPA.
- Lead change management and structure the newly forming department to maximize growth, efficiency, and impact, matching ambition to team capacity so that growth is sustainable.
- Supervise and mentor departmental staff, including early-career staff, fostering professional development and a “patron-first” mindset.
- Oversee the departmental budget and grant-funded projects.
- Direct the strategy for making LPA spaces and technical resources available to performing artists and local community members at free or highly subsidized rates, fostering a vibrant cultural gathering spot.
- Foster a culture of hospitality and inclusivity, aligning service training and frontline staff support with LPA’s role as a community anchor, in coordination with the Director of Public Services.
Programs, Curriculum & Public Impact
- Develop curriculum and instructional materials aligned to NYC, NYS, and national arts standards, designed to be digitally accessible across grade levels.
- Bring primary-source inquiry into educational programs and negotiate access to collections for educational use.
- Collaborate with the Associate Director of Curatorial Affairs & Collections to integrate curatorial expertise into educational initiatives and K-12 and post-secondary learning programs.
- Elevate LPA’s visibility and relevance by overseeing educational collaborations with Lincoln Center’s resident organizations, deepening existing relationships, and cultivating new alliances across the performing arts ecosystem.
Fundraising & Resource Development
- With the Executive Director and the Development department, identify, pursue, and manage grant opportunities and philanthropic support, including overseeing project execution and reporting compliance.
- Steward relationships with foundations and high-level individual donors focused on the performing arts.
External Relations and Communications
- Serve as a primary spokesperson for LPA Education, representing the Library to the media, stakeholders, donors, educators, and the broader performing arts community.
- Collaborate closely with the NYPL Communications teams to leverage programs and success stories for public engagement, including developing content for social media and digital platforms to raise the profile of the archive.
- Partner with Communications to proactively identify and pursue press opportunities related to major educational programs and institutional achievements.
- Perform other related duties as assigned.
Required Education, Experience & Skills
Required Education & Certifications
- Master’s degree or higher in Education, Liberal Arts, Performing Arts, Library Science, or a related field.
Required Experience
- 10+ years of related experience in education. Classroom experience helpful but not required. and 5 to 7 years of demonstrated supervisory and management experience.
- 5 to 7 years of demonstrated supervisory and management experience.
- Deep knowledge of the history and current landscape of the performing arts (Theatre, Dance, and/or Music), with a commitment to representing diverse voices.
- Knowledge of NYC & NYS education standards for curriculum and instruction.
Required Skills
- Programmatic Diplomacy, Strategy and Management: Ability to balance and connect the specific needs and expertise of individual programs with the broader goals and strategic priorities of the institution. Strong project management skills and demonstrated ability to lead complex programs, including partnerships with NYC Public Schools.
- Curriculum and Instruction: Experience developing curriculum and materials aligned to NYS and national arts standards and digitally accessible curriculum across grade levels. Values the collections and their history; experience with collections-based learning strongly preferred.
- Internal and External Partnership: Demonstrated success building lasting partnerships with schools, cultural organizations, and community-based organizations and engaging and serving diverse audiences, from K-12 students to scholars and arts practitioners. Internally, ability to work across departments, build consensus, and resolve complex problems.
- Team Leadership: Collaborative, visible leader who builds trust and inspires a team, develops and mentors talent, and brings staff along through change with clarity, transparency, and care.
- Fundraising: Demonstrated success in grant-writing, donor cultivation, and securing support for educational initiatives
- Communication: Exceptional public speaking and writing skills; the ability to represent the Library’s educational programs with authority and passion
- Excellent problem-solving, advocacy, and decision-making skills
Managerial/Supervisory Responsibilities:
- Provides leadership and direction to managers, supervisors, and professional staff across multiple medium-to-large educational programs.
- Directs and manages the activities of several medium to large educational programs, acting as a key driver of operational and strategic alignment within the Library for the Performing Arts.
More...
Core Values All team members are expected and encouraged to embody the NYPL Core Values:
- Be Helpful to patrons and colleagues
- Be Resourceful in solving problems
- Be Curious in all aspects of your work
- Be Welcoming and Inclusive
Work Environment
- Research Library
Physical Duties
- Some light lifting/moving may be required
Pre-Placement Physical Required?
- No
Union/Non Union
- Non-Union
FLSA Status
- Exempt
Schedule
- M-F, 35 hours a week, largely onsite with possibility of 2 remote days. Some evenings and weekends required
This job description represents the types and levels of responsibilities that will be required of the position and shall not be construed as a declaration of all of the specific duties and responsibilities for the role. Job duties may change if Library priorities change. Employees may be directed to perform job-related tasks other than those specifically presented in this description as needed.
The New York Public Library Salary Statement
At the Library, we believe that pay transparency and pay equity are important to ensuring we source the best candidates and keep the best employees. When making a determination as to the appropriate salary for a candidate, we consider a variety of factors such, including, but not limited to, the position requirements, the skills, prior experience, and educational background required or preferred for the job, the scope and impact of the role within the organization, internal peer equity, and the candidate's specific training, experience, education level, and skills. No single factor is conclusive; the Library reserves the right to consider any and all relevant factors and make a decision consistent with its policies.
Union Salaries are determined by collective bargaining agreement(s).
Contact and Process
New York Public Library for the Performing Arts (LPA) has retained Diane Carlyle Executive Search (www.dcxsearch.com) to support the search for the Associate Director of Education and Collections. We welcome comments, nominations, or expressions of interest. All applicants are asked to include a letter of interest with their resume. Please send an email with supporting materials to: [email protected].
Important: We kindly request that you apply for this role by submitting your materials to: Diane Carlyle, DCX Search [email protected]
