Director of Education

Core Competencies

• Translate mission into actionable education strategy and measurable growth.
• Builds trust while setting clear expectations and holding teams responsible for outcomes.
• Identifies community needs and designs responsive, sustainable programming.
• Understands best practices in arts education and maintains high teaching standards.
• Encourages communication and shared goals across disciplines.
• Uses enrollment trends, participation data, and evaluation tools to guide improvements and meet funding criteria.
• Balances long-term strategy with day-to-day oversight of schedules, budgets, and staffing.

Key Responsibilities

I. Strategic Leadership & Department Oversight

• Provide direct supervision and leadership to department coordinators in Clay, Visual Arts, Dance, Music, and FabLab.
• Set expectations and provide strategic guidance in program planning, scheduling, budgeting, and enrollment management.
• Develop annual growth objectives for educational partnerships, outreach participation, and school engagement, using measurable outcomes to evaluate success.
• Foster collaboration and alignment across disciplines to ensure a cohesive education program.
• Lead development and expansion of new classes, workshops, camps, intensives, and initiatives in response to community needs and enrollment trends.
• Serve as a key strategic partner to the Executive Director on education-related planning and growth.

II. Partnerships, Outreach & Community Engagement

• Develop and implement a comprehensive strategy for expanding Wayne Center for the Arts' educational partnerships throughout the region.
• Cultivate and maintain strong relationships with school districts, administrators, teachers, community organizations, libraries, social service agencies, healthcare providers, and other educational partners.
• Proactively identify, pursue, and secure new partnership opportunities that expand access to arts education and align with the organization's mission and strategic priorities.
• Represent Wayne Center for the Arts at community meetings, educational conferences, school events, and networking opportunities to strengthen visibility and establish new partnerships.

III. Curriculum Excellence & Instructional Leadership

• Ensure consistent curriculum quality, educational integrity, and alignment with organizational mission.
• Establish systems for instructor recruitment, onboarding, evaluation, and professional development in collaboration with coordinators.
• Conduct instructor observations and performance evaluations.
• Maintain clear standards for teaching excellence, safety, and student experience.

IV. Assessment, Data & Grant Support

• Collaborate with the Executive Director and Development Director to identify grant opportunities, sponsorships, and funding partnerships that support educational outreach and program expansion.
• Track partnership activity, participation, and outcomes to evaluate impact and inform future growth strategies.
• Oversee collection, tracking, and analysis of program data related to participation, outcomes, and demographics.
• Provide accurate data and narratives to support grant reporting.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in arts education, education, arts administration, nonprofit management, or related field.
• Minimum of 7 years of progressively responsible experience in arts education, program leadership, or nonprofit management.
• Demonstrated supervisory experience.
• Strong knowledge of curriculum development and best practices in arts education.
• Experience working with community partners and outreach-based programming.
• Familiarity with grant reporting, data collection, and program evaluation.
• Excellent organizational, communication, and leadership skills.
• Highly self-motivated and proactive, with a commitment to building strong, sustainable programs.
• Ability to travel to outreach partner sites.
• Evening and weekend hours as programs and events demand.

Prioritization of Skills & Attributes

• Experience in a multidisciplinary arts organization.
• Comfort overseeing studio-based and technical programs, including fabrication or maker spaces.
• Ability to balance big-picture strategy with operational detail.
• Collaborative leadership style grounded in inclusion, access, and community impact.
• Confidence representing the organization publicly and building external relationships.

Compensation

Salary $58,000 - $63,000 commensurate with experience, and health and vision insurance. A 3% IRA match is offered following one year of employment.