Entry Level Arts Administration Jobs in California

Lord Cultural Resources is seeking an entry level Consultant to join our West Coast team. This is an opportunity for a California-based emerging professional with a background or interest in arts, culture, and creative industries to gain experience working at the intersection of cultural planning, public art, and museum strategy. The ideal candidate brings curiosity-fueled initiative, excellent research and writing skills, and a foundational understanding of cultural ecosystems—whether through academic study, internship experience, or early professional roles.

As part of our collaborative consulting team, you will contribute to a range of projects that support cities, organizations, and artists in the advancement of arts and culture. We are seeking a strong and motivated collaborator who thrives in a fast-paced environment, enjoys working on diverse projects, and is comfortable as an individual contributor to multi-team endeavors.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Research & Project Support

• Join project teams and sit in on client and internal meetings, gaining hands-on exposure to real client work.
• Dig into qualitative and quantitative research — literature reviews, landscape scans, benchmarking, stakeholder surveys, interviews, and policy analysis.
• Keep projects moving with scheduling, notetaking, and file organization.
• Spot case studies, precedents, and emerging trends across cultural policy, public art, museum practice, and funding.
• Help coordinate multi-phase client projects, from tracking meetings to working with designers and developers on report production and client-facing materials.
• Serve as a point of contact for client communication on specific tasks and projects.

Strategy & Writing

• Help draft reports, memos, presentations, and proposals.
• Bring your ideas to internal brainstorms and help shape recommendations.

Community & Stakeholder Engagement

• Support outreach and logistics for workshops, surveys, pop-ups, and interviews.
• Help turn community input into insight by analyzing survey and interview data.

Administration

• Handle day-to-day admin — information requests, timesheets, expense reports — and help keep project files (contracts, budgets, invoices, deliverables) organized and easy to find.
• Take on other project-related tasks as they come up.

Your Profile

Undergraduate degree from a 4-year accredited university or college in a relevant field.

1–3 years of relevant experience (internships included) in arts administration, urban planning, public art, cultural policy, research, or a related field.

Strong writing and communication skills.

Proven research and analytical skills, including analyzing qualitative and quantitative data to identify trends and support recommendations.

Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite and Google Workspace; experience with design or data visualization tools (e.g., Canva, PowerPoint) is a plus.

Strong work ethic with the motivation to learn on the job and manage multiple priorities.

Excellent attention to detail, time management, and project management skills.

Able to work both independently and collaboratively.

Flexible availability to work across time zones as needed.

Highly organized, detail-oriented, and proactive.

Genuine enthusiasm for museums, culture, and the arts.

Commitment to equity, inclusion, and the role of culture in building vibrant, connected communities.

Familiarity with Lord Cultural Resources’ methodologies and/or willing to excel in them as expressed in The Manual of Museum Planning, 3rd Edition 2012, The Manual of Museum Management, 3rd Edition 2009, The Manual of Museum Exhibitions, 3rd Edition 2022, The Manual of Strategic Planning for Cultural Organizations, 2nd ed. 2017, The Manual of Museum Learning, 2nd ed., 2016 and other publications as required.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Direct experience (internships accepted) working in a museum or cultural institution.
• Familiarity with the U.S. arts and culture landscape, including nonprofits, public agencies, and philanthropic foundations.
• Advanced Excel skills, including pivot tables, cross-tabulation, and modeling of raw data.
• Proficiency in additional languages such as Spanish, French, German, or Arabic.

We value lived experience, creative thinking, and community knowledge as well as formal credentials. If this position resonates with you, please apply — even if you don't check every box.

This is a full-time, permanent role reporting to a Senior Consultant.

Salary range: $55–70K, plus healthcare and benefits, commensurate with skills and experience. Lord Cultural Resources maintains a satellite office in Culver City, CA; LA-based candidates are preferred, with an expectation to work from the office 1–2 days/week. Some travel within the U.S. is required.

How to Apply

Interested candidates are invited to submit their application to hr@lord.ca. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

Our Los Angeles office occupies the ancestral and traditional lands still inhabited and cared for by the Gabrieliño-Tongva. We honor and pay respect to the Elders and descendants — past, present, and emerging — as they continue their stewardship of these lands and waters. We encourage you to acknowledge their presence, wherever you are.

Lord Cultural Resources is an equal opportunity workplace and welcomes cultural diversity in our workforce. We are committed to inclusive, barrier-free recruitment and selection processes, and work environment in accordance with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA). We will be happy to work with applicants requesting accommodation at any stage of the hiring process.

Candidate management processes at Lord Cultural Resources are handled by humans.