Studio Director Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

We are currently looking to hire a Studio Director to join our team (embedded with our client in San Francisco, CA)! 

JOB DESCRIPTION: 

The Director is responsible for the overall leadership, operation, and stewardship of Space Program, a privately funded San Francisco-based artist residency that provides artists across a range of disciplines with the space, resources, and time to create while fostering meaningful artistic collaboration and community engagement. Through thoughtfully curated residencies, exhibitions, educational initiatives, and public programming, Space Program plays a unique role in supporting artists and contributing to the vitality of the Bay Area arts community. 

Reporting directly to the Principals, the Director serves as Space Program's operational leader, translating the Principals' vision into an exceptional artist experience while overseeing the creative, operational, and organizational activities that support each residency. The Director leads artist recruitment and engagement, residency planning, creative project development, exhibitions and public programming, community relationships, and day-to-day operations while serving as a creative mentor to resident artists and providing leadership to the Studio Manager & Print Technician to ensure each residency is thoughtfully planned and successfully executed.

This position calls for a thoughtful leader who combines creative leadership with exceptional organizational discipline, sound judgment, initiative, and a deep appreciation for stewardship. Working in close partnership with the Principals, the Director is entrusted with preserving and strengthening the collaborative culture, artistic excellence, and reputation that have made Space Program a respected and highly regarded artist residency.

The role is intentionally structured as a flexible, part-time exempt leadership position, typically requiring an average commitment of approximately 30 hours per week. While workload will naturally fluctuate throughout the year based on residency schedules, exhibitions, and program activities, the position is designed to allow the Director to maintain an active artistic practice. Consistent with the Principals' vision for Space Program as a mature and highly successful organization, the Director's primary responsibility is to steward and strengthen the existing program through exceptional resident experiences and operational excellence rather than continual organizational expansion. 

Success is measured by the quality of the resident experience, artistic outcomes, operational excellence, and the Director's ability to thoughtfully steward organizational capacity. As new opportunities emerge, the Director works collaboratively with the Principals to balance priorities and available resources, recognizing that meaningful additions may require corresponding reprioritization of existing commitments. 

RESPONSIBILITIES: 
STRATEGIC LEADERSHIP & PROGRAM STEWARDSHIP

• Stewardship: Serve as the steward of the Principals' vision for Space Program, ensuring the organization continues to fulfill its mission while preserving the scale, culture, and artistic excellence that define its success.
• Creative Stewardship: Guide the overall quality, integrity, and creative direction of residency experiences, exhibitions, and programming while preserving the collaborative culture that defines Space Program.
• Operational Leadership: Lead the day-to-day operation of Space Program, ensuring its mission, culture, and values are consistently reflected throughout all programming and resident experiences. 
• Capacity Planning: Regularly assess organizational priorities, available resources, and operational capacity, providing recommendations to the Principals regarding the sequencing and reprioritization of new initiatives to sustain a high-quality resident experience.
• Principal Partnership: Partner closely with the Principals to establish annual priorities while providing thoughtful recommendations regarding programming, partnerships, organizational opportunities, and capacity.
• Implementation: Translate strategic direction into practical implementation plans and oversee successful execution of approved initiatives. 
• Organizational Reputation: Preserve Space Program's reputation through thoughtful leadership and consistently exceptional resident experiences.

RESIDENCY & PROGRAM OPERATIONS

• Residency Leadership: Direct all aspects of the artist residency program, including maintaining a thoughtfully planned residency calendar, artist recruitment, selection, onboarding, scheduling, and ongoing resident support. 
• Creative Project Development: Partner with resident artists from the earliest planning stages to refine project concepts, evaluate feasibility, coordinate resources with the Studio Manager & Print Technician, and guide each residency from concept through execution.
• Residency & Program Delivery: Oversee the successful execution of residencies, exhibitions, artist talks, workshops, open studios, and community programs while ensuring an exceptional artist experience.
• Facility Oversight: Ensure studios, workshops, equipment, and shared creative spaces remain safe, functional, and supportive of artists' creative practice.
• Operational Coordination: Coordinate residency schedules, studio assignments, vendors, logistics, and facility usage to ensure efficient daily operations. 
• Resource Stewardship: Coordinate project resources and approved budgets while exercising responsible stewardship of materials and operational resources.

ARTIST & COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

• Community Leadership: Build meaningful relationships throughout the Bay Area arts community while serving as Space Program's primary ambassador to artists, galleries, collectors, alumni, and cultural partners.
• Creative Mentorship: Serve as a trusted mentor and creative sounding board for resident artists, providing artistic guidance, constructive feedback, and collaborative support that helps artists fully realize their creative vision throughout the residency.

Resident Experience: Foster a welcoming, collaborative residency environment that enables artists to make the most of their residency while encouraging meaningful engagement within the Space Program community. 

• Partnership Development: Conduct residency tours and cultivate partnerships that support Space Program's mission, bringing recommendations to the Principals for approval.

PEOPLE MANAGEMENT

• Team Leadership: Provide leadership and direction to the Studio Manager & Print Technician, integrating technical production, artist instruction, studio operations, facility readiness, and resident support into each residency.
• Work Planning: Coordinate workloads, production schedules, residency preparation, and operational priorities to ensure efficient execution of multiple concurrent artist projects.
• Culture: Foster a collaborative, respectful, and service-oriented culture that supports artists, residents, visitors, and community partners. 
• Talent Management: Participate in recruitment, onboarding, performance feedback, and future staffing or succession planning as organizational needs evolve. 
• Professional Development: Mentor and develop team members while promoting operational continuity through documentation, cross-training, and knowledge sharing.

ADMINISTRATION & ORGANIZATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS

• Documentation & Continuity: Maintain organized operational documentation, contracts, inventories, and program records while developing systems that support long-term organizational continuity and reduce reliance on institutional knowledge.
• Principal Reporting: Prepare operational updates, planning materials, and recommendations for the Principals regarding residency programming, organizational priorities, partnerships, and future initiatives.
• Operational Stewardship: Exercise sound judgment in stewarding facilities, resources, staffing capacity, and operational priorities while recommending appropriate trade-offs when new initiatives exceed the organization's intended operating model.
• Continuous Improvement: Evaluate existing processes and recommend improvements that enhance efficiency while preserving the organization's unique culture. 

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS: 

EXPERIENCE & CANDIDATE PROFILE

The successful candidate will be an accomplished creative leader who combines artistic credibility with exceptional operational and organizational skills. They will be equally comfortable mentoring artists, developing creative projects, cultivating relationships throughout the arts community, and overseeing the day-to-day operations of a mature, Principal-led organization. The ideal candidate will exercise sound judgment, embrace thoughtful stewardship, and understand how to balance creative ambition with organizational priorities and available resources. Ideal qualifications include:

• Demonstrated leadership experience within creative, cultural, educational, residency, museum, gallery, or mission-driven organizations. 
• A respected artistic background with the ability to serve as a trusted mentor, collaborator, and creative thought partner to artists working across a variety of disciplines. 
• Demonstrated success developing and executing complex creative projects, exhibitions, residencies, educational programs, or community initiatives. 
• Exceptional relationship-building and communication skills, with the ability to cultivate trusted relationships with artists, alumni, collectors, galleries, donors, community organizations, and cultural partners. 
• Strong organizational and project management skills with the ability to successfully oversee multiple concurrent priorities. 
• Experience exercising thoughtful stewardship of program resources while balancing creative opportunities with organizational capacity. 
• Demonstrated ability to lead through influence, foster collaboration, and build consensus while maintaining accountability for organizational outcomes. 
• A leadership philosophy grounded in creative excellence, operational discipline, thoughtful stewardship, and exceptional artist experiences.

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS

• Concentric covers 100% of the premium on the PPO medical plan for employee and dependent coverage. 
• Medical FSA
• Employer-paid insurance: life, STD, LTD, and AD&D
• Paid leave (vacation, sick)
• Employee Assistance Program for personal needs