Job Description
Our Mission Our School, founded on Jewish values, is about who our children can become and how they can help others become who they might be. Because the world our children will create tomorrow is born in the School we build today, our mission is to educate our children so they can surpass us.
Position Overview The Director of Creative Arts serves as the school's senior educational leader for performing arts education, including theater, music, dance, and related creative disciplines. As a member of the Curriculum and Integration team, this role provides strategic vision, curricular leadership, and cultural stewardship for a performing arts program that is rigorous, inclusive, artistically ambitious, and visible across the life of the school. The Director is responsible for shaping a cohesive performing arts ecosystem that offers broad access for all students while cultivating excellence in advanced coursework, ensembles, and productions. Working in close partnership with faculty, Instructional Leaders, division leadership, and the Head of Curriculum and Integration, the Director ensures that the creative arts are positioned as a core dimension of Milken's academic identity, student experience, and institutional distinction. The Director of Creative Arts reports to the Head of Curriculum and Integration.
Responsibilities Vision, Strategy, and Program Development - Provide strategic leadership and long-term vision for performing arts education at Milken, ensuring excellence, coherence, and sustainability across grades 6-12
- Articulate a performing arts philosophy that balances breadth of access with depth of skill development and artistic rigor
- Advance performing arts culture that is inclusive, aspirational, and integrated into school life
- Position the creative arts as a visible and valued component of Milken's academic program and school culture
- Partner with school leadership in strategic conversations about investment, growth, and long-term sustainability of the creative arts program
Curricular, Faculty and Departmental Leadership - Lead the development of vertically aligned, credit-bearing performing arts pathways in theater, music, dance, and related disciplines
- Ensure clear entry points for beginners alongside advanced opportunities for committed student artists
- Support the integration of creative arts learning with broader curricular and interdisciplinary initiatives where appropriate
- Partner with the Director of Jewish Integration and performing arts faculty to support the purposeful integration of Jewish traditions into creative arts coursework, repertoire selection, and student work, in ways that are authentic, pluralistic, and artistically rigorous
- Provide academic, artistic, and supervisory leadership for performing arts faculty and program heads, including goal-setting, feedback, and performance evaluation
- Support excellence in teaching, directing, choreography, ensemble leadership, and production work
- Partner with school leadership to recruit, develop, and retain teaching artists who serve as both educators and practitioners
- Support ongoing professional learning and artistic growth among creative arts faculty
Performances, Productions, and Student Experience - Oversee a cohesive annual season of performances, ensembles, and showcases that reflect artistic excellence and student voice
- Ensure a balanced performance model that includes selective mainstage productions as well as inclusive, lower-barrier opportunities
- Support structures for student leadership, authorship, and creative ownership within the performing arts
- Collaborate with relevant stakeholders to ensure productions are educationally grounded, well-supported, and aligned with student wellbeing
Community Engagement and Visibility - Increase the visibility of the creative arts through performances, assemblies, exhibitions, and community events
- Partner with Admissions and Advancement, as appropriate, to articulate the creative arts as a defining feature of a Milken education
- Cultivate relationships with alumni, guest artists, and external partners within the Los Angeles creative ecosystem
- Use performances and showcases to strengthen community connection and student identity
Facilities, Resources, and Operational Partnership - Partner with school leadership on long-term planning for creative arts facilities, resources, and staffing
- Support the effective and strategic use of performance, rehearsal, and instructional spaces to enhance learning and production quality
- Collaborate with operations and scheduling partners to support a sustainable and coherent performing arts calendar
Qualifications - Advanced degree or equivalent professional experience in theater, music, dance, arts education, or a related field
- Experience teaching 2-3 courses each year
- Significant experience in performing arts education, program leadership, or professional artistic practice
- Demonstrated success leading productions, ensembles, or arts programs at the secondary or post-secondary level
- Strong understanding of adolescent development and arts pedagogy
- Experience working collaboratively within an academic institution
- Visionary leadership experience with the ability to build and sustain high-quality arts programs preferred
- Strong collaboration experience, comfortability leading through partnership, mentorship, and influence preferred
- Commitment to inclusive access and excellence in the arts preferred
- Clear communication abilities and experience effectively advocating for the value of creative arts education preferred
- Comfort balancing artistic ambition with institutional realities preferred
Standard On-Campus Hours Start: M - F by 7:45 AM
End: M - Th 3:30 PM, F 2:30 PM
*All schedules are subject to change.
SALARY RANGE: $110,000 - $130,000 For a complete overview of our benefits, please visit the Employment page on our website. Milken strives to be a nurturing, diverse and inclusive community. It is a vibrant academic home, drawing faculty and staff from the spectrum of faith, social and cultural backgrounds.
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