Senior Studio & Residency Programs Lead

Sharjah Art Foundation; Sharjah; On-site; AED 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Job summary

Sharjah Art Foundation seeks a Senior Coordinator for Studio and Residency Programmes to provide senior operational oversight for artist residencies and studio programmes in Sharjah. You will act as the primary escalation point for artists, partners and internal teams, ensuring high standards of artist experience.

The role involves supervising Coordinators, coordinating onboarding, residencies, and offboarding; overseeing contracts, finances and reporting; and coordinating across departments to

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in arts administration, Cultural Management, Fine Arts, Humanities, or equivalent experience.
• 4-6 years’ experience in arts administration, residencies, cultural institutions, or related programmes.
• Strong organisational, administrative, and operational management skills.
• Experience overseeing contracts, invoices, stipends, and financial workflows.
• Demonstrated ability to manage complex operations and multiple stakeholders.
• Experience supervising or mentoring team members preferred.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to work collaboratively across departments (Comms, Editorial, IT, etc.).
• Proficiency in MS Office.
• Cultural sensitivity and adaptability when working with artists.
• Strong English required, Arabic or additional languages an advantage.
• Driving license desirable

Responsibilities

• Provide senior operational oversight for artist residencies and studio programmes across all phases.
• Act as the primary escalation point for artists, partners, and internal teams to resolve complex issues.
• Supervise and mentor Coordinators with guidance on quality control and workload.
• Oversee onboarding, in-residence support, and offboarding processes for cohorts.
• Review and quality-check itineraries, research trips, site visits, and engagements.
• Lead studio presentations and site visits for renters, partners, and stakeholders.
• Oversee contracts, invoices, stipends, and financial documentation; coordinate with Finance and Legal.
• Lead planning for residency schedules, milestones, and artist engagements.
• Coordinate communications with multiple departments to ensure timely and aligned information.
• Maintain databases and generate reports on occupancy, demand, and performance.
• Identify improvements to efficiency, utilization, and artist satisfaction.
• Represent the organisation in selected meetings and official visits as delegated.
• Manage compliance, risk, and cross-department coordination.

Skills

Strong organisational

Administrative skills

Operational management

Excellent communication

Interpersonal skills

Collaborative work across departments

MS Office proficiency

Cultural sensitivity

Arabic language advantage

Driving license desirable

Strong English

Education

Bachelor’s degree in arts administration or related field

Tools

MS Office

Job description

Sharjah Art Foundation seeks a Senior Coordinator for Studio and Residency Programmes to provide senior operational oversight for artist residencies and studio programmes in Sharjah. You will act as the primary escalation point for artists, partners and internal teams, ensuring high standards of artist experience.

The role involves supervising Coordinators, coordinating onboarding, residencies, and offboarding; overseeing contracts, finances and reporting; and coordinating across departments to