Chief Producing & Artistic Operations Director

The University Of Chicago; Chicago, Northern (IL, KY); Hybrid; USD 90,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

The University of Chicago’s Court Theatre is seeking a Director of Producing and Artistic Operations to lead the theatre’s producing and operations function in Chicago. This role partners with the Artistic Director to drive season planning, production management, co-productions, touring, and strategic partnerships.

The position oversees budgets, staffing, and contracts, and ensures artistic work is financially sustainable and institutionally aligned.

Qualifications

• Minimum of a college or university degree in a related field.
• Seven+ years of progressively responsible experience in artistic producing, theatre management, or artistic operations.

Responsibilities

• Leads multi-year producing strategies aligned with Court Theatre's artistic and institutional goals.
• Develops long-range production capacity planning and advises senior leadership on production scale, staffing, scheduling, and institutional priorities.
• Conducts feasibility analyses for productions, commissions, festivals, touring initiatives, and strategic artistic projects.
• Develops Court Theatre's long-term production pipeline, supporting future touring, remounts, co-productions, publications, and scholarly engagement.
• Owns the institution-wide producing calendar and coordinates production timelines across artistic, engagement, and institutional initiatives.
• Maintains the Theatre's production, event, and programs portfolio, balancing budgets, staffing, facilities, and organizational capacity.
• Supervises artistic operations staff, including producing personnel, company management, literary fellows, interns, and project-based producers.
• Leads producing relationships for co-productions, touring, commissions, festivals, and presenting partnerships.
• Negotiates producing agreements and memoranda of understanding with external partners, in collaboration with the Managing Director.
• Serves as Court Theatre's principal producing representative with artists, agents, presenters, peer theatres, funders, and University partners.

Education

Degree in arts administration or theatre

Job description

The University of Chicago’s Court Theatre is seeking a Director of Producing and Artistic Operations to lead the theatre’s producing and operations function in Chicago. This role partners with the Artistic Director to drive season planning, production management, co-productions, touring, and strategic partnerships.

The position oversees budgets, staffing, and contracts, and ensures artistic work is financially sustainable and institutionally aligned.