Director of Jazz Education

Jazz House Kids Inc.; New York (NY); On-site; USD 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Jazz House KiDS is seeking a Director of Jazz Education to lead our NYC satellite program at Trinity Church NYC in Lower Manhattan. You will guide artistic, educational, and operational activities, supervise educators, recruit students, plan performances, and build community partnerships to advance our mission.

The role requires deep jazz knowledge, leadership experience, and a hands-on approach to student-centered learning.

Qualifications

• Education background required; Master’s degree preferred.
• Experience in music education or arts nonprofit operations a plus.
• Availability for evenings, weekends, and travel during performance seasons.

Responsibilities

• Lead the JAZZ HOUSE NYC program vision, education and operations.
• Manage partnerships with Trinity Church NYC and school partners.
• Oversee curriculum, teaching standards, and student progression.
• Coordinate program operations, scheduling, facilities, and materials.
• Provide staff leadership, supervision, and performance support.
• Develop budgets, evaluate outcomes, and report on program impact.

Skills

Leadership & Collaboration

Technical Proficiency

Communication & Interpersonal

Work Style

Attention to Detail

Managing Multiple Priorities

Education

Bachelor's Degree

Master's Degree preferred

Tools

Google Suite

MS Office

Asana

Job description

JAZZ HOUSE KiDS stands at a pivotal moment, marked by substantial growth, expanding impact, and exciting developments across our organization. From the launch of our arts education program in Lower Manhattan in collaboration with Trinity Church NYC five years ago, to record-breaking growth in our arts education programming, to producing the largest outdoor jazz festival in the region, and to advancing student success through our JAZZ HOUSE Music Scholars in-school program, we are fulfilling our mission to build young community leaders and global citizens through jazz.

The Director of Jazz Education is a key leadership role responsible for the artistic, educational, and operational success of JAZZ HOUSE KiDS' satellite music education program at Trinity Church NYC in Lower Manhattan. Working closely with the Founder + President, Artistic Director, and senior leadership team, and Artistic Director, Christian McBride, the Director will advance the organization's vision by leading a world-class, vibrant, student-centered jazz education program that serves young musicians of all levels while ensuring an exceptional experience for students, families, faculty, and community partners.

This role provides strategic leadership and day-to-day oversight of our JAZZ HOUSE NYC program — including educational programming, faculty leadership, student recruitment and placement, family engagement, performance planning, program operations, budgeting, and community partnerships. The Director leads a talented team of educators and staff, fostering a culture of artistic excellence, collaboration, and continuous improvement while ensuring the program remains aligned with the mission, educational philosophy, and organizational priorities of JAZZ HOUSE KiDS.

In partnership with colleagues across both the New York City and Montclair campuses, the Director will help to shape a unified student experience through coordinated performances, specialty initiatives, and cross-campus programming. The Director will also cultivate relationships with schools, music educators, and community organizations to expand access, strengthen recruitment, and advance JAZZ HOUSE KiDS' impact throughout the region.

This is a role for a practitioner of jazz, bringing deep knowledge, lived experience, and an authentic connection to the music into the educational vision, student experience, and artistic culture of the program.

Key Responsibilities

Program Oversight

• JAZZ HOUSE NYC Program Vision: Work alongside the Founder + President and Artistic Director in collaboration with Trinity Church NYC to execute the artistic and educational vision established to drive student success and create a welcome and dynamic learning environment.
• Partners Relationship Management: Cultivate and strengthen the JAZZ HOUSE's partnership with Trinity Church NYC through proactive communication, thoughtful stewardship, and collaborative planning that advances shared programmatic goals and ensures a strong experience for students, and families.
• Program Management: Provide overall leadership and accountability for JAZZ HOUSE NYC at Trinity Church NYC, guiding the program’s growth and student retention, maintaining the highest standards of artistic and educational excellence, and ensuring an exceptional experience for students, families, faculty, and partners.
• Curriculum + Educational Excellence: Advance our robust, innovative, and sequential jazz education program that serves a diverse community of young musicians from all five boroughs, from novice through pre-college instrumental and vocal instruction, while fostering artistic excellence and student growth.
• Program Operations: In tandem with our JAZZ HOUSE NYC team, support the day-to-day logistics of the program, including schedules, classroom operations, facilities, materials, and on-site coordination to ensure seamless program delivery.
• Teaching Responsibilities: Opportunity to teach one class as part of the regular instructional schedule while modeling the organization's standards for educational excellence.
• Staff Leadership + Supervision: Provide leadership, supervision, and day-to-day management of assigned JAZZ HOUSE NYC staff members, including work assignments, performance expectations, and operational coordination.
• Student Placement + Ensemble Development: Oversee student assessments, class and private lesson placements, and ensemble creation to ensure appropriate instructional pathways and balanced ensemble experiences.
• Faculty Management: Oversee all faculty-related responsibilities, including communication, hiring recommendations, scheduling coordination, payment tracking, and performance support.
• Budget + Program Evaluation: In collaboration with the Associate Director of Music Scholars + Career Development, develop, manage, and report on program budgets, educational outcomes, and program evaluation metrics to support continuous improvement.

Student + Family Engagement

• Student + Family Support: Partner with the Manager of Student Services to address student and family concerns, ensuring timely communication, positive relationships, and an exceptional student experience.
• School + Community Partnerships: Develop and maintain strong relationships with school band directors, music educators, community organizations, and other key educational partners.
• Student Recruitment + Retention: Oversee a comprehensive student recruitment, audition, scheduling, placement, and retention strategy that promotes diversity and access while supporting each student's artistic, academic, and personal development.

Value-Add Programming + Concerts

• Value-Add Programming: Support the many value-add program offerings for JAZZ HOUSE NYC, including JAZZ HOUSE Goes to College, the CHiCA Power Residency and Leadership Summit, the Emerging Musicians Community Concert Program, and other specialty programs.
• Semester-Ending Performances: Coordinate mid-year and end-of-year concert programming in collaboration with the JAZZ HOUSE Montclair team, ensuring artistic programming, production timelines, and budgets are aligned with organizational priorities and deliver a cohesive experience across both campuses.
• Cross-Campus Performance Planning & Execution: Develop and execute a comprehensive year-round performance plan that supports educational objectives and showcases student achievement.
• Concert Production Support: Provide leadership and operational coordination for Jazz @ One, Jazz Icons, student concerts, and other organizational performances, ensuring seamless planning and execution across departments.
• Jazz Icons Representation: Attend the four Jazz Icons concerts over the course of the year, and serve as an organizational representative, supporting event operations, faculty and student engagement, and relationships with artists, audiences, and community partners.
• Emerging Musicians Community Concerts: Support the Career Development pillar of our mission, with the EMCC, or "giglet" program which provides meaningful gigging experience for the next generation of artists.

As our staff and priorities shift the scope will continually be reevaluated. JAZZ HOUSE reserves the right to make adjustments to support programmatic changes.

Qualifications

Education and Experience

• Education Background: Bachelor's Degree required; Master's Degree preferred
• Work Experience: Experience in music education preferred. Experience with music equipment, logistics, and setting up an ensemble for a performance. Experience with music administration, program coordination, or arts nonprofit operations is a plus
• Availability: Occasional evenings, weekends, and travel required during performance and event seasons.

Skills, Knowledge & Expertise

• Leadership & Collaboration: Demonstrated ability to lead with integrity, accountability, and emotional intelligence in a mission-driven environment. Builds trust, fosters collaboration across teams, mentors others, and models the professionalism, adaptability, and student-centered values of JAZZ HOUSE KiDS
• Technical Proficiency: High proficiency in Google Suite and MS Office (Excel, Word, Powerpoint). Experience with project management tools like Asana is a plus
• Communication + Interpersonal Skills: Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to draft clear professional correspondence to school partners and who connects with a broad spectrum of people in a meaningful way
• Work Style: Must possess the ability to work effectively as part of a small team in a fast-paced and dynamic atmosphere. Can do spirit!
• Attention to Detail: Consistent and exemplary attention to detail and organization, especially regarding communications with our community and with respect to data management and reporting
• Managing Multiple Priorities: A proactive self-starter comfortable taking initiative with the ability to manage competing priorities effectively and meet tight deadlines across multiple programs simultaneously while maintaining exceptional attention to detail

Personal Characteristics

• Passionate advocate for the value of arts education and youth development, with genuine concern for people and community, and interest in working with diverse communities
• A role model relationship builder and staff manager, working hard with the ability to juggle and prioritize issues and multiple tasks without jeopardizing communications with students and student families
• Passion for the mission of the JAZZ HOUSE
• Appreciation of jazz and live music goer
• Ability to lift up to 25 lbs
• Successful completion of a national background check

Location:

New York City, onsite position, full time plus concerts and events. This opportunity is open to any applicant eligible to work in the U.S.Set in advance, two days per month this position works out of the JAZZ HOUSE Headquarters in Montclair, NJ.

Reporting Matrix:

This position will report to the Founder + President