Head of Curatorial Affairs & Performing Arts Collections

New York Public Library; New York (NY); On-site; USD 135,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

The New York Public Library, housed at Lincoln Center, seeks an Associate Director of Curatorial Affairs & Collections for the Library for the Performing Arts. You will lead curatorial strategy, manage senior staff, guide digitization and public engagement, and collaborate on fundraising and scholarly initiatives.

You will shape priorities across Dance, Music & Recorded Sound, and Theatre, ensuring inclusive histories are documented and shared with global audiences.

Qualifications

• Advanced academic degree in the performing arts, humanities, library sciences, or related field; terminal degree preferred.
• Minimum 10 years experience at a collecting institution, including acquisitions and collection development.
• 5-7 years leading and mentoring high-level professionals such as curators or scholars.
• Experience with digitization projects, digital repositories, or digital access workflows.
• Budget and administrative management experience.
• Commitment to representing the full breadth of the performing arts and diverse histories.

Responsibilities

• Establish and drive an overarching curatorial strategy for LPA across divisions.
• Collaborate with curators to identify strategic acquisition priorities and diversify the archive.
• Provide oversight and mentorship to curators; ensure equitable resource distribution.
• Serve on NYPL-wide working groups and committees.

Skills

Curatorial diplomacy

Team leadership

Digital collections

Fundraising

Communication

Problem solving

Education

Advanced academic degree in the performing arts, humanities, library sciences, or related field; terminal degree preferred

Job description

The New York Public Library, housed at Lincoln Center, seeks an Associate Director of Curatorial Affairs & Collections for the Library for the Performing Arts. You will lead curatorial strategy, manage senior staff, guide digitization and public engagement, and collaborate on fundraising and scholarly initiatives.

You will shape priorities across Dance, Music & Recorded Sound, and Theatre, ensuring inclusive histories are documented and shared with global audiences.