Program Manager, Arts Research & Academic Engagement

Universityofnotredame; Notre Dame (IN); On-site; USD 65,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

The University of Notre Dame's Arts Initiative seeks a Program Manager of Arts Research & Academic Engagement to lead cross-functional programs across research, student engagement, and community partnerships, reporting to the Managing Director.

The role focuses on interdisciplinary arts research, teaching, and academic engagement with faculty and students, and plays a pivotal role in planning and evaluating the Notre Dame Arts Biennial, upcoming Jan–June 2027.

Qualifications

• Advanced degree in an arts discipline required.
• Experience coordinating interdisciplinary arts programs at a university or similar environment preferred.
• Ability to manage concurrent programs and adapt to a startup-like environment within a large institution.

Responsibilities

• Plan, implement, and evaluate undergraduate and graduate student engagement opportunities across priority areas.
• Coordinate arts research programs such as fellowships and grant programs.
• Support communications for recruitment, onboarding, and program evaluation.
• Manage Notre Dame Arts Biennial partner projects and liaise with faculty, staff, students, and external partners.
• Oversee budgeting, contracts, invoices, and financial reconciliation for programs.
• Mentor student fellows and contribute to campus arts ecosystems.

Skills

Project management

Cross-functional collaboration

Budget tracking

Mentoring

Education

Advanced degree in arts discipline

Tools

Finance systems

MS Office

Job description

The Arts Initiative, one of the key priorities of Notre Dame's Strategic Framework, brings together the people and programs of the University's extended arts community to foster interdisciplinary collaboration and define the arts as vital to campus and community life. By transcending conventional boundaries - between art forms and across disciplines - the initiative mobilizes the transformative power of the arts to advance knowledge, invigorate learning, and foster human solidarity.

Arts research and creative practice, student engagement, and high-impact public programming are at the heart of the initiative's efforts to establish Notre Dame as a premier destination to study, practice, and experience the arts. By supporting and enhancing university and partner arts programming - from exhibitions to performances to symposia - the initiative sustains welcoming and intellectually rich environments for artistic collaboration and exchange both on and off-campus.

The Program Manager of Arts Research & Academic Engagement is a critical member of the initiative's small, highly motivated team and will manage complex, cross-functional projects and programs across all three priority areas of the initiative: research and creative practice; student engagement; and community partnerships.

Reporting to the Managing Director, the Program Manager of Arts Research & Academic Engagement will bring specialized expertise in interdisciplinary arts research, teaching, and academic engagement, preferably with both faculty and students at the university level. This position will also play a pivotal role in the planning, implementation, and evaluation of the Notre Dame Arts Biennial, a six-month collaborative festival grounded in the visual, performing, spatial, and literary arts. The inaugural biennial will run from January-June 2027.

This position is ideal for someone with an advanced degree in an arts discipline who is looking for opportunities to contribute to university and community-wide impact by applying expertise in arts research and practice to the administration of academic arts programming. The successful candidate will be prepared to navigate a startup environment within an established institution and will be motivated by ambitious endeavors that require both compassionate collaboration and energetic innovation.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Academic Arts Program Management

• Facilitate the planning, implementation, and evaluation of concurrent undergraduate and graduate student engagement opportunities across the initiative's priority areas. Key student programs include but are not limited to: Art Attack; visiting artist engagements; arts immersions; interdisciplinary arts courses; and the Notre Dame Arts Biennial.
• Facilitate the planning, implementation, and evaluation of concurrent arts research programs such as the Postdoctoral and Post-MFA Fellowship and faculty and graduate student granting programs.
• Collaborate with initiative staff to execute the lifecycle of internal and external communications necessary for successful recruitment, onboarding, implementation, and evaluation across programs.
• Manage select Notre Dame Arts Biennial partner projects and support faculty, staff, students, and external partners to contribute high-quality public arts programming to the festival. Serve as a main point of contact for colleagues interested in the biennial.
• Deliver operational excellence in the cross-functional area of finance as it relates to program implementation. Track and manage project budgets and ensure work stays within allocated financial limits. Prepare expense reports and process contracts, purchase orders, invoices, and other payments. Ensure accurate documentation and reconciliation of all financial records.
• Mentor student fellows and other students interested in arts research.
• Participate as an active member of the campus arts and academic ecosystems in order to help identify and lead collaborations that advance arts integration in the academic life of the university. Key campus partners include but are not limited to: College of Arts and Letters; College of Science; College of Engineering; DeBartolo Performing Arts Center; Raclin Murphy Museum of Art; School of Architecture; and interdisciplinary centers, institutes, and strategic initiatives.

Strategic Storytelling and Reporting

• In collaboration with initiative directors and cross-functional partners, translate the initiative's research, education, and other academic engagement priorities into powerful visual and narrative experiences that resonate with diverse audiences.
• Collaborate with storytelling colleagues across campus to strategically communicate about the arts and cultivate new and su