Head of Creative Arts

OUR MISSION

Our School, founded on Jewish values, is about who our children can become and how they can help others become who they might be. Because the world our children will create tomorrow is born in the School we build today, our mission is to educate our children so they can surpass us.

POSITION OVERVIEW

The Director of Creative Arts serves as the school’s senior educational leader for creative arts education and administration, including theater, music, dance, media, film, storytellers, and related creative disciplines. As a member of the Academic Leadership Team, this role provides strategic vision, curricular leadership, and cultural stewardship for a creative arts program that is rigorous, inclusive, artistically ambitious, and visible across the life of the school. The Heads is responsible for shaping a cohesive creative arts ecosystem that offers broad access for all students while cultivating excellence in advanced coursework, ensembles, and productions. Working in close partnership with every facet of the school, the Head ensures that the creative arts are positioned as a core dimension of Milken’s academic identity, student experience, and institutional distinction. The Head of Creative Arts reports to the Associate Head of School for Academic Affairs.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Vision, Strategy, and Program Development

• Provide strategic leadership and long-term vision for creative arts education at Milken, ensuring excellence, coherence, and sustainability across grades 6–12
• Articulate a creative arts philosophy that balances breadth of access with depth of skill development and artistic rigor
• Advance performing arts culture that is inclusive, aspirational, and integrated into school life
• Position the creative arts as a visible and valued component of Milken’s academic program and school culture
• Collaborate with the Head of Curriculum and Integration and her team and with the Dean of Faculty and Instructional Leaders to develop Signature programs in Performing Arts and Storytellers
• Partner with school leadership in strategic conversations about investment, growth, and long-term sustainability of the creative arts program

Curricular, Faculty and Departmental Leadership

• Lead the development of vertically aligned, credit-bearing creative arts pathways in all disciplines
• Ensure clear entry points for beginners alongside advanced opportunities for committed student artists
• Support the integration of creative arts learning with broader curricular and interdisciplinary initiatives where appropriate
• Partner with the Director of Jewish Integration and creative arts faculty to support the purposeful integration of Jewish traditions into creative arts coursework, repertoire selection, and student work, in ways that are authentic, pluralistic, and artistically rigorous
• In partnership with the Dean of Faculty, provide academic, artistic, and supervisory leadership for creative arts faculty and program heads, including goal-setting, feedback, and performance evaluation
• Support excellence in teaching, directing, choreography, ensemble leadership, and production work
• Partner with school leadership to recruit, develop, and retain teaching artists who serve as both educators and practitioners
• Support ongoing professional learning and artistic growth among creative arts faculty

Performances, Productions, and Student Experience

• Oversee a cohesive annual season of performances, ensembles, and showcases that reflect artistic excellence and student voice
• Ensure a balanced performance model that includes selective mainstage productions as well as inclusive, lower-barrier opportunities
• Support structures for student leadership, authorship, and creative ownership within the creative arts
• Collaborate with relevant stakeholders to ensure productions are educationally grounded, well-supported, and aligned with student wellbeing

Community Engagement and Visibility

• Increase the visibility of the creative arts through performances, assemblies, exhibitions, and community events and partnerships
• Partner with our External Relations Team, to articulate the creative arts as a defining feature of a Milken education
• Cultivate relationships with alumni, guest artists, and external partners within the Los Angeles creative ecosystem
• Use performances and showcases to strengthen community connection and student identity

Facilities, Resources, and Operational Partnership

• Partner with school leadership on long-term planning for creative arts facilities, resources, and staffing
• Support the effective and strategic use of performance, rehearsal, and instructional spaces to enhance learning and production quality
• Collaborate with operations and scheduling partners to support a sustainable and coherent creative arts calendar

QUALIFICATIONS

• Advanced degree or equivalent professional experience in theater, music, dance, arts education, or a related field
• Experience teaching 2 courses each year
• Significant experience in creative arts education and administration, program development, program leadership, or professional artistic practice
• Demonstrated success leading productions, ensembles, or arts programs at the secondary or post-secondary level
• Strong understanding of adolescent development and arts pedagogy
• Experience working collaboratively within an academic institution
• Visionary leadership experience with the ability to build and sustain high-quality arts programs preferred
• Strong collaboration experience, comfortability leading through partnership, mentorship, and influence preferred
• Commitment to inclusive access and excellence in the arts preferred
• Clear communication abilities and experience effectively advocating for the value of creative arts education preferred
• Comfort balancing artistic ambition with institutional realities preferred

Standard On-Campus Hours

Start: M - F by 7:30 AM
End: M - Th 3:30 PM, F 2:30 PM
Will be required to work evenings and/or weekends, on and off campus, to support school events.
*All schedules are subject to change.

SALARY RANGE: $135,000 - $165,000

Milken strives to be a nurturing, diverse and inclusive community. It is a vibrant academic home, drawing faculty and staff from the spectrum of faith, social and cultural backgrounds.

Milken is committed to attracting, developing, and retaining exceptional talent. We offer competitive salaries and benefits (view here) and a rare opportunity to do the kind of work that stays with you—building something meaningful alongside colleagues who care deeply, and helping young people become the leaders our world needs. Explore our other opportunities here.