Director of Live Programs

ABOUT THE POSITION

The Broad is seeking an experienced and ambitious Director of Live Programs (DLP) to define, develop, and produce accessible and rigorous live programming that transforms how audiences encounter contemporary art, opening fresh and imaginative channels through which to understand the Broad collection and its exhibitions.

Reporting to the Chief Strategy Officer (CSO) with a dotted line to the Founding Director, the DLP will activate The Broad through programming that is fresh, unexpected, and wide-ranging – unafraid of disrupting typical hierarchies around popular and experimental, and evolving in response to the cultural moment and the museum’s mission to attract a wide audience.

The DLP will lead The Broad's live programming in meaningful dialogue with the museum's special exhibitions and growing collection, through performance, music, comedy, dance, film, literature, community-engaged and socially driven projects, and other live formats.

To achieve this, the DLP will oversee execution at the highest production quality with resourcefulness and creative problem-solving, meeting ambitious strategic revenue and mission targets, balancing operational realities, and working closely with internal and external event producers, consultants, and contractors and vendors.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Develop and steward the overall vision for The Broad's live programming as the museum prepares to open its expansion in 2028. Ensure that live programming is in meaningful dialogue with the museum's special exhibitions and collection as well as responsive to the cultural moment and the evolving interests of the museum's diverse audience.
• Maintain a clear and ambitious curatorial point of view that positions The Broad as a leader in the field, doing work that is fresh, unexpected, and constantly seeking to set The Broad apart.
• Balance popular accessibility and experimental ambition across the programming slate, identifying opportunities to create entry points to contemporary art for audiences who don't consider themselves museumgoers.
• Stay deeply embedded in the cultural landscape, attending performances, events, and exhibitions; building and maintaining relationships with artists, curators, and producers in Los Angeles and beyond; reading widely and tracking emerging trends across performance, music, live media, comedy, and adjacent fields.
• Prioritize access for disabled artists and audiences from the earliest stages of program development, treating accessibility as a creative and curatorial consideration rather than a solely logistical one. Work proactively with artists, production staff, and disability community members to design programs that are fulfilling for every attendee.
• Bring in guest curators and outside perspectives from Los Angeles and beyond to expand the range of voices and relationships the program draws on, always with authenticity, integrity, and a clear connection to the collection.
• Oversee the execution of all live programs at the highest production quality, ensuring that artistic vision and production standards are mutually reinforcing and achievable within resource constraints.
• Lead the creative and production vision for all public-facing events, including exhibition openings and expansion events; set the experiential standard for what each event looks and feels like.
• For institutional events such as exhibition openings and celebrations related to the museum’s expansion, serve as the creative and artistic lead, conceiving of the performance or experiential dimension that makes each event memorable.
• Manage at least one direct report, providing mentorship, clear direction, and support for their professional development.
• Develop and maintain an annual programming budget that accounts for all talent, production, and related costs, with the flexibility to adapt as museum priorities and exhibition programming evolve.
• Manage budgets with rigor and resourcefulness, identifying creative solutions that preserve artistic ambition and meet ticket revenue targets.
• Work collaboratively with Curatorial, Marketing, Communications, and Visitor Experience teams to ensure that programming is integrated into the museum’s broader institutional priorities, calendar, and audience engagement strategy.

EXPERIENCE AND QUALIFICATIONS

• 8+ years of progressive experience developing and producing live programming in a museum, performing arts, festival, or comparable cultural context, with a track record of work that is artistically ambitious and builds audiences through strategic partnerships and curation.
• Demonstrated curatorial point of view on the intersection of live performance and visual art, and on the role live programming plays in shaping culture and building audiences.
• Extensive knowledge of and active engagement with the performance, music, comedy, and live arts landscape in Los Angeles and nationally; attends live events frequently and maintains a firsthand practice of tracking what is emerging.
• Fluency across disciplines beyond live performance, such as dance, film, literature, and social practice, and a practice of bringing those fields into dialogue with visual art.
• Strong curatorial instincts with the ability to balance integrity to the collection and artistic quality with programs that can draw a broad and diverse audience.
• Experience working with and bringing in guest curators, artists, and collaborators with a range of perspectives and practices.
• Proven ability to manage complex production budgets with rigor, flexibility, and resourcefulness.
• Demonstrated ability to execute ambitious programming within budget and operational constraints while maintaining a high level of production quality.
• Experience managing staff and working collaboratively across teams in a fast-moving institutional environment.
• Experience leading complex live productions or public-facing programs involving multiple stakeholders, competing priorities, and evolving timelines, and operational coordination.
• Demonstrated visual art literacy and depth of knowledge in contemporary art, with the ability to engage with the collection and with curatorial colleagues as a peer.
• Ability to shape and adapt curatorial vision in collaboration with internal stakeholders while maintaining a clear sense of artistic purpose and institutional mission.
• Demonstrated commitment to creating programming that welcomes audiences who are new to contemporary art, in alignment with The Broad’s mission to reach the widest possible audience.

PAY RANGE

$170,000 - $190,000 annually, based on applicant’s education, experience, skills, and abilities, as well as internal equity and alignment with market data.

TO APPLY

Please submit your resume and letter of interest. We will only contact candidates selected for further consideration. No phone inquiries please.

NOTE

A complete job description is available by selecting "Apply."