Dean of Musical Theatre

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Job description

New York, NY

Please use the following link to view the Leadership Profile, which provides information about Manhattan School of Music and the position of Dean of Musical Theatre.

Leadership Profile Link: Dean-of-Musical-Theatre-Posting-2025.pdf

The incoming Dean of Musical Theatre will join an institution with a clear vision for the future, a commitment to innovative practices that support students’ artistic growth, and a collaborative and supportive spirit. Building upon the successes of our past, the new Dean will work to enhance the School’s reputation as a leader in professional performing arts education with a history of excellence. The portfolio of responsibilities for the successful candidate will include:

Visionary/Leadership Responsibilities

  • Possess a deep commitment to work in an educational environment that supports MSM’s mission and Cultural Inclusion Initiative.
  • Inspire and demonstrate collaborative leadership among faculty and staff to foster and retain a high level of collegiality within and across departments.
  • Create a vibrant and cohesive vision for the Division’s goals to train and prepare performing artists to thrive as artists in a contemporary, ever-evolving professional landscape.
  • Explore and promote external artistic partnerships to elevate performance opportunities to create more visibility for the program.
  • Work with the Office of Philanthropy to identify donors and strategies for increasing scholarship, capital, and production support.
  • Serve as a member of MSM’s leadership councils, including the President’s Council, the Provost’s Council, and the Academic Leadership Council.

Students’ Curricular Experiences and Academic Success

  • Collaborate in school-wide artistic programming and lead Musical Theatre artistic planning to create cohesive and pedagogically rooted repertoire selection for a variety of productions and performance engagements. The Dean selects productions, hires creative teams, and casts two mainstage productions, two smaller staged productions at Riverside Theatre, the Freshman Hello!, and Senior Showcase. Based on the Dean’s area of expertise, they typically choreograph or direct one show per year. The Dean also collaborates with colleagues from across the School, both in the academic and performance realms, to create cross-disciplinary experiences.
  • Oversee the direction of the MT Lab Series, an exciting and important program that offers Musical Theatre majors the opportunity to work with professional musical theatre creators on their musicals-in-development. (See msmnyc.edu/musicaltheatre for more information on the Lab Series.)
  • In collaboration with faculty and academic leadership, evaluate, revise, and ensure the curriculum reflects students’ needs, including content and sequence of offerings.
  • Advise students providing artistic, pre-professional advice and mentorship, assisting students with summer stock auditions, and collaborating with MSM’s Center for Career Readiness & Community Impact.
  • Engage with the EVP/Provost and Dean of Academic Affairs to create and maintain assessment methods, analytics, and responses related to internal and external program reviews.
  • Participate in monitoring student retention, students’ academic progress, and contributing ideas and strategies in order to improve retention and graduation/placement rates.
  • In consultation with the Dean of Academic Affairs, determine course sequencing and section offerings balancing curriculum requirements with allocations of instructional budget and approved faculty loading.
  • Collaborate at all levels of the Admission/student recruitment cycle, working closely with the Admission department to identify the next freshman class.
  • Collaborate with the EVP/Provost and Dean of Performance and Production Operations to curate the annual guest artists for performances and master classes, and manage the selection of students to ensure that the roster reflects an equitable rotation of students.
  • Collaborate with the Dean of Students and the Director for Student Success to link students with MSM’s academic and wellness services and support systems.
  • Participate as a member of the Curriculum Committee, the Artistic Planning/Calendar Committee, the Academic Leadership Council, and other committees as assigned.

Faculty Engagement

  • Approve students’ voice studio assignments and review faculty teaching loads in accordance with appointment letters and fiscal budget.
  • Review and evaluate faculty teaching using course evaluations and MSM’s formal faculty review processes.
  • In consultation with the EVP/Provost, recruit, hire, and support/review all program faculty.
  • Collaborate with Vice President for Enrollment Management and faculty to develop and implement recruitment strategies to matriculate and retain a balanced enrollment of Musical Theatre majors.

Fiscal Management

  • In collaboration with the EVP/Provost, as well as the Dean of Performance and Production Operations, create and manage an annual budget for artistic and academic expenses related to the Musical Theatre Division. Actively participate in budget planning and projections for instruction and performance programming, including master classes, guest conductors, and other guest artists.
  • Set guest artist/adjudicator fees in consultation with the EVP/Provost and Dean of Performance and Production Operations, or their designees.

Preferred Characteristics and Capabilities

Manhattan School of Music seeks a vibrant, collaborative, communicative, dynamic leader with an ability to link artistic and academic experiences for students’ educational growth and progress in the Musical Theatre Division.

Preferred Qualifications

  • Ability to inspire students and faculty, and contribute to the humanity of the MSM educational environment;
  • Ability to design and prioritize curricular and artistic experiences to meet the educational needs of young, emerging performers;
  • Administrative experience in an academic setting, with understanding of curricular design, professional training, general education, and program/faculty assessment;
  • Demonstrable record of collaborative leadership within a Musical Theatre program and proven ability to work in an inclusive and consultative way with faculty, staff, peers, and students;
  • Significant professional experience as a performer, choreographer, director, and/or arts administrator;
  • Substantial and successful teaching experience in a related area at the collegiate or young artist levels;
  • Successful record of budget planning and fiscal management of resource allocations;
  • Strong communication skills and ability to promote the Musical Theatre Division to a broad constituency that includes prospective students, alumni, and potential/current donors;
  • Ability to lead and inspire students and professional faculty and staff.
  • Master’s degree in Musical Theatre or a related area of study (or commensurate experience).

How to apply

Applications must be submitted online using this link: https://airtable.com/appNHvFrH1Ygo9KyS/shrLPRZTuN7DvTuZ9

Upload a cover letter, resume/curriculum vitae, and list of three references. For fullest consideration, application materials should be received by November 1, 2025. Application review will continue until position is filled.

Equal employment and equal educational opportunity have been and will continue to be fundamental principles at Manhattan School of Music, where employment and enrollment are based upon personal capabilities and qualifications without discrimination or harassment because of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, the status of being transgender, age, national origin, marital status, citizenship or veteran status, disability, or any other characteristic protected by law. Manhattan School of Music does not permit retaliation against individuals who oppose a discriminatory practice or participate in an investigation.