Director of Programs

Director of Programs

Organization: Theatre Development Fund (TDF)

Website: www.tdf.org

Location: New York, NY

Position Type: Full Time Permanent

About Theatre Development Fund

Theatre Development Fund, Inc. (“TDF”), is dedicated to sharing the power of the performing arts with everyone. As one of the only arts service organizations whose membership is the audience, our mission is to remove the financial, physical, and invisible barriers to access to the performing arts. Our vision will be complete when EVERY New Yorker (and visitor to NYC) feels ownership of and belonging in the live performing arts.

With an annual operating budget of $19,000,000, TDF fulfills its mission through two key areas of work:

1. TDF’s mission-driven ticketing programs provide broad access to audiences for whom price is a barrier to entry. Through the iconic TKTS Booths in Times Square and Lincoln Center, and through TDF’s membership programs, the organization serves more than 1M audience members per year.

2. TDF’s Programs remove financial, physical, and invisible barriers to attendance for the communities that need it most. These Programs serve close to 50,000 audience members annually, particularly those impacted by hearing loss and deafness, vision loss and blindness, mobility loss, or by intellectual and developmental disabilities. TDF also serves 10,000 high school students every year and more than 150 community organizations, including veterans, seniors, and other underserved communities. Our methodology includes both access to discount/free tickets, and the curation of an environment at the theatre where audiences can feel comfortable, safe, and experience the show on their own terms.

About the Position

In 2024, TDF’s Accessibility, Education, and Community Programs combined under the leadership of the VP, Programs, to provide a more nimble and intersectional approach to the constituents we serve. TDF’s Director of Programs is a new role created to support the VP in leading the Programs team in its new direction.

TDF’s Director of Programs will be a motivated, goal-driven, and enthusiastic relationship-builder who is responsible for the day to day operations of the Programs team and department, working closely with the staff on flagship programming, including but not limited to: Introduction to Theatre and Dance, the Wendy Wasserstein Project, Autism Friendly Performances, ASL interpreted performances, open captioned performances, and audio described performances. The Director of Programs will represent TDF in the field, in the areas of access, education, and health and wellness.

The Director of Programs will also support the development of new programs and scaling existing ones. This includes supporting the development of our community and arts and health programming, growing TDF’s Autism Friendly Performances to 12 offerings a year by FY27, as well as the growth of TDF’s Veterans Theatre going program to reach 5,000 veterans by FY28.

The successful candidate will be a strong, compassionate, and supportive team leader who can guide and influence new strategy, while working both autonomously and in partnership with the VP, Programs. They must be adaptable and highly organized, with strong prioritization skills, and possess the ability to balance an array of responsibilities. This is an outward-facing role which involves interfacing with our many stakeholders. As such, the successful candidate will be comfortable in classrooms, in theatres, with large crowds, and have excellent interpersonal, organizational, and communication skills. The candidate must be adept at working with all of TDF’s stakeholders, including students and young people, older adults, and veterans, as well as audiences with varying physical and developmental disabilities and communication preferences. An understanding of multiple intelligences and arts-based learning is a must.

This role requires the successful candidate to work some evenings and weekends.

About you:

• You lead by example and inspire coworkers and those you supervise to do their best work and hold themselves accountable
• You have worked in arts program development with a focus on accessibility
• You are familiar with best practices and evaluative processes for arts education, accessibility in the arts, and beyond.
• You are a creative thinker and problem solver who works well with others and has a desire to learn and implement new ideas. You have excellent time management and organizational skills
• You take initiative, are flexible and work well both independently, cross-departmentally, and with a team
• You have a strong understanding of MS Office tools and can learn workplace communications and project management tools like Asana and Slack
• You have strong cultural competence: A keen understanding of and sensitivity to cultural differences and physical and developmental disabilities, including the ability to work effectively with a diverse group of people
• Financial management: Knowledge of financial management and budgeting, including the ability to prepare and manage budgets, track expenses, and make informed financial decisions
• A deep commitment to the mission and values of TDF, as well as a passion for arts and wellness

Qualifications:

• 3+ years in leadership, including senior management positions
• 7 years’ experience in program development with a strong focus on accessibility in the arts
• Any hire will be required to undergo a background check and be fingerprinted through the NYC Department of Education

Compensation and Benefits

This is a full-time, permanent role, and the salary range is $120K-$125K. In addition, TDF offers excellent benefits including:

• Medical, dental, and vision
• Short- and long-term disability
• Life insurance
• Company contributions to 401 (k)
• Commuter benefits
• Professional development
• A generous Paid Time Off policy

TDF is a hybrid-onsite organization, and staff are encouraged to be in-office 3 days a week.

To Apply:

Please send your resume and a cover letter telling us what you hope to bring to this role to resumes@tdf.org. You may also use this email address should you require any accessibility accommodations during this interview process.

Start Date: July 2025

TDF provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.