Managing Director, Texas Performing Arts

Job Posting Title: Managing Director, Texas Performing Arts ---- Hiring Department: Texas Performing Arts ---- Position Open To: All Applicants ---- Weekly Scheduled Hours: 40 ---- FLSA Status: Exempt from FLSA ---- Earliest Start Date: Jun 29, 2026 ---- Position Duration: Expected to Continue ---- Location: UT MAIN CAMPUS ---- Job Details: General Notes About Texas Performing Arts Texas Performing Arts at the University of Texas at Austin (TPA) is the nation’s largest and most active university-based performing arts center by annual attendance, budget, and number of events. Both an anchor institution in Austin’s arts landscape and a nationally significant presenter, TPA operates venues on the University of Texas at Austin campus including Austin’s largest theater, Bass Concert Hall. Its presenting includes Broadway in Austin; an international season of dance, theater, and music; and the Texas Welcomes series of national touring artists. Education is at the core of TPA’s programs, which serve more than 30,000 K-12 students and the 55,000 students of UT Austin. http://texasperformingarts.org/ . Purpose The Managing Director is Texas Performing Arts “number two” leader. The position is responsible for implementing the Executive & Artistic Director’s strategic vision by leading daily operations, providing financial management, and guiding the work of TPA’s operational and administrative teams. The position works closely with colleagues across UT Austin and engages extensively with the university’s centralized systems and policies. Reporting to the Executive & Artistic Director, the Managing Director oversees the leaders of business operations (finance, human resources, accounting, procurement, and contracting); facilities (including IT and capital projects); production (with departments that serve both presented and produced events); event management (event operations and artist logistics); and guest experience (front of house, parking, and retail). Responsibilities Internal Leadership:  Provide high-level leadership to the heads of Business Operations, Guest Experience, Production, Fabrication & Academic Production, Human Resources, Facilities, and Event Management.  Support these areas in understanding TPA’s priorities, setting aligned goals for their areas, and meeting or exceeding those goals.  Develop and implement strategies that align TPA’s needs and ambitions with people, processes, and systems.  Provide high-level thinking in parallel with attention to detail.  Lead organization-wide, cross-functional teams on key initiatives.  Facilitate effective and timely interdepartmental coordination.  Demonstrate authenticity, emotional intelligence, and effective communications to guide and motivate TPA’s entire staff through clear and composed action. External Leadership:   Build and sustain strong relationships with TPA’s university and industry partners.  Serve as a trusted and respected leader at the university and within the field.  Participate in reporting to and planning with TPA’s Leadership Board.  Serve as a proxy for the Executive Director when needed and as a public face of the organization when assigned. Fiscal Management:   Provide financial planning and management that sustains and increases TPA’s fiscal health on both an annual and long-term basis. Provide financial insight and analysis to the Executive Director and other senior leaders. Oversee the business operation team’s budget development, management, and reporting.  Supervise management of the balance sheet. Maintain and continuously enhance financial systems to meet the needs of all users.  Develop a comprehensive knowledge of and ensure compliance with university financial policies and procedures. Operations: Create operational excellence, discipline, and coordination across the organization. Lead organizational operations to ensure the effectiveness of TPA’s programs. Create and apply entrepreneurial and solution-oriented approaches to carrying out TPA’s programs within a complex business environment.  Operationalize TPA’s strategic and programmatic plans.  Provide operational insight and analysis to the Executive Director and other senior leaders.  Develop comprehensive knowledge of and ensure compliance with university operating policies and procedures. Consistently advance Texas Performing Arts’ goals of expansive and innovative programming, educational impact, and world‑class facilities & experiences across all defined responsibilities and other duties as assigned. This job description may not be inclusive of all assigned duties, responsibilities, or aspects of the job described.  Required Qualifications At least ten years of increasingly responsible experience in the arts, entertainment, education, or not-for-profit sectors. Demonstrated success utilizing administrative, financial, and operational skills to achieve impactful results in a mission-driven organization. Demonstrated ability to solve complex problems within standardized policies and procedures. Demonstrated experience with an organizationally significant number of direct reports in different functional areas, including recruiting, developing, managing, and retaining high-performing team members. Demonstrated leadership presence that inspires others to achieve a shared vision through exceptional written and spoken communication skills; authenticity; confidence and composure; and emotional intelligence. Preferred Qualifications Fluency in the interrelated aspects of performing arts center operation, including programming, development, education & engagement, operations, ticketing, marketing & communications, guest experience, and production. General manager, managing director, or COO/CFO experience in a performing arts center, performing arts organization, theatrical production, or live event organization. Current understanding of the state of the performing arts and education sectors, including present