Movement Research is Hiring!

6 min readJan 25, 2023

Movement Research is seeking an Associate Director to support the organization in accomplishing its mission of supporting and engaging a diverse community of dance artists, practitioners and program participants.

Job Description

The Associate Director role at Movement Research oversees administration and implementation of a dynamic suite of Movement Research programs. The Associate Director works closely with the Executive Director and Departmental Managers to support overall operations of the organization. The position manages a team of Movement Research staff to ensure effective administration of programs and clear interdepartmental communications. Managers of the Programming, Operations, and Media & Communications departments report to the Associate Director. The position reports to the Executive Director.

Associate Director is a Full-time, 40 hour/week salaried position at Movement Research.

Compensation: $65,000-$70,000 (annual), commensurate with experience.

Schedule: 4–5 days per week in the office with the potential for some remote work. A majority of the hours are scheduled during office hours Monday-Friday between 9am-6pm. The schedule includes semi-regular evening and weekend hours for public events and artist meetings.

Benefits:

An employer sponsored Health Insurance plan is available.
An employee contribution 403(b) plan is available.
Movement Research employees receive free access to Movement Research classes, (virtual or in-person at the following locations: MR Studios at 122 Community Center, Eden’s Expressway, Gibney 280, Danspace Project and Judson Memorial Church; 1 free workshop per MELT series; and free or discounted participation in MR workshops is offered on a case-by-case basis.

Location: The Movement Research office and studios are located in 122 Community Center at 150 First Avenue, New York, NY 10009. The second floor office is accessible by elevator. Studios and restrooms are wheelchair accessible; restrooms are all gender.

COVID-19: As of January 2, 2023, all MR staff working onsite are required to have received at least a first round of a COVID-19 vaccine. Masks are required when working on-site or participating in Movement Research classes, workshops and events.

To apply

Please email the following materials to work@movementresearch.org with “Associate Director” in the subject line:

Resume
Cover letter
Name, title, organization, email and phone number for two to three professional references.
Accommodations for the job interview (we can offer closed captions, live transcript, ASL interpretation, and audio description for the interview).

Please direct questions via email to work@movementresearch.org. For accessibility purposes, if you need to speak by phone, we would be happy to call you if you send us your name and phone number by email.

Movement Research will invite 6–8 applicants for individual interviews that will take place in-person or virtually via Zoom. Following the individual interviews, we anticipate inviting 2–3 individuals for a second interview, which is planned to take place in-person. For accessibility purposes, if you require accommodations to interview, please let us know these in your application. Applications are being accepted on a rolling basis until the position is filled. First round interviews will begin in early February 2023. Position start-date is as soon as possible.

Movement Research continuously seeks to engage a more diverse and inclusive participant body and strives to recognize individuality and create equal opportunities for all, regardless of race, class, gender, disability, ethnicity, sexuality or age. MR is committed to maintaining a strong connection to an existing diverse community of experimental artists and audiences, while at the same time expanding its definition of experimentation to working within and pushing the boundaries of all movement-based forms. Movement Research recognizes the challenge to diversify the range of aesthetics, cultural and socio-economic backgrounds represented on NYC stages and strongly encourages applications from individuals aligned with this vision.

Qualifications

4 or more years of experience in a manager or higher level role in performing arts administration and/or artists services.
Interest in supporting and sustaining artists in community.
Knowledge and/or interest in local and national performing arts.
Experience in managing staff and familiarity with non-profit HR.
Strong communication, writing and organizational skills.
Ability to work independently, prioritizing and managing workload.
Possess strong team working skills and enjoys a collaborative work environment
Attention to detail and ability to manage multiple program timelines and schedules.
Experience with Mac platforms; Google including GMail, GoogleDocs, and GoogleSheets; MSOffice including Word and Excel is required.
Familiarity with database and/or online platforms including the following is a plus: Submittable, Jotform, Filemaker, GiveLively, and Ti.to.

Responsibilities of the position include:

Interdepartmental communications

Oversees interdepartmental communications between programming, media & communications, operations, and development staff
Oversees integration of programming and media & Communications team
In collaboration with Programming and Operation teams, creates and oversees schedules, timelines and program deadlines

Facilities/Operations oversight

Oversees facilities planning and scheduling in relationship to programs and in collaboration with operations team
Maintains relationships with current facilities partners
Works alongside Executive Director to attend to relationships with other 122CC tenant organizations and oversees relationship between 122CC staff and Movement Research staff
Provides general program support for the Internship program; assists Intern Supervisors when necessary re: interviewing, hiring and managing interns
Assists the Media & Communications Manager in hiring and onboarding process for Critical Correspondence interns
In collaboration with the Programs & Events Manager, oversees programming team online platforms used by the programming team: Submittable and Jotform

Development responsibilities

Provides support on funding proposals, reports and statistic tracking that relate to job purview upon request from development team
Annual Gala: in collaboration with Development, Programming and Media & Communications staff, this role oversees the planning and implementation of Movement Research’s annual benefit gala.

Programs responsibilities

Residency Programs

Oversee Movement Research’s Residency Programs
Artist-in-Residence (AIR)
Parent Artist Residency
Resident Artist Program
A.M.P. Residency (Access. Movement. Play)

Tasks include overseeing:

Artist application and selection processes (currently once per year for the Artist-in-Residence Program and Parent Artist Residency).
preparation of Residency Program Letters of Agreement and payment process
Scheduling of AIR cohort meetings (generally 8 per year for each of two cohorts), working with the AIR Cohort advisors to shape meetings meeting with individual AIR’s three sessions each during their 2-year residency.
Access to resources for residency artists including rehearsal space, in-process performances, exchange opportunities
Reporting to Development Team on Resident Artist activities with support from Programs & Events Associate
Facilitation of organizational partnerships in support of the residency programs

Movement Research Exchange Programs

Works with ED and Program Directors to facilitate exchanges (tasks and workflow depend on the nature of the exchange).
Works with Programs & Events Manager and Programming Associates, to coordinate and schedule exchange artist activities.
Work with exchange partner organizations to coordinate plans for MR/NYC-based artists participating in exchanges

Studies Projects

In collaboration with the Programs & Events Manager, oversee The Studies Project series, a public discursive program in collaboration with MR programs: Artist in Residence (AIR), Artists of Color Council (AoCC), MRX Exchange, Global Practice Sharing (GPS), MR Publishing, Dance Makers in the Schools Community

MR Publishing

Movement Research Performance Journal (MRPJ)

Oversees integration with MRPJ production timeline and workflow including subscriptions, distribution, fund raising, press releases, statistics tracking with administrative staff including programming, media and communications, operations and development; meets monthly with ED and MRPJ Editor.
Liaises between the MRPJ editorial team and MR staff to plan MRPJ events.

Critical Correspondence

Oversees selection and onboarding of Critical Correspondence co-editors.
Administration of Critical Correspondence agreements and budget, statistic tracking.

Additional Responsibilities

Provides Support to Programs & Events Manager during the once annual Movement Research at the Judson Church Selection Committee process
Provides support to ED in interfacing with and supporting the Accessibility Advisory Team and the Artists of Color Council
Field organizational partnership inquiries, and manage partnership relationships that interface with programs purview
Supports ED in design of new programs and evaluation of existing programs
Collaborate with ED, Programs & Events Manager and Operations team in the planning of and launch of MR’s international Visa Program
Support hiring and training of new staff members in collaboration with ED and departmental heads
This position interfaces with the Board of Directors through a range of quarterly and committee meetings throughout the year. This position attends weekly staff and departmental meetings.

About Movement Research

Movement Research is one of the world’s leading laboratories for the investigation of dance and movement-based forms. Valuing the individual artist, their creative process and vital roles within society, Movement Research is dedicated to the creation and implementation of free and low-cost programs that nurture and instigate discourse and experimentation. Movement Research strives to reflect the cultural, political and economic diversity of its moving community, including artists and audiences alike.

Founded in 1978, Movement Research plays a critical role in the dance ecology by providing a generative environment that encourages investigation, discourse, and constructive feedback. MR’s overall structure is participatory, artist-driven, and gives agency to diverse voices inclusive of race, national or ethnic origin, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, age, and family or parental status. MR is committed to shifting which voices are heard through rotating curatorial, editorial, and teaching structures with a focus on diversity, equity, inclusion, and access.

Movement Research offers 11 interrelated core programs including work-in-process performance series; artist residencies; national/international exchanges; artist curated Festivals and discussions; subsidized rehearsal space; publications (MR Performance Journal and Critical Correspondence); and classes & workshops for professional artists and for students in NYC public schools.