Residency Director

Diversity is core to Millay Arts mission. We are committed to building a residency community and a staff that
reflects the full range of voices in literature, visual and performance art, music, film and theatre. We strongly encourage candidates from all
backgrounds, including those historically underrepresented in the field, to apply.

Who We Are

Millay Arts, one of America’s longest-running multidisciplinary artist residencies, was founded in 1973 by Norma Millay Ellis, in tribute to her sister, the Pulitzer Prize-winning poet and activist Edna St. Vincent Millay. Located at the historic estate Steepletop, we have hosted more
than 3,000 artists over the past five decades. Our alumni are consistently recognized with international honors, including Pulitzer, Lambda Literary, Whitbread and Gotham Book Prizes, Guggenheim Fellowships,
MacArthur “Genius” and National Book Awards, and many others.

Millay Arts’ historic Core Residency offers fully-subsidized residencies, selected through a blind jury process,
from April to November to writers, poets, visual and performance artists, composers, filmmakers and screenwriters — providing
time, space, and community in a sylvan and inspirational setting. In 2021, Millay Arts launched the
Steepletop Residency, offering partially-subsidized residencies to those with private/institutional support, that is juried apart from the blind jury process and runs concurrently with the Core Residency. From mid-December to March, Millay Arts offers its Wintertide Rustic Retreat, open to the public, for self-directed residencies, with stays ranging from four
nights to one month.

For more about Millay Arts’ history, alumni and highlights, click here.

What We Are Seeking

Reporting to the Executive Director, the Residency Director is responsible for all aspects of the residency
program from application and selection through resident experience and program evaluation.

The Residency Director also directs the jury process that selects each year’s cohort of resident artists and oversees day-to-day operations of the Millay Arts’ buildings and grounds.
The Residency Director partners closely with our Executive Director to connect program excellence to
organizational strategy and provides the operational insights our Executive Director needs to plan, fundraise,
and make informed strategic decisions. This is a full-time, on-site position that includes some evenings and
weekends.

This opportunity is designed for a candidate who sees hospitality as inseparable from artistic support — who
understands that a private studio, a chef-prepared communal dinner, and a small, tight-knit cohort of gifted peers are
not amenities, but part of the work itself. A Millay Arts, the Residency Director delivers that experience
personally and directly.

The ideal candidate will have deep experience managing an artist residency or comparable cultural program,
who is drawn to the intimacy of a small, historic setting, welcomes the chance to help shape a program entering
its second half-century and brings a deep commitment to Millay Arts’ mission.

Key Responsibilities

Residency Program Leadership


• Partner with the Executive Director to shape the strategic direction of Millay Arts’ residency program and
connect program outcomes to organizational goals.
• Champion a positive, welcoming, and nurturing residency culture, and set expectations and protocols
across all residency activities consistent with Millay’s mission, vision, and values.

• Direct all phases of the residency program — application, selection, including before, during and after residency.
• Manage the artist application process, including establishing and documenting protocols for artist
selection, jury coordination, and feedback; maintain and review eligibility requirements in keeping with
the program’s standards.

• Ensure robust, well-marketed application cycles that sustain a strong and diverse applicant pool.


jury process & artist selection

• Apply the artist-selection ethos, criteria, and standards set by the Executive Director, translating them into
clear, consistent jury protocols across all disciplines.
• Lead the jury process: establish protocols, manage scheduling, coordinate jury appointments, and
document selection criteria and decision records.

• Maintain documentation of jury guidelines, selection criteria, and discipline-specific standards.


PROGRAM EVALUATION & OUTCOME TRACKING


• Track program outcomes across the full residency cycle — applicant pool trends, acceptance rates,
discipline diversity, resident experience, and alumni engagement.

• Develop and maintain program metrics, and provide the Executive Director with regular reporting,
analysis, and recommendations spanning program performance and facilities status.

• Evaluate program quality and recommend improvements through structured resident feedback processes.

• Assess program impact and outcomes — not just budget adherence, but the broader value the residency
delivers to artists and the field.

Facilities & Physical Plant, Staff Supervision

• Ensure the Millay Arts buildings and grounds are maintained as a safe, welcoming, and missionappropriate environment for resident artists, staff, and visitors.

• Oversee day-to-day operations of buildings and grounds, including maintenance, scheduling, and seasonal
operations.
• Manage relationships with maintenance contractors, caretaking staff, housekeeping, and service providers,
including contract terms and performance.

• Supervise and direct the chef, housekeeping staff, and facilities and groundskeeping contractors, setting
clear expectations and performance accountability.

• Manage the residency program budget within approved parameters and report budgetary changes and
variances to the Executive Director.


RESIDENCY PROGRAM POLICIES, RECORDS & DATA STEWARDSHIP

• Develop, document, and maintain residency program policies and protocols including selection criteria,
jury guidelines, resident experience standards, and facilities protocols ensuring all program policies are
current, written, and accessible to the organization.

• Maintain residency program records, including applicant files, jury materials, resident evaluations, and
other program data, on organizational platforms.

• Ensure institutional knowledge of residency operations, vendor contacts, seasonal protocols, and program
procedures is documented and maintained on organizational platforms, consistent with organization-wide
policies and procedures.

Alumni Engagement & External Relations

• Work in partnership with the Executive Director and relevant board committees to support the alumni
engagement strategy.

• Maintain relationships with resident alumni as part of ongoing program stewardship and contribute to
alumni communications and engagement initiatives.

• Represent Millay Arts at field convenings, Alliance of Artist Communities gatherings, and peer organization
events, as appropriate.

• Identify and develop campus event opportunities — workshops, gatherings, rentals — in alignment with
organizational priorities and capacity.

Qualifications

• Experience managing an artist residency, cultural program, or comparable program at a leadership level.

• Strong organizational and project management skills, with a demonstrated ability to build and maintain
systems and documentation.

• Experience with artist selection processes, jury coordination, or comparable curatorial or programming
work.

• Strong interpersonal skills and demonstrated experience supporting artists and creative practitioners.

• Experience overseeing facilities or physical plant operations including maintenance planning, contractor
and vendor oversight, and seasonal upkeep ideally on a historic or residential property.

• Experience supervising staff and managing vendor relationships.

• Financial management competence, including program budget accountability and reporting.

• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel, Word and Google Docs. Experience with Submittable or similar online
application-management software is preferred.

• Commitment to data stewardship and institutional knowledge management.

• Ability to work on a rural residential campus year round.
• Commitment to the mission of Millay Arts and the field of artist residencies.

Compensation and Benefits

Millay Arts offers a competitive salary of $55,000–$65,000 commensurate with experience. Benefits include
health insurance and paid holidays/vacation.

How to Apply

To apply, please email a cover letter and resume to Monika Burczyk, Executive Director, at jobs@millayarts.org by Friday, October 30, 2026.

In your
cover letter, please include a summary of your relevant accomplishments and speak to how you think about
hospitality, what it looks like day to day, to support an artist’s work rather than just administer a program.

Non-Discrimination and Inclusion Statement

Millay Arts is an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex,
sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, or any other status protected by applicable
law. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds and encourage those who bring varied perspectives and life
experiences to the field of artist residencies to apply.