POSITION TITLEStrategic Operations LeaderREPORTS TOIndependent Fine Art Photographer and Art DealerLOCATIONHastings-on-Hudson, NY (with flexibility for hybrid in-person/remote work)SALARY RANGE$70,000–$100,000 (commensurate with experience), with potential commission-based incentive of up to $30,000 based on performanceDURATIONAt least two years following an initial 3 month trial to prove the relationship and determine how this candidate fits into the ecosystem. This time is as much for you as it is for me. The one-on-one relationship must be fulfilling and rewarding to both of us for it to work in the long term. Salary will be prorated per the salary quoted above and continued upon review of our compatibility and mutual satisfaction with the role.ABOUT MY STUDIOI have built a robust and established independent fine art enterprise, specifically as a fine art photographer but with interest in other media. With more than $6.5 million in sales and over 1,000 collectors worldwide in the past 15 years. My practice has been sustained primarily in luxury markets such as Nantucket, Aspen, the Hamptons, Chicago, the Bay Area, Jackson Hole, Los Angeles, Florida, and Hawai‘i, alongside bespoke commissions and collaborations with internationally renowned architects and designers. Unlike many mid-tier galleries impacted by the current art market contraction, my studio remains relatively shielded by direct relationships with a loyal, highly resourced collector base.A hallmark of my work has been a long history of traveling commissions—from Hawai‘i to Malibu, Jackson Hole to Costa Rica—that grant me complete artistic license to produce ambitious work for both individuals and institutions. These commissions, together with direct collector sales and institutional collaborations, have created diversified revenue streams with my creative output at the center.The work that has sustained my practice historically has enabled its growth, but my central ambition lies in the experimental practice that belongs in the contemporary art conversation. That practice demands time, space, and freedom to take risks, to experiment, and to embrace fertile failures in the studio and the field—conditions incompatible with the current breadth of daily operational duties that remain entirely my responsibility. While I have been able to wear these hats, they reduce the time available for experimentation and force me to prioritize efficiency—something at odds with a dynamic, exploratory practice.My academic pedigree (B.A. from Stanford University, M.F.A. from Columbia University) further grounds my practice in rigorous inquiry and deep connections to a generation of artists, gallerists, and curators who have become significant voices in today’s art world. These relationships, together with a collector base comprised largely of high-net-worth individuals outside the traditional contemporary art ecosystem, create a rare opportunity: to bring loyal, eager supporters into institutional contexts where their patronage can expand cultural relevance.As a partner and father, my family takes ultimate precedence, further constraining my available time, but also making it crucial that the practice that has allowed me to address financial aid debt and provide a sustainable and stable life for my family can be maintained while I pursue a fulfilled and meaningful life as an artist. This is one of the reasons the Strategic Operations Leader role is essential—and also why I will be sensitive to the family priorities and personal well-being of the person who takes it on.POSITION SUMMARYThe Strategic Operations Leader will serve as my senior partner in shaping and executing the next chapter of my practice. This is a creative leadership role for a visionary interested in applying a creative lens to the business of art in conversation with me, in a way that honors your voice and respects your strengths, while ensuring that any plan we pursue adheres to my principles and contributes positively to the motivations that undergird my vision.You will assume responsibility for the operational, logistical, and outward-facing demands of my studio—functions that have historically consumed my time. In doing so, you will free me to focus on experimental production, conceptual development, and the kinds of risk-taking that generate lasting influence in the contemporary art context. Central to this is making space for experimentation and fertile failures in both the studio and the field—conditions from which meaningful new work emerges.While the breadth of responsibility encompasses many elements, the intimate scale of my studio—centered on a single artist—creates meaningful space for you to devote time to your own vision for inquiry and development. The role is not solely logistical or administrative in nature but academic, theoretical, and meaningful: providing curatorial support, productive and honest critique, industry research, cultural critique, and a deep care for the future of humanity in this perilous, cruel, voracious, and inconsiderate era of consumption and consolidation of power and resources to the detriment of people and the world we share.The role and its responsibilities will evolve in concert with the opportunities that result from our collaboration. Many of the responsibilities described here are speculative, based on what has come before, and will shift as new projects, commissions, and partnerships take shape. The future of my studio is promising, but not predetermined, and you will play an active role in shaping what comes next. Just as I do not seek to grow in a way that does not bring those who contribute up with me, this position is conceived as a pathway for shared advancement.You will also help usher my existing collector base of high-net-worth individuals—many without prior ties to the contemporary art world—into new cultural and institutional contexts, ensuring their support strengthens and expands as my practice evolves. Together we will collaborate on forthcoming initiatives: the production and release of a major monograph, bespoke collaborations with leading architects and designers, the realignment of my website, participation in strategically chosen art fairs, and applications for fellowships, grants, and residencies.This is an opportunity to join a stable and thriving enterprise with the growth potential of a role in a larger arts organization, but with responsibilities that are more diverse, more creative, and more directly impactful than those typically available in institutional settings.Above all, this role calls for kindness, curiosity, and a spirit that values experimentation and risk-taking as essential components of a well-lived life.KEY RESPONSIBILITIESResponsibilities are wide-ranging and will evolve alongside the opportunities that this collaboration creates. The following list reflects anticipated areas of focus, drawn from prior work, but should not be seen as fixed or exhaustive.STRATEGIC LEADERSHIP & CREATIVE PARTNERSHIP• Partner with me to refine and implement my evolving vision.• Apply a creative and adaptive lens to the business of art in direct collaboration with me, in a way that honors your voice and respects your strengths while ensuring alignment with my principles and motivations.• Participate in rigorous and honest critique about my work, offering a critical lens on emerging projects and helping to devise logistical and practical strategies for their development.• Provide curatorial support, industry research, and cultural critique, contributing to the conceptual and theoretical framing of new projects.• Ground the work in a deep care for the future of humanity in this perilous, cruel, voracious, and inconsiderate era of consumption and consolidation of power and resources to the detriment of people and the world we share.• Devise innovative models that integrate the loyalty of my existing high-net-worth collectors into institutional and cultural settings • Maintain and cultivate relationships built through your efforts, helping to communicate the value of the practice and its future trajectory.COMMISSION AND COLLABORATION OVERSIGHT• Support and expand my established commission practice, which has historically granted full artistic license for major private and institutional projects.• Help manage and develop collaborations with internationally recognized architects and designers.• Play a creative role in shaping bespoke, large-scale commissions and integrated design projects.EXHIBITION, PUBLICATION, AND SPECIAL PROJECTS• Collaborate on the production and release of a forthcoming monograph.• Assist in planning targeted exhibitions, limited-run presentations, and institutional outreach.• Coordinate production/logistics for high-profile bespoke collaborations with architects, designers, and collectors.• Identify and manage participation in art fairs appropriate to my strategy and visibility goals.• Oversee the preparation and submission of grant applications, fellowship opportunities, and residency proposals.OPERATIONAL MANAGEMENT• Direct day-to-day operations including production scheduling, logistics, and project management.• Oversee communications, website redesign/realignment, and brand management across platforms.• Supervise administrative systems, workflows, and budgets to ensure efficiency and sustainability.QUALIFICATIONS • Kindness, curiosity, and a spirit that values experimentation and risk-taking as essential components of a well-lived life.• Master’s degree strongly preferred in Curatorial Studies, Art History, Arts Administration, or a related discipline; other academic backgrounds will be considered where applicable experience demonstrates alignment with the role. A Ph.D. is welcome but not required. • Minimum 7–10 years of experience in a senior operations, development, or communications role within an arts organization, major artist studio, gallery, or museum. • Proven track record in brand stewardship, strategic outreach, and operational management. • Demonstrated experience with art fair participation, grant writing, and fellowship/residency applications. • Experience providing curatorial input, critical feedback, or project framing in dialogue with artists. • Deep knowledge of the dynamics of the contemporary art world and fluency in its business practices.• Exceptional communication and relationship-building skills to serve as interlocutor and representative for me. • Demonstrated ability to manage complex projects independently while aligning with a larger creative vision. • Personal commitment to the values of collaboration, rigor, inclusion, and excellence.EQUITY, DIVERSITY, AND INCLUSIONI am committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment. All qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, disability, age, veteran status, or any other protected status as defined by law. Candidates from underrepresented backgrounds in the arts are strongly encouraged to apply.I also have a deep, abiding respect for anyone whose personal and spiritual growth has involved challenging established norms, binaries, and societal expectations. The willingness to remain true to oneself despite external forces to the contrary has been instrumental in my own continued evolution, and I admire such a commitment when it is evident in the experience of the person who fills this role.APPLICATION PROCESSAsk me questions. Anything goes. I’m an open book and the questions you ask will help me understand how your mind works and who you are. I also think it’s an essential step toward determining our compatibility. Rather than a standard cover letter, please send me a letter that helps me understand who you are as a person. Tell me what you love and what makes your heart skip a beat. Where are you from and how did it shape you? What are your biggest regrets? Greatest accomplishments? How do you spend your time when you have time to yourself? Why art? Why art now? Share what artists have inspired you. What misgivings or disappointments in your previous roles have led you to consider this one. You might reflect on meaningful relationships, mentors, friends, or even enemies who have shaped you. Speak about your fears and your dreams, where you would like to be in ten years, how you hope to look back on your life, and what you see as the biggest problems with the art world and how you would approach things differently. Tell me about your family. Your children. Your pets. Tell me anything you want to tell me that will provide a window into what your résumé and qualifications can’t. What makes you, you?This can be long or short. Write what you think you need to write. Consider this a creative effort and do what feels right, not what you think I need to read.These are just prompts to help you craft this letter and to suggest the tone I’m looking for. They are here only to invite honesty and openness and to help me understand how you might relate to me in the studio and with my patrons. I will assume that if you are applying, you meet the qualifications listed above, so I don’t need you listing them in this prose unless you think it relevant to the narrative you construct. What matters most is that I come away with a sense of who you are as a person. Please do not feel obliged to share anything personal you would rather keep private just because you think I expect to hear it. I will always endeavor to respect your privacy and autonomy; however, the ideal person for this role will, with time, become comfortable and confident enough with me to understand that our relationship will be most effective if we can see eye to eye in more ways than the functionality and execution of the role.Please also include a résumé detailing your competencies and any relevant technological expertise. This can be one page, but don\'t limit it to that if there is more to say. And a few meaningful references... personal and/or professional, ideally both. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled.
