Associate Director of Research & Practice

Job Details

Role: Associate Director of Research & Practice

Employee Status: Full-time, benefits eligible

Location: Remote

Compensation: $80,000/year.

Employee Status: Exempt; full-time, benefits eligible

Benefits Package: 403b plan with employer contributions, generous leave policy, home office stipend, flexible work hours, Medical, Dental, and Vision coverage with Employee premiums 100% company paid and dependents covered at 90%

Work Schedule: Flexible hours between 9 AM – 5 PM, Monday – Friday

Supervisor: Director, Research & Practice

Projected Start Date: January 14 – 21, 2026

Applications due:
October 15, 2025 at 11:59 PM PST

This position will require the successful completion of a criminal background check.

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Position Description

The Associate Director, Research & Practice builds engagement strategies, formalizes documentation and tracking processes, and creates and supports the training and onboarding of teaching artists within Play On Shakespeare’s Research & Practice department,  working alongside the Director, Research & Practice to develop expanding programs and execute department logistics for the company’s dramaturgical and educational initiatives. This role will also support the organization and booking of workshops, the engagement and training of teaching artists, and support departmental administrative and logistical needs. This role collaborates closely with all departments within Play On Shakespeare, as well as with company leadership. The Associate Director of Research & Practice upholds Play On Shakespeare’s values of anti-racism, access, and equity, ensuring these principles are embedded in artistic and educational strategies.

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Key Responsibilities

Teaching Artist Cohort Development and Engagement

• In collaboration with the Director of Research & Practice and the Executive Director, build and establish a teaching artist cohort.
• Support the development of curriculum and documentation of the teaching artist cohort, and create recruitment, onboarding, and training strategies with the Director in the development of this roster.
• Maintain, and update as needed, the teaching artist roster in platforms such as Airtable, Google Drive, and Monday.com, as appropriate.
• Maintain outreach and communication with the department’s teaching artists, ensuring ongoing engagement with Play On between bookings.
• Collaborate with the Director, Research & Practice and Director of Partnerships to assess booking strategies for workshops, teaching artist residencies, and appropriateness of projects across the organization. Establish systems with this team to communicate and assess opportunities.
• Coordinate travel, hospitality, and logistics for traveling teaching artists and department staff and contractors in support of engagement, development, and training activities, as well as project travel and logistics.

Curriculum Development and Maintenance

• Steward the development of toolkits and other standardized training materials and documentation within teaching artist programs and department curriculum, with input from the Director and Play On leadership.
• Document and maintain learning assets and delivery models for department programs and company educational initiatives.
• Manage implementation of curriculum delivery models and learning resources, and restructure or refine as indicated by outcomes.
• Build a curriculum archive and tracking process, and train company members and teaching artists using the archive in its protocols.
• Assist in the development of evaluation models for the department, and within the organization as requested and with partnership of the Director.
• Assist in development of all learning asset collateral.

Community Development and Artist Support

• Project manage the development of a Play On Method collaborative online learning space.
• Collaborate with the Director, Research & Practice to define the values and intention of community spaces, including the development of online learning spaces and engagement strategies.
• Collaborate with all relevant departments to build out the infrastructure of community learning spaces.
• Plan and coordinate programming and program assets for the development of online spaces for the department. 
• Collaborate with Partnerships and Marketing departments to ensure all programming and programming needs are coordinated across the organization.

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Core Competencies and Traits

• Strategic & Visionary Thinker – Demonstrated experience in developing theater-based or arts-based learning-driven programs that align with organizational goals.
• Community Leadership – Experience in designing and implementing community programs and/or community engagement platforms.
• Learning Materials Proficiency – Skilled in managing and curating educational collateral materials.
• Collaborative & Inclusive – Committed to fostering an equitable and accessible work culture.

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How to Apply

Application Process

Please submit your application using the following Airtable form:

This form will ask you to complete a questionnaire in lieu of a cover letter.

All applicants will be notified of their application status and its continuation or completion within our process.

Interview Process Timeline

Interviewees will be compensated for their time spent meeting with Play On Shakespeare. For all interviews, interviewees will receive $68 – equivalent to one full day at the federal per diem rate for Ashland, OR. Candidates invited to any in-person interview(s) will have their travel and housing provided, per diem for meals and essentials provided, and will be compensated for their time.

The aspirational timeline is as follows:

October 15, 2025 – Application closes

November 10–14 – First interviews

December 1 or 3 – Second interviews

Please note that as the timeline changes, we will keep candidates apprised.

Anticipated start date is January 14–21, 2026

Play On Shakespeare is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, age, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected under federal, state, or local law, where applicable.

Play On Shakespeare is made possible through generous support by the Hitz Foundation.

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