SEEKING THEATER MU’S NEXT MANAGING DIRECTOR
Status: Full-time, admin exempt position
Schedule: Flexible, primarily daytime, with some evenings and weekends required
Compensation: $82,000 to $102,000 annually, depending on experience.
Benefits: Includes health, dental, and retirement benefits, as well as PTO.
Deadline to apply: Nov 6, 2026
Anticipated start date: early 2027
Working in partnership with the artistic director and board of directors, the managing director will be responsible for administrative operations and financial sustainability, oversee fundraising/grants and marketing, and provide organizational leadership as Theater Mu moves forward into its 2026–2029 strategic cycle. Supervisory duties will be determined in partnership with the artistic director. Currently the staff consists of a team of four, including the artistic director.
ORGANIZATIONAL OVERVIEW
In the 34 years since Theater Mu was founded by Dong-il Lee, Rick Shiomi, Martha B. Johnson, and Diane Espaldon, Mu has grown to be one of the largest Asian American theater companies in the United States and the largest in the Midwest. Known for artistic excellence and innovative community engagement, Mu provides an unparalleled resource for Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI)* artists, advances AAPI stories, and gives AAPI communities a platform to see and be seen. Mu has become a leader in the local and national development of Asian American theater. Mu has helped to develop and support the work of local and national playwrights, actors, directors, designers, and musical artists by premiering and commissioning new works, fostering a new generation of AAPI artists, and bringing AAPI voices to Twin Cities audiences. Through educational, community, and corporate outreach programs, Mu provides access to the culture and arts of the AAPI diaspora for underserved communities throughout the upper Midwest.
MISSION: Theater Mu produces great performances born of arts, equity, and justice from the heart of the Asian American experience.
VISION: Theater Mu celebrates and empowers Asian Americans through theater.
PRIMARY ARTISTIC VALUES:
To give voice and cultural profile to the Asian American community.
To offer opportunities for mainstream audiences to gain insight into and empathy for Asian American culture and heritage.
To provide professional development opportunities for emerging Asian American artists.
To promote awareness of and progressive action on issues of social justice and gender equality in society.
To move, provoke, and challenge our audiences to understand, embrace, and celebrate diversity.
PRODUCTIONS
Mu’s productions embody the heart of its mission. Thoughtfully selected and carefully created to engage, educate, and challenge, our shows range from commissioned works and world premieres to classic plays and musicals, regularly in partnership with other organizations in the Twin Cities and nationally. Each production includes talkbacks to deepen the audience’s understanding of the work.
Theater Mu has presented more than 60 world premieres and more than 30 commissions over its 34-year history. Mainstage shows consistently land on critics' "Best Of" lists; commissioned and/or developed playwrights have gone on to productions around the country; and Mu actors consistently work with major local and regional companies.
ARTIST DEVELOPMENT
Mu provides a growing roster of talented AAPI artists with opportunities to develop their work—playwrights, actors, directors, designers, and musical artists have trained in Mu’s programs. Mu’s paid fellowship program, Emerging Playwrights’ Circle, Mu Tang Clan playwright incubator, and Mu Training Institute give unique, culturally specific, in-depth training for AAPI Artists.
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
Mu’s Community Engagement includes educational, community, and corporate programs that explore identity, family, and society through an Asian American lens. Educational programs provide safe affinity spaces for AAPI youth to learn about and create art. Through its community engagement, Mu serves as a beacon of AAPI art, a strong voice against racism and anti-Asian hate, and a gathering space for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders to celebrate their stories. In a world that struggles to see all people, Mu shines a light on inequity, fights invisibility and erasure, and amplifies the Asian American community in Minnesota. The organization is co-led by Artistic Director Fran DeLeon and the managing director. The leadership team is supported by a volunteer board.
ROLES & RESPONSIBILITIES
ORGANIZATIONAL LEADERSHIP
Reports directly to the board of directors while partnering closely with the artistic director through a shared leadership model.
Shares responsibility for management of staff, key funding partnerships, and community relationships and engagement.
Coordinates with the office manager to meet the front-of-house needs as they relate to Theater Mu productions, including performance and rental requirements.
Owns responsibility for establishing and maintaining relationships with the arts community, arts organizations, and artists, as well as local theater companies, facility rental organizations, patrons, volunteers, and board members.
FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT & FISCAL OVERSIGHT
Annually creates and executes the theater budget along with artistic director and the board’s finance committee.
Manages and approves departmental spending to ensure fiscal responsibility.
Responsible for individual event settlements following each production.
Manages and executes contracts for theater contracted personnel including, but not limited to, directors, actors, designers, musicians, and crew.
REPORTING & COMPLIANCE
As necessary, develops and implements budget contingency plans for programming shortfalls.
Assures that organizational spending and reporting are in alignment with grant and funding stream requirements.
Works with external auditor partners to prepare and complete the annual audit.
Ensures compliance with applicable federal, state, and local laws governing nonprofit and charitable organizations, grant compliance, tax and financial reportings.
HUMAN RESOURCES
Ensures organizational employment practices comply with all applicable federal, state, and local employment laws, including wage and hour requirements, leave laws, anti-discrimination requirements, and workplace safety obligations.
Ensures that the employee handbook for Theater Mu is maintained, current, and complete.
Supports the organization’s staffing goals and needs, including managing contract and union staff.
QUALIFICATIONS
Bachelor’s degree in business administration, finance, or operational management (or closely related field), or equivalent experience.
Minimum of 5 years of leadership experience within a nonprofit or performing arts organization, with experience in managing budgets and nonprofit finance.
Demonstrated success in donor cultivation as well as sustaining and growing key donor relationships with individuals, organizations, and foundations.
Experience with nonprofit governance and compliance under Minnesota law.
Strong knowledge of financial management software such as: Bill.com, Gusto, PatronManager/Salesforce, Quickbooks, or similar platforms.
Experience as a superuser/administrator within Google Workspace or similar platform.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
7–10+ years of senior leadership experience in a nonprofit or performing arts organization.
Proven track record in establishing and managing nonprofit budget and financial management plans and infrastructure.
Advanced experience in nonprofit finance, including accounting, grant management, and complex budgeting.
Experience working in a unionized environment or administering collective bargaining agreements is preferred.
Master’s in business administration or master’s in arts administration degree preferred.
KEY SKILLS
Organizational Management: Ability to think through complex information and implement it within a growing, dynamic organization.
Shared Leadership: Able to be self-directed while also collaborating with an artistic director, volunteer board, and community of artists.
Adaptable and Strategic: Comfortable with change and able to adjust organizational needs and leadership to respond to the current arts environment.
Public Presence: Excellent communication and comfortable leading as a public face and champion for Theater Mu.
TO APPLY
Upload PDF versions of your cover letter and resume to our Google form by 11:59 pm CT on Nov 6, 2026. If you do not have a Google email, please submit your application to board@theatermu.org with the subject line “Managing Director Application.”
This job description is not intended to be an employment contract and may be modified as organizational needs change.
Theater Mu provides reasonable accommodations to qualified applicants and employees with disabilities throughout the hiring process and employment. Applicants needing accommodations may make a request for reasonable accommodation once contacted for an interview.
This role will be expected to have evening/weekend work, attendance at performances and community events, which may include the need to stand for long periods of time and/or movement throughout the day.