Chief People Officer
Jacob's Pillow seeks a Chief People Officer to serve as a senior leader and trusted partner to Executive and Artistic Director Pamela Tatge and the senior leadership team. The CPO will bring sophisticated operational discipline together with genuine, finely tuned people acumen, guiding all aspects of the employee experience across a workforce that includes full-time staff, seasonal employees, interns, students, contractors, and visiting artists. The successful candidate will need to bring exceptional communication skills rooted in empathy and compassion, alongside the resolve to make and enforce difficult decisions. This is a role for a leader who can hold both rigor and care, who builds infrastructure that scales, and who is known for steady, fair, and thoughtful judgment in moments that matter.
Jacob’s Pillow, a National Historic Landmark and recipient of the National Medal of Arts, is a year-round center for dance and home to America’s longest-running international dance festival, located in the Berkshires of Western Massachusetts. The Pillow encompasses the world-renowned Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, The School at Jacob’s Pillow, the Pillow Lab, Community Engagement programs and a robust online platform that provides audiences all over the world with access to the Archives, regular livestreams and encore presentations. The Pillow’s mission is to support dance creation, presentation, education, and preservation, and to engage and deepen public appreciation and support for dance. Jacob’s Pillow is committed to providing an inclusive, diverse, accessible, and equitable environment that cultivates the celebration of the art of dance and its positive impact on communities.
The search is being led by VP of Organizational Strategy Edie Demas, in consultation with and support from the TOC Arts Partners search team. Applications will be accepted until this role is filled.
For general questions or nominations of prospective candidates, please contact searchteam@tocartspartners.com. We kindly request no phone calls. Specific questions about the position may be directed to: Edie Demas, VP, Organizational Strategy, edie@tocartspartners.com.
Note to Applicants:
All applications must be submitted through the application portal linked above, as we do not accept resumes or cover letters via email. Rest assured, a real human reviews every application we receive, and your application decision is not at the whim of AI or keyword filters. We seriously consider and encourage candidates from all backgrounds and experiences to apply. While it may take a few weeks as we process and evaluate submissions, all applicants should expect follow-up regarding the status of their submissions. Due to the volume of applications, we are not able to offer detailed individualized feedback at this time. Thank you.
