Executive Director of Arts & Culture
Listed on 2026-02-01
-
Management
General Management -
Creative Arts/Media
Title:
Executive Director of Arts & Culture
Reports To:
The Mayor, with support from the Chief of Housing and Economic Development
Employment Status:
Full-time
Location:
San Francisco City Hall (In-Person Role)
Classification: 0962 Department Head II
Pay Scale: $210,678 – $268,814
Appointment Status:
Permanent Exempt (PEX)
Description:
The Office of Mayor Daniel Lurie seeks an Executive Director of Arts and Culture to lead San Francisco’s citywide arts and cultural strategy. The Executive Director will ensure that the arts remain a cornerstone of San Francisco’s identity, civic life, and economic vitality. The Executive Director will serve as the Mayor’s principal advisor on policies that advance San Francisco’s creative economy, cultural equity, and public arts programming.
From galleries and museums to theaters, venues and street festivals, San Francisco’s arts and culture ecosystem unites us, strengthens our local economy, and helps shape our collective identity. The City aims to better support San Francisco’s arts and culture ecosystem through a more unified approach to arts and culture administration. To that end, the mayor has announced his intent to unify the work currently residing within the San Francisco Arts Commission, Grants for the Arts, and the Film Commission under a new, single organization that aligns civic design review community investments, cultural policy, film production, galleries, grantmaking (including operating grants), public art, and allocation of city resources to foster a thriving and inclusive creative ecosystem.
The Executive Director will be the head of this new organization, guiding initiatives that create opportunity for artists, effectively steward cultural spaces, and expand public access to the arts. The role requires close coordination with City departments, community partners, and the private sector to elevate San Francisco as a global hub for artistic innovation and cultural expression. The position will play a key leadership role in navigating governance structures, commissions, and public accountability processes associated with arts and culture.
As a senior leadership role, the Executive Director of Arts and Culture will represent the City of San Francisco in high-level policy discussions, funding decisions, and cross-agency collaborations. The position demands vision, diplomacy, and deep knowledge of the cultural landscape. Decisions made in this role will shape how the City invests in creativity, tells its collective story, and sustains a vibrant arts community for generations to come.
Key Responsibilities- Lead the City’s strategy and long-term planning for arts and culture, advancing policies and programs that strengthen San Francisco’s creative ecosystem and promote cultural equity.
- Oversee a new organization that unifies and aligns the work of the San Francisco Arts Commission, Grants for the Arts, and the Film Commission to ensure coordination, accountability, and shared priorities.
- Serve as the Mayor’s Office principal liaison to the arts community, cultural organizations, philanthropic partners, and creative industry stakeholders.
- Champion the integration of arts and culture into broader City priorities, including housing, economic development, tourism, and neighborhood revitalization.
- Oversee City investments in arts funding, public art projects, and cultural infrastructure, ensuring transparency, equity, and measurable community benefit in alignment with City policies and governance requirements.
- Develop and implement strategies to steward and activate cultural spaces, create opportunity for working artists, and attract creative enterprises to San Francisco.
- Collaborate with City departments and external partners to advance film production, cultural events, and public programming that showcase the diversity of San Francisco.
- Represent the Mayor’s Office in high-level policy discussions, commission meetings, and public forums related to the arts and creative economy.
- Monitor program outcomes, assess impact, and provide data-driven recommendations to strengthen City arts investments.
- Serve as a visible advocate for San Francisco’s creative community, ensuring…
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