Project Manager, NJ Folklife

• Employment Type: Project-Based (Salaried/Exempt)
• Project Duration: November 1, 2026 through June 30, 2028— coterminous with State of NJ co-sponsorship agreement
• Reports To: Executive Director
• Salary Range: $52,500-$65,000
• Supervises: Folklife Coordinator
• Funding Source: New Jersey State Council on the Arts Co-Sponsored Project / Perkins Center for the Arts

This is project-based position established to advance the NJ Folklife at Perkins Center for the arts initiative co-sponsored by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts and Perkins Center for the Arts (the “Organization”). The Project Manager will lead the execution of defined project deliverables related to folklife research, community engagement, and cultural programming within the primary service area of Burlington, Camden, and Gloucester Counties and the broader South Jersey region.

This position exists for the duration of the co-sponsored project agreement and is contingent upon continued project funding. Employment under this position description does not create an expectation of continued employment beyond the stated project term.

The Folklife program is a member of the New Jersey Folklife Network Program (NJFN), an initiative created by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts (NJSCA) over 30 years ago in collaboration with cultural specialists, folk artists, nonprofits, and leaders from diverse communities throughout the state. The regional folklife programs are supported by a NJSCA Cosponsored grant program that advances the NJSCA’s goals through the implementation of five key activities (recently identified as the “Five Pillars”).

The implementation of the “Pillars” is relative to regional focus, cultural landscape, organizational mission, and local needs of each host organization. Informing the core work of the Folklife Program Manager, the “Pillars” currently include:

• Ethnographic Fieldwork, including (but not limited to) site visits, formal and informal interviews with and documentation of artists in their working environments; photo/video logs, field notes, etc.
• Artist-led “Arts Where You Are” programs providing folk arts-based experiences for individuals unable to travel or otherwise unable to easily access public programming.
• Folk Arts in Education programs (FAIE), bringing folk artists into K-12 schools to undertake curriculum-aligned residencies and assembly programs.
• Free Public Events such as exhibitions, presentations, performances, and workshops with compensated folk and traditional arts/artists and cultural practitioners
• Artist Services: support to, and collaboration with, folk artists and cultural practitioners, including networking, professional development, providing space, opportunities, and technical assistance.

The Project Manager is responsible for delivering the following outcomes within the project term:

• Completion of ethnographic fieldwork using American Folklife Center Standards, including time-coded observation, photography, digitization of artifacts, field recordings, interviews, oral histories, and demographic documentation
• Development and delivery of folklife-centered educational programming in collaboration with the Education Director, Education Manager, and Conservatory Manager
• Establishment and cultivation of partnerships with cultural communities, grassroots organizations, houses of worship, academic institutions, and individual folk artists across the service area
• Creation of platforms and programming that amplify community voice and elevate awareness of folk arts traditions
• Development of revenue-generating programs to support folklife sustainability beyond the current project term
• Archival documentation and preservation of collected folklife…