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Open position: Director of Salzburg International Summer Academy of Fine Arts

The Province of Salzburg is looking for a

Director of the Salzburg International Summer Academy of Fine Arts

from the summer of 2027, full time, place of work, Salzburg (5-year contract)

The International Summer Academy of Fine Arts Salzburg (ISBK), founded in 1953 by Oskar Kokoschka as a "School of Seeing" on Hohensalzburg Fortress, is the oldest of its kind in Europe. The internationality of the instructors and course participants, as well as the joint study of professional artists, art students, and art enthusiasts, remains one of its main principles to this day. Approximately 300 students of all ages and educational backgrounds from more than 50 countries around the world attend around 20 courses each year, which are led by internationally renowned artists, curators, and art critics.

  • We are looking for a personality with international experience in the art and cultural scene, who understands the networking between artists, art students, and cultural institutions not just as a task, but as a central mission. An inspiring leader who, with their enthusiasm, visionary thinking, and passionate commitment, makes the academy more visible, sets impulses, and, together with their environment, leads it to further sustainable, international success.
  • The future management of the International Summer Academy of Fine Arts, the universities, and the cultural institutions in the city and country of Salzburg are called upon to jointly develop a strategy for a sustainable artistic and cultural positioning of the region.

Job description:

  • Management and strategic development of the Summer Academy
  • Conception, planning, and implementation of the course and event programme
  • Personal management
  • Budget preparation and responsibility for budget execution
  • Fundraising and sponsoring
  • Networking in the art, culture, and education sectors, locally, nationally, and internationally
  • Mediation and communication of the content from the teaching and course offerings of the Summer Academy to the local and regional community
  • Creating opportunities for encounters in the sense of a dialogue between the international teachers/students and local or regional actors, interest groups, and art audiences. In the sense of stronger visibility and perception of the Summer Academy for the local population.

Mandatory Requirements:

General

  • Completed studies in art and cultural sciences, cultural management or comparable competence
  • Institutional experience in an art business
  • Experience in management of budgets and staff

Specialist

  • Excellent knowledge of global contemporary art and the art world
  • Curatorial experience and knowledge in the field of art education as well as teaching experience
  • Profound knowledge of artistic and scientific processes and their interdisciplinary connections
  • A clear positioning within current and socially relevant cultural and educational policy discourses
  • Experience in acquiring funding and sponsorship money
  • Experience in dealing with public relations and the media
  • Knowledge in equality and the promotion of women
  • Fluent in German and English

Management requirements:

  • Networking and communication skills
  • Communication and interpersonal skills
  • Ability to think and act strategically and economically
  • Decisiveness, assertiveness, appreciative communication skills
  • Innovation-oriented working
  • Employee-oriented leadership skills, cooperation and teamwork skills

Desired requirements:

  • International network in art and culture
  • Knowledge of Salzburg's cultural landscape
  • Experience in organizational development

We offer:

  • A 5-year employment contract with the Province of Salzburg
  • Remuneration least monthly gross € 7.073; 14 times p.a. for full employment
  • Work in an internationally influenced artistic environment

The Province of Salzburg aims to increase the proportion of women in leadership positions and therefore explicitly invites qualified women to apply.

Note:
According to the provisions of the regulation of the Salzburg provincial government on the women's promotion plan for the administration, knowledge of and a positive attitude towards the topics of equal treatment and the promotion of women are prerequisites for the selection process.

Further information:
MMag.a Kerstin Klimmer-Kettner, Tel: +43 662 8042 2260
kerstin.klimmer-kettner@salzburg.gv.at

Application submission:
The letter of application must be accompanied by a concept for the focus of the programme planning for the next few years (max. 4.000 characters).

Application deadline:
Last submission: 5th of July 2026 (date of receipt).

Application address:
Amt der Salzburger Landesregierung
Abteilung 2 – Kultur, Bildung, Gesellschaft und Sport
5020 Salzburg, Gstättengasse 10, Postfach 527
E-Mail: bewerbung.beteiligungen@salzburg.gv.at

Only those applicants who meet all mandatory employment requirements or will meet them by the planned start of employment and have applied within the deadline can be included in the selection process. The existence of these mandatory employment requirements must be proven with appropriate documents (certificates, etc.). Applications received after the deadline can without exception no longer be considered.

Vacancy as a PDF document here.