The Stockholm School of Economics is seeking an Executive Director to establish and lead a new Center for Art & Innovation.
Building on SSE's internationally recognized commitment to the arts, this role represents an opportunity to further shape one of the world's most advanced intersections of artistic practice, research, innovation, and education. The Executive Director will work closely with academic leadership, artists, donors, researchers, students, and external partners.
The Executive Director will provide both strategic and operational leadership for the Center for Art & Innovation and serve as a key bridge between the worlds of art, academia, philanthropy, and innovation.
Reporting to the Center’s Scientific Director, the Executive Director will play a central role in translating the Center’s vision into impactful programs, partnerships, and initiatives. The ambition is to further strengthen the Stockholm School of Economics' international profile.
The role combines cultural leadership, organizational development, fundraising, community building, and program execution. It requires a leader who is comfortable operating across institutional boundaries and building relationships with artists, researchers, students, donors, and external partners.
Strategic Leadership and Center Development
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Shape and implement the long-term vision and strategy for the Center for Art & Innovation
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Translate strategic ambitions into sustainable programs, partnerships, and initiatives.
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Position the Center as a leading international platform connecting art, research, innovation, and society.
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Drive the development of organizational structures, processes, and ways of working that support long-term growth and impact.
Arts and Program Development
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Curate the Center’s artistic programs and activities, currently developed by the Art Initiative. Read more about the Art Initiative here.
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Oversee the delivery of artistic programs, exhibitions, residencies, seminars, performances, and public events.
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Expand and diversify artistic engagement across disciplines, including visual arts, music, and emerging creative practices.
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Build relationships with artists, curators, museums, galleries, and cultural institutions in Sweden and internationally.
Coordinate the art related educational and research initiatives
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Coordinate, further develop and integrate the portfolio of educational offering of the arts in the curriculum of SSE’s students and Executive Education.
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Support coordination across the community of scholars in the School who work at the intersection of the arts and business, and support collaboration with other Schools globally.
Fundraising and External Relations
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Develop and steward relationships with donors, foundations, patrons, and strategic partners.
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Identify and secure funding opportunities that support the Center’s growth and long-term sustainability.
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Prepare funding proposals, donor communications, and impact reporting.
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Serve as an ambassador for the Center and SSE in national and international contexts.
Operations, Planning, and Governance
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Lead the day-to-day operations of the Center.
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Assume overall responsibility for budgeting, planning, reporting, and resource allocation.
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Ensure effective coordination across SSE departments, centers, and external collaborators.
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Establish clear structures for project management, evaluation, and organizational follow-up.
Community Building and Outreach
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Foster engagement across the SSE community, connecting faculty, students, researchers, executive education participants, and external practitioners.
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Support interdisciplinary collaborations and new forms of public engagement.
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Strengthen the Center’s visibility through communications and awareness.
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Build networks that connect artistic, academic, entrepreneurial, and societal perspectives.
We are looking for an accomplished leader with a strong track record in the cultural sector.
The ideal candidate will have:
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A genuine interest and curiosity in the role of the arts in relation to research, education, innovation, and societal development.
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Leadership experience within a museum, cultural institution, foundation, gallery, university-based arts organization, or comparable environment.
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A strong network within the arts and cultural sectors.
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Experience in fundraising, donor relations, sponsorship, or partnership development.
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Strong operational and organizational capabilities.
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Excellent communication, stakeholder management, and relationship-building skills.
We are working with work-related tests, such as personality, language, and problem-solving tests, in our recruitments to, as objectively as possible, map factors that are important in our roles. Interviews and references are included in all our processes. Background checks will be conducted on final candidates. We encourage you to apply promptly as we are actively reviewing applications on an
ongoing basis.
The Stockholm School of Economics is ranked as the top business school in the Nordic and Baltic countries and enjoys a strong international reputation. World-class research forms the foundation of our educational offering, which includes Bachelor, Master, PhD, MBA, and Executive Education programs. Through creativity and collaboration, the Stockholm School of Economics provides an environment where ambitious students and accomplished researchers meet to address contemporary challenges within business and economics, particularly those concerning sustainability, diversity and innovation. Apart from delivering world class education within business and economics, SSE students are trained to be successful decision makers and leaders of the future. Our educational mission has over the years strengthened SSE students, and you can read more about it here.SSE is a member of the Stockholm Dual Career Network (SDCN), a collaboration between universities, research institutes and companies in the Stockholm region. Through SDCN, partners of international recruits are offered professional support in establishing their careers in Sweden, including career coaching, networking opportunities, seminars and access to a broad professional network. We recognize the importance of supporting accompanying partners in international relocations and are committed to facilitating a smooth transition for the whole family. SSE is committed to a balanced gender distribution and values a variety of backgrounds and experiences among our employees. We therefore welcome all applicants regardless of their gender, ethnicity, gender identity or expression, disability, sexual orientation, age, or religion or other beliefs. We strive to have a fair and inclusive recruitment process.
Type of employment: temporary position | Contract type: full time | Number of positions: 1 | Full-time equivalent: 100% | City: Stockholm | County: Stockholms län | Country: Sweden | Reference number: 2026/48 | Contact: Emma Hellsten , | Published: 2026-06-16 | Last application date: 2026-09-13
