President & CEO

POSITION: President & CEO 

ORGANIZATION: Young Audiences New Jersey & Eastern Pennsylvania

LOCATION: Princeton, New Jersey  

ABOUT YOUNG AUDIENCES 

Young Audiences New Jersey & Eastern Pennsylvania’s (YA) mission is to inspire young people and expand their learning through the arts. We envision a future in which all students in the region have the opportunity to engage in quality arts learning that nurtures creativity, cultural awareness, and the development of critical thinking and learning skills.

Since its founding in 1973, YA has grown into the region’s largest and most comprehensive arts in education organization. Last year, YA presented over 3,750 programs to 447,738 students and teachers in 736 schools throughout NJ and Eastern PA. Over the last 41 years, our programs have affected the lives of 11.6 million children.

A 30-­member Board of Trustees and a professional staff of 15 support the organization. In addition, YA works with over 300 professional teaching artists who provide children, their teachers, and their families with four interconnected core educational services: hands-­‐on workshops and residencies, live performances, teacher professional development, and family and community events. The organization’s annual budget is $3 million, which includes approximately $1.5 million from annual fundraising efforts.

YA programs are designed to be child-­‐centered, outcome driven, and measurably effective. The goal of all YA programs is to infuse arts programming into schools so that students:

1.  EXPERIENCE extraordinary art and artists,

2.  UNDERSTAND the value of art and creativity in the world,

3.  CREATE art that engages the imagination and expresses ideas, and

4.  CONNECT the creative process to classroom learning and life.

YA works with students from pre-­‐school through grade 12. All YA programming is

consistent with state Core Curriculum Content Standards and 21st Century Learning Skills.

With offices located in Princeton, NJ, the organization serves all 21 counties in New Jersey and the seven most eastern counties of Pennsylvania. YA is one of the largest members of Young Audiences, Inc., a consortium of 31 affiliates nationwide. Recognized as the leader in arts learning the Young Audiences network received the distinguished National Medal of Arts from President Clinton in 1994 and in 2014 and 2015 was recognized by a

Congressional and Presidential Resolution for its contributions in arts education.

THE POSITION: PRESIDENT & CEO

The President & CEO will provide leadership and direction as the organization continues a period of growth, expanding programming and engaging with a wider range of students and educators. The next President & CEO will guide all efforts, working with the Board of Trustees and staff, to expand YA’s reach and visibility in New Jersey and Eastern Pennsylvania.

The President & CEO is responsible for leadership and overall management of the organization. This includes overseeing administrative staff and artists, budget and finances and ensuring that all programs meet YA’s mission and quality. The President & CEO will serve as YA’s representative with its external constituents and will oversee major initiatives.

The President & CEO will work proactively with the Board and development team to maintain and expand fundraising efforts and strategically lead YA into the future.

CANDIDATE PROFILE

The President & CEO will be passionate about fulfilling YA’s mission and goals. The successful candidate will have the character and confidence to work comfortably in a highly visible role and to interact effectively with a broad range of constituents. These include students, parents, teachers, trustees, funders, donors, and leaders in the arts education community, as well as other stakeholders.

The ideal candidate will have the following personal competencies and characteristics:

Passion for the Mission: The President & CEO will have a demonstrable passion for the mission of YA and a commitment to effectively support the goals of the organization. On the most fundamental level, the President & CEO will care deeply about offering high-­‐quality arts education to a wide range of children and schools regardless of economic circumstances and will promote this passion throughout the organization and well beyond. The successful candidate will have a vision for arts the education landscape and will embrace the history and culture of YA, which is integral to gaining credibility with the artists, staff, parents, partners and students. In addition, the President & CEO’s eye will consistently focus on the future and how to best adapt YA to its changing environment.

Strategic Leadership and Management Acumen: The President & CEO will be a strategic leader who, along with the Board, sets and articulates a vision for the organization’s next chapter, embracing and implementing the current strategic plan and evaluating its outcomes. The President & CEO will be an approachable leader who supports a culture of collaboration among the board, staff, artists and

educators as well as YA’s other diverse stakeholders. The President & CEO will have a demonstrated understanding of how to run a financially sound organization. The President & CEO will partner closely with the Board and be a proactive communicator at all times.

Partnerships, Development and Fundraising: The President & CEO must work in a collaborative manner, building relationships and promoting YA throughout New Jersey, Eastern Pennsylvania and nationally. The President & CEO will actively and strategically seek partnerships and build coalitions with other nonprofit and community organizations and their leaders on behalf of the strategic vision of the organization. The President & CEO will work in close collaboration with the Board and staff to identify, cultivate and maintain partners and donors to help advance YA’s objectives. The President & CEO will be a proven or emergent fundraiser with a deep understanding that successful fundraising and the development of partnerships with allied organizations are fundamental responsibilities.

Ambassador for YA: The President & CEO will work tirelessly as an Ambassador for YA’s mission and will be able to build rapport and promote YA with all constituents. As the external voice of the organization, the President & CEO will articulate and broaden the vision of YA to its current supporting community and future stakeholders. The President & CEO must be a confident public speaker and have a solid understanding of how to utilize advertising, public relations and social media for an organization such as YA. The successful candidate will help expand the YA student body by engaging parents and children of varying socioeconomic conditions as well as representing YA locally and nationally in civic, philanthropic and arts education arenas.

QUALIFICATIONS:

The knowledge and experience for this position can be acquired in a variety of ways but the successful candidate will have:

•     An abiding belief in and understanding of the value of the arts in education

•     The ability to think creatively and to work with energy, passion, confidence and integrity to promote the organization’s mission, vision and goals

•     The ability to communicate (written and verbal) effectively and work with all levels of constituents (clients, teaching artists, staff, board, donors, government and community leaders)

•     Experience developing and maintaining a strong and constructive relationship with the Board of Trustees

•     The ability to manage, nurture and empower staff to achieve goals and maintain quality program services

•     Demonstrated success in fundraising strategies, implementation, relationship building and stewardship

•     Proven experience and desire to establish and maintain meaningful collaborations and partnerships both locally and nationally

•     The ability to multi-­‐task and the skill to effectively deal with complex situations

•     A minimum of five years experience in leadership positions with arts/education organizations or related businesses and/or other not-­‐for-­‐profit organizations

•     A Bachelors degree (graduate degree preferred) reflecting a combination of arts, education and/or business

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS:

Salary will be commensurate with experience and qualifications of the candidate. Employee benefits include, but are not limited to, health and life insurance, long-­‐term disability coverage, 401(k), personal days, sick leave and vacation.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY:

Young Audiences New Jersey & Eastern Pennsylvania is an equal employment opportunity employer and does not discriminate based on race, ethnicity, religion, national origin, age, sexuality, gender identity, ability, or veteran status.

SUBMISSION PROCEDURES:

Send a cover letter and resume electronically to  [email protected].

NO PHONE CALLS PLEASE.