Position: Executive Director
City: Washington, DC/Arlington, VA
Type: Full-Time
UrbanArias seeks a dynamic, collaborative Executive Director to provide development and strategic leadership at a critical moment in our company’s history.
Now in its 13th season, UrbanArias is the Washington, DC area’s contemporary opera company. Our focus is short, contemporary operas in English. Since 2011 we have produced over 30 operas, 14 of which were world premieres and 10 of which were UrbanArias commissions. Additionally, we produced and released a professional recording in 2019, which was cited by Opera News as one of their top 5 new works albums. Our annual operating budget is currently in the $250,000 – $300,000 range, and we are poised for growth.
The Executive Director will help facilitate that growth by taking the lead in fundraising and development, and will work collaboratively with the General and Artistic Director on strategic planning and implementation. The ideal candidate will be enthusiastic about understanding and developing operatic audiences.
Reports to: General and Artistic Director
Duties and Responsibilities
- Devise and implement a robust fundraising program, including events and individual solicitations
- Expand our in-person audience through planning and implementing outreach events
- Expand our online audience through increased and targeted promotion
- Develop corporate relationships which can lead to sponsorships
- Take the lead in grant writing
- Help develop a young professionals group
- Help develop and expand our Board of Directors and Advisory Board
- Work with the General and Artistic Director and Treasurer to develop and implement annual budgets and ensure sound financial practices
- Manage our CRM
- Be a prominent and consistent community presence to raise awareness of our work and mission
Qualifications
- At least three years of professional experience in arts administration
- Demonstrated success at fundraising, whether in a development position or otherwise
- Excellent communication and organizational skills
- Ability to work collaboratively and supportively as an executive partner to the General and Artistic Director
- Ability to execute projects without supervision
- Familiarity with opera and contemporary classical music
- Familiarity with the needs of performing arts organizations
- Comfort with public speaking
Preferences
- A robust professional network in the greater DC area
- Experience with grant writing
- Experience on a development staff or in an executive-adjacent capacity
- An undergraduate or graduate degree in Arts Management or a related field, or the equivalent professional experience.
- Already located in the DMV area
Compensation
Competitive salary commensurate with experience.
Applications
Please submit a letter outlining specific interest in and qualifications for the position with a resume or CV, and contact information for three professional references to: Robert Wood, General and Artistic Director, at rwood@urbanarias.org. The deadline for submissions is April 14, 2023.
Please limit submissions to five pages or less; all applications should be submitted electronically.
UrbanArias is an Equal Opportunity Employer