Deputy Director for Programs

Description:   

South Arts is one of six regional arts organizations in the United States, serving nine Southern states.  In the past two years South Arts has expanded its programs to serve a broader range of art forms and constituents and anticipates at least doubling its program budget in the next 3 – 5 years. The Deputy Director for Programs will play a major role in this ongoing programmatic expansion. It is an exciting growth period for South Arts, and we are looking for someone who wants to be a valuable part of that growth.

This position reports to the Executive Director and is part of the executive management team. The Deputy Director for Programs is expected to be a major contributor of vision and leadership, helping to accomplish the strategic plan and fulfill South Arts’ mission of advancing Southern vitality through the arts. Diversity, equity and inclusion are key values of this organization. 

Responsibilities: 

Executive Management Team

• Works in partnership with the Executive Director and the executive team to develop strategies, plans, and tactics that fulfill the mission of the organization
• Engages with the board of directors in determining strategic program portfolios and program investments
• Represents the organization in a wide range of environments and with multiple constituencies
• Contributes to overall organizational effectiveness through strategy development, strategic alignment of resources and action plans across all South Arts functions, policy and process development, legal compliance, fiscal planning and accountability
• Works in partnership with the Director of Advancement to align funding opportunities and programmatic design/investment; assists and supports advancement activities as needed to ensure optimum revenue stream consistent with strategic plan for programming
• Actively engages with Executive Director, board, and staff to strengthen South Arts' diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility
• Staffs the Program Committee of the board and other committees and task forces as assigned
• Supports the Executive Director and board in identifying relevant research, current trends and issues to inform organization effectiveness, program design and execution

Program Leadership and Management

• Responsible for the design, development, implementation and maintenance of the South Arts program portfolio to fulfill the strategic plan
• Develop an annual action plan
• Monitor overall progress of work plan and timeline; oversee program evaluation processes and reporting 
• Design and lead pilot programs and initiatives, selecting and working with contract support as necessary
• With the Executive Director and executive team, build a staff team that encourages communication and collaboration across programs, disciplines, and job functions
• Design/procure staff training around critical concepts and skills 
• Responsible for the recruitment and hiring of Director-level staff and key contractors
• Conduct formal personnel reviews and make recommendations re: salary adjustments for direct reports
• Monitor staff professional development needs and make recommendations as to allocation of professional development funds and internal training/retreats for direct reports
• Ensure work is carried out when a staff member has a prolonged absence

Financial Management

• Participate in discussions and decisions guiding and monitoring the development plan and activities; contribute to grant applications and other development efforts
• Monitor program budgets
• Remain informed about the organization’s budget and financial status

State Arts Agencies

• Assist the Executive Director in the development and timing of overall strategies for working with State Arts Agencies (SAAs)

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility

• Work with the Executive Director, Board and staff to increase South Arts’ diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility
• Develop policies and procedures to ensure compliance with federal law, and to improve the accessibility of South Arts’ programs and South Arts-funded activities for individuals with disabilities

Other

•  Participate nationally as speaker, panelist and delegate at regional and national meetings and conferences
•  Be an active participant in national initiatives and the Regional Arts Organization (RAO) network
•  Act as a resource to organizations in the region

Qualifications:

  Education:

• A Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field is required
• A Master’s or advanced degree is considered a plus

Experience:

• A minimum of five years’ experience in successful arts program management,
• preferably in the nonprofit and/or grant-making field; experience in a related field or job functionality required
• Extensive managerial and human resource compliancy required; previous supervision of arts program directors preferred

Skills:

• Excellent communication skills, both written and oral; ability to influence and engage a wide range of constituents and build long-term relationships
• Flexible and adaptable style; a leader who can positively impact both strategic and tactical initiatives
• Ability to work both independently without close oversight, and a team player who will productively engage with others at varying levels of seniority within and outside the organization
• Strong organizational and time management skills with exceptional attention to detail

Knowledge:

• Best practices in grants management
• Time management and multi-tasking skills
• Creative, self-starter attitude
• Basic knowledge of MS Office, with advanced knowledge of:
• Outlook – scheduling meetings, managing calendars, use of rooms and other advanced functions; also managing, importing and exporting contacts; task management
• Word – document formatting, review options/tracking, mail merge, layout options
• Excel – spreadsheet creation; column and row formatting; data sorting; page formatting, including borders, gridlines, and use of headers and footers
• Basic knowledge of customer relationship management systems, Salesforce experience beneficial
• Knowledge of remote team meeting software, presentation tools and graphics tools

Other Requirements:

• Regular travel will be required
• The position will be based at South Arts’ office in Atlanta

Salary and Benefits:

• Salary Range – Negotiable Based on Professional Experience
• Benefits –South Arts offers an excellent benefits package that includes health, dental, and life insurance; long-term and short-term disability; vacation; paid holidays; and a 403(b) plan with company match.