Description:
Roles and Responsibilities
Strategic Vision and Financial Oversight
- Partner with the CEO & President to lead the organization’s strategic vision, collaborating effectively to ensure that all artistic and financial decisions are mission-aligned.
- Serve as a committed and visionary leader, guiding Gulf Coast Symphony into the future through the creation of pathways for new programs, partnerships, and revenue opportunities.
- Lead conversations with staff and board members to inspire organizational growth across all business areas, communicating openly and consistently in full transparency.
- Demonstrate solid fiscal acumen, including overseeing organizational budgets, controlling expenditures, creating forecasting models and scenario plans, and developing financial analysis.
- Provide leadership to the Finance Committee, in overseeing the budget, making recommendations, and reporting key financial issues relating to general operations.
Community Engagement, Fundraising, and Earned Revenue Enhancement
- Act as a visible spokesperson throughout Southwest Florida area, developing relationships and engaging with a wide variety of constituents, including business owners, schools and colleges, elected city officials, and the media, enhancing the organization’s brand and reputation.
- Maintain and grow partnerships and alliances with mission-compatible arts and cultural organizations locally and nationally to expand programs and access, retain relevance, and build community.
- Support ongoing relationships and manage contractual negotiations with a wide range of partners, including artists, unions, guilds, and producing partners.
- Assist in actively seeking out new and renewed sources of contributed income, with a particular focus on identifying and establishing relationships with key individual donors, while motivating and inspiring board members in their fundraising responsibilities to leverage their skills and networks.
- Help cultivate and deepen relationships with foundations in order to grow contributed revenue.
- Oversee marketing and communication strategies to expand and diversify audiences, subscribers, and donors.
Administrative and Organizational Leadership
- Supervise and mentor all administrative staff, providing opportunities for professional development and growth to support employee engagement, satisfaction, and a high level of performance.
- Foster a positive company culture where all staff, fellows, and artists feel safe, valued, and respected and where a healthy work-life balance is actively encouraged.
- Oversee the hire of key staff positions with the CEO, and with the CEO, annually reassess the organizational structure to ensure it meets current needs.
- Assist in the growth and diversification of the Board to include people from different ages, races, and socio-economic backgrounds, while managing board relations through regular and effective communication and ensuring that board members are best engaged according to their skills and interests.
Traits and Characteristics
The Managing Director will be a forward-thinking, strategic leader who demonstrates a balanced sense of pragmatism and risk-taking. They must embrace working collaboratively with people from all backgrounds throughout the organization, as well as with community partners locally and nationally. With a flexible and entrepreneurial approach to problem-solving, this individual will be an ongoing learner, receptive to new ideas and adaptable to change. They will have the ability to resolve conflict, handle difficult situations, and make tough decisions with compassion and grace.
Other key competencies include:
- Leadership and Diplomacy – The ability to organize and influence people to believe in a vision while creating a sense of purpose and direction and to effectively and tactfully handle difficult or sensitive issues.
- Time and Priority Management – The capacity to prioritize and complete tasks in order to deliver desired outcomes within allotted time frames.
- Personal Accountability and Interpersonal Skills – The dexterity to be answerable for personal actions while effectively communicating, building rapport, and relating well to all kinds of people.
- Resiliency and Flexibility – The acumen to quickly recover from adversity while readily modifying, responding, and adapting to change with minimal resistance.
Qualifications
Gulf Coast Symphony does not require specific educational credentials or a specific number of years of experience. Qualified candidates should demonstrate a successful track record of leadership and managerial experience within complex and dynamic organizations, as well as skills in financial management, fundraising, and relationship building. Candidates need not come from within the performing arts sector, although a passion for theater and music, plus a solid knowledge of the field are expected. Exceptional communication skills are required.