Managing Director at Red Sky Performance

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Managing Director
Red Sky Performance
redskyperformance.com
Internationally renowned for its artistry and innovation, Red Sky is Canada’s leading company of contemporary world Indigenous performance in dance, theatre and music.

Red Sky Performance seeks a Managing Director to oversee the overall business management and administrative operations of the company including: planning, financial management, administration, office operations, grant and proposal writing, board and governance, human resources management, fundraising and cultivation activities.

The Managing Director will assist Red Sky in moving forward to achieve its vision. The position requires a deep commitment and engagement to Red Sky’s artistic goals and company ethos, as well as a strong sense of responsibility and an excellent work ethic.

Required Knowledge & Skills:
5 years business or arts administrative experience.
Excellent organizational and communication skills; highly detail-oriented; self-motivated.
Excellent facilitation, speaking, and networking skills.
Ability to develop a deep understanding of, commitment to, and engagement with the artistic vision of Red Sky.
Excellent leadership qualities are required in order to build healthy, positive and effective internal and external relationships.
Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with the Artistic Director, Board of Directors, Staff, and Consultants, and be able to relate to Indigenous, culturally diverse, mainstream community colleagues, as well as the local and international arts community and the general public.
Sensitivity and interest in an Indigenous/Aboriginal worldview, traditions and community art issues.
Knowledge and/or experience in the operations of not-for-profit arts organizations in general, particularly the performing arts.
Ability to prioritize, set the strategy, exercise sound judgment and function within tight deadlines.
Knowledge of budgetary practices and maintenance; knowledge of relevant accounting/bookkeeping procedures.
Solid understanding of computers and relevant software, office procedures and record management, and ability to prepare and maintain clerical records, reports and correspondence related to the work.
An administrative or business degree would be considered a key asset.

Desired Qualities:
A confident, enthusiastic, friendly and creative person, and one who has strong management and decision-making skills, and supports the organization’s vision and mission.
A high level of general competence and organization will be needed – along with excellent verbal and written communication skills, and exceptional attention to detail.
Excellent analytical, financial, and organizational skills; an entrepreneurial spirit; a passion for arts and culture, and the ability to deal with a broad spectrum of personalities.
Ability to work independently as well as be a positive and collaborative team player that thrives in a fast-paced environment.
Ability to understand and uphold the long-term vision while managing the details of daily operational requirements.
Exemplary organization, time management and administrative skills to set goals and achieve success.

Compensation: This is a permanent full-time role. Salary is commensurate with experience.

Check out Red Sky Performance’s activities and achievements this year: redskyperformance.com/blog

Reply in confidence:
If you’re an arts administrator seeking an expansive role in culture and business, please send your resume and a covering email by Wednesday, October 23, 2013, 5PM EST to info@mediaintelligence.ca with “Managing Director” in the subject header. Note: recruitment is underway – the earlier we receive your information, the better!

We thank all candidates for their submissions, but only those under consideration will be contacted. We encourage candidates of Aboriginal ancestry to apply, but the position is open to all candidates.

mediaINTELLIGENCE.ca – Canada’s leader in integrated career management & recruitment for media professionals.

Sustainability, resilience or both

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by Jini Stolk

I’ve been doing a lot of thinking, again, about how to help arts organizations grow stronger. This time, I’m working with Charles Smith and CPAMO (Cultural Pluralism in the Arts Movement Ontario) to look at how to develop sustainable organizational support structures for CPAMO members and other Aboriginal and ethno-racial artists, collectives and arts companies. We’re hoping to do this by means of shared learning, mentoring, skills development, fundraising and a collaborative search for new and innovative solutions.

I definitely believe that the search for solutions lies in our court more than in the funders’. If we ourselves are not looking for new pathways to long term health, and if we’re not working hard to ensure fair access to culturally diverse and emerging artists, we’re in trouble.

Is the new era for the arts, as Richard Evans argued at a thought-provoking session last year, one in which companies are structured for resilience, not sustainability (and certainly not stability)?

What’s the difference? And what makes a healthy arts organization?

Evans argues that we have to move away from the expectation/assumption of gradually growing seasons, budgets, stature of board members, and fundraising success – to acceptance that the truer need is for open, nimble structures that change from year to year and enable the work that needs to be done, both artistic and in the community. This seems to define how many arts organizations currently work, although I suspect that many feel that this way of working is a kind of failure – a failure to graduate to a more predictable pattern and structure.

Adaptability at this level has to be based on community involvement and engagement rather than the “approval” of funders. It requires leaders fueled by creativity about how to get things done. Innovation becomes a core competence for anyone working in the arts.

Andrew Taylor in the Artful Manager post What, exactly, are we sustaining?, says that sustainability should be seen less as an organizational strategy (focusing on the survival of individual organizations) than an ecological strategy (sustaining our community’s access to a broad range of creative experiences.)

The consultants at WolfBrown, in a paper titled Is Sustainability Sustainable?, call for a new focus on community relevance, artistic vibrancy, and capitalization as a hedge against financial risk. They say that strong organizations will excel in a permanent state of flux and creative tension.

This is exciting stuff, and I’m sure we can do it…but wouldn’t it be nice if this creative balancing act also came with a living wage and a small pension?

– See more at: http://www.creativetrust.ca/2013/10/sustainability-resilience-or-both/#sthash.87nYyrlY.dpuf

Part Time Job Opportunity with The CanDance Network

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Employment Opportunity Program Manager

Term:  One Year, Part-time: two days per week

Salaried Position: $14,000 per year ($20/hr.)

Term begins: October 28, 2013 Location: Toronto

Closing Date for applications: October 18th, 2013

The Canadian Network of Dance Presenters, CanDance, seeks an experienced and highly motivated individual to fill the shared position of Program Manager, commencing October 28, 2013. The Program Manager will manage the Touring Exchange Project and The Creation Fund, serve as Secretary to the Board of Directors, and assist this dynamic Canadian national arts service organization to plan roundtables, panels, and seminars. For more information visit candance.ca

Reporting to the Executive Director, the Program Manager will: 

• Develop critical paths and maintain project timelines • Execute contracts with CanDance and presenting partners • Draft project budgets • Coordinate travel for artists by booking travel and accommodations • Track revenue and payments in accordance with project budgets • Assist with grant writing and final reports • Provide input into policy development for the presenting community • Maintain website and members’ online group, listserv and social media • Support the Board of Directors by arranging meetings, including national board meetings and the AGM • Prepare comprehensive and time sensitive agenda and meeting packages, including reports from committees • Be accountable for the recording, writing, approval and distribution of minutes of meetings • Organize meetings or conferences by arranging facilities, translation services and catering, and distributing information or invitations

Required Qualifications:

Education: A Bachelors degree or equivalent; expertise in administration and management

Experience: 3+ years working in arts administration or equivalent

Skills: • Excellent written and verbal communication skills • Proven Microsoft Office application skills; advanced computer skills an asset (including website maintenance, Filemaker Pro database) • Ability to prepare budgets and cash flow • French language skills an asset • Ability to work within a team in an open concept office • Strong creative thinking and problem solving skills • Ability to be self directed, work on and prioritise multiple projects with competing demands

Some weekend work and travel required.

Qualified candidates are invited to send a cover letter and resume, by October 18th, 2013 to: The CanDance Network, 15 Case Goods Lane, Studio #304, Toronto, ON M6C 2T3

Email: info@candance.ca

We thank all applicants for their interest; however, only those selected for an interview will be contacted.

THE CANDANCE NETWORK IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER