POSITION PROFILE - MANAGING DIRECTOR

Posted November 8, 2016. Application deadline January 13, 2017.

THE ORGANIZATION (pwcenter.org)

The Playwrights’ Center’s mission is to champion playwrights and new plays to build upon a living theater that demands new and innovative works. Located in Minneapolis, the Center was founded in 1971 by five playwrights looking for moral and professional support in the creation, development, and eventual production of their work. In the 45 years since, the Center has grown into one of the nation’s most generous and well-respected theater organizations focused on supporting playwrights and moving new plays toward production at theaters across the country. The Center has helped launch the careers of numerous nationally recognized artists, notably August Wilson, Lee Blessing, Suzan Lori-Parks, Jordan Harrison, Carlyle Brown, Craig Lucas, Jeffrey Hatcher, Melanie Marnich, and Kira Obolensky. Work developed through the Center’s programs has been seen nationwide on such stages as Yale Repertory Theatre, Woolly Mammoth (Washington, DC), Guthrie Theater (Minneapolis), Goodman Theatre (Chicago), and many others.

The Playwrights’ Center’s annual operating budget is $1.3 million with nine full-time employees, one part-time employee, 250+ collaborating artists, and 20 board members. The Center currently has a $250,000 operating reserve. It is housed in a permanent arts facility overseen by the Playwrights’ Theater Corporation, an independent nonprofit organization.

The Center is renowned for the quality of its programming and its service to the community. Staff members enjoy a flexible and enjoyable workplace, health and other benefits, and the company of dedicated and creative colleagues.

THE OPPORTUNITY

The Playwrights’ Center will offer the successful candidate the opportunity to form a dynamic partnership with the Producing Artistic Director, board, and staff to lead a play development center that holds a prominent place in the Twin Cities and national theater communities and is committed to reaching out to constituents to promote accessibility and inclusivity at every level of its programming and operations. At the same time, the opportunity exists for the Managing Director to help shape the Center’s future to define new models of play development and build a community that supports and appreciates new work by diverse voices.

The successful candidate will encounter an engaged board of directors and dedicated staff committed to the Playwrights’ Center’s artistic and organizational success. They will have the opportunity to make a substantive contribution to the company by working to further develop a strategic approach to the near and long-term vision that the board and staff leadership have articulated and which they are now moving toward implementing through a formal strategic process. They will also play a key role in building the Center’s financial foundation by developing strategies to advance resource development in support of the organization’s growing programmatic mandates and long-term financial stability.

QUALIFICATIONS AND QUALITIES

The Playwrights’ Center’s Managing Director will report directly to the Board of Directors. They will be jointly responsible with the Producing Artistic Director for developing and implementing strategies that help the Center achieve its artistic and financial goals within an operating plan and budget formally approved by the board.

The successful candidate will have demonstrated skills in both external relations and internal management, including articulating institutional priorities, ensuring strong hiring and retention practices, aligning the theater’s core values with its business practices and empowering its key stakeholders to contribute to the success of its essential efforts. They will also have a demonstrable history of success in leading development and marketing efforts in support of expanding both contributed and earned income on an annual basis.

The search committee and board of trustees will view most favorably candidates who demonstrate success in leading and/or managing the successful long-term financial, programmatic, and operational growth of organizations of similar scope and capacity.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

The Managing Director will be responsible for helping to define and execute the company’s strategic direction, supervising its administrative and business development initiatives, and managing the organization’s key functional areas through their direct reports. They will have exceptional nonprofit business acumen, significant experience in managing a theater or similar organization, and a collaborative leadership orientation supported by the demonstrated ability to think and act both analytically and strategically.

SPECIFIC RESPONSIBILITIES INCLUDE, AMONG OTHERS:

  • Actively supporting the Playwrights’ Center’s artistic mission while managing organizational risk.
  • Assuming principal leadership and oversight responsibility for the Center’s administrative, management, finance, marketing and communications, fund development, and operational functions.
  • Working effectively with the board and its leadership to guide the Center toward the realization of its full potential.
  • Identifying and assessing all substantive internal and external issues that affect the Center’s operational performance and, in conjunction with the Producing Artistic Director, continuously informing the board of directors as to their ongoing impacts.
  • Promoting and maintaining quality assurance at all organizational levels.
  • Leading strategic efforts to further develop the resources necessary to ensure programmatic success and ongoing financial stability.
  • Participating as a principal in fundraising efforts by leading organized cultivation initiatives and personally participating in fundraising calls, as appropriate.
  • Leading the effort to further strengthen the Center’s marketing and communications strategies in order to strengthen the Center’s brand and continually expand audiences for new work.
  • Overseeing the recruitment, organization, development, and direction of staff.
  • Contributing to a work environment that attracts, develops, and retains skilled people.
  • Serving as the Center’s principal representative on contractual agreements, ensuring that they are properly executed and in compliance with union contracts and/or obligations to funding organizations.
  • Establishing and maintaining positive professional relationships with peers from other theaters and with representatives of the various agencies, financial institutions, professional associations, and business groups with whom the Center regularly interacts.
  • Acting as a principal spokesperson and representative to the theater’s external constituents.
  • Serving as the primary liaison between the Center and the Playwrights’ Theater Corporation to ensure the ongoing maintenance and improvement of the facility.

EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS:

  • A seasoned, successful nonprofit performing arts executive with a strong working knowledge of the financial and business requirements of theater making.
  • Passionate about the Playwrights’ Center’s mission and the positive impact it has on the constituents and communities it serves.
  • An effective collaborator with the staff and board, able to successfully share authority and responsibility while balancing artistic and programmatic objectives with administrative and financial feasibility.
  • A self-starter with strong management skills and broad organizational experience.
  • A key strategist who will assist the staff and board in updating and implementing the Center’s strategic plan, develop annual business plans to achieve strategic objectives, and report regularly to the board as to ongoing progress in achieving those objectives.
  • A community leader, able to cultivate and interact with prospective donors, board members, and others whose financial or civic support is essential to the Center’s success.
  • An entrepreneurial thinker with the experience to create innovative approaches to expanding the Center’s marketing, community engagement, and fundraising strategies.
  • A strong financial manager with the skills necessary to develop and manage the annual budget and implement strategies to continuously strengthen the Center’s financial position.

KEY CHARACTERISTICS:

The Playwrights’ Center’s Managing Director will be an energetic, collaborative leader with excellent communication skills who is passionate about playwrights and new plays and who possesses strong business, marketing and communications, and fundraising experience. They will have a successful background in fund development, including established working relationships with leaders in the national funding community and will be a strategic thinker with an entrepreneurial instinct who will be a proactive force in anticipating the organization’s future needs and opportunities.

The successful candidate will exhibit personal maturity and an eagerness to act as a leader in the local and national theater community. They will be passionate about the theater’s organizational culture and will successfully collaborate with both internal and external stakeholders in representing the Center as a leader in the new play development field.

COMPENSATION:

The salary range will be in the high 70s. Benefits include medical insurance, paid time off, and an optional retirement plan.

APPLICATION PROCEDURE AND DEADLINE:

The Playwrights’ Center is an Equal Opportunity Employer and encourages candidates of all backgrounds to apply for this position. Interested candidates should send a cover letter and résumé to hr@pwcenter.org.

Applications should be submitted no later than January 13, 2017.