Posted on February 4, 2013

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Executive Director

Jamaica Center for Arts & Learning (JCAL) is a multidisciplinary urban arts center located in Jamaica, Queens – the most ethnically diverse county in the United States. Founded in 1972 as part of a large-scale effort to revitalize the declining Jamaica business district, JCAL currently occupies a neo-Renaissance building featuring a 1,650 square foot visual arts gallery, a 99-seat proscenium theater, painting, dance and ceramics studios, as well as soundproof music studios. It has presented such legendary performers as Wynton Marsalis, Eartha Kitt, and Dizzy Gillespie, as well as exhibiting such master artists as Romare Bearden, Isamu Noguchi, and Elizabeth Catlett. Early in its history, the Center's pioneering alliance with nearby schools initiated one of the first arts-in-education programs in the country and helped establish nationwide the educational viability of collaborations between schools and community-based organizations.

In 2010, JCAL opened the Jamaica Performing Arts Center (JPAC), a former Dutch Reform Church that has been converted into a 400 seat theater, located just a few blocks from JCAL’s primary facility.

JCAL’s mission is to offer visual, performing and literary arts education to encourage participation in the arts and to contribute to the cultural enrichment of Queens and New York City in general. Its programs for children, teens, and adults include a multicultural series of music, theater, and dance performances; film screenings and lectures; contemporary visual arts exhibitions; in-school artist residencies; a series of nearly 50 different arts workshops; and free or low-cost after-school and summer programs. In addition to on-site workshops and events, our pioneering alliance with nearby schools initiated one of the first Arts in Education programs in the country. This award-winning program has helped to establish the educational viability of collaborations between schools and community-based organizations nationwide.

JCAL is a not-for-profit, 501c(3) tax exempt organization and is a member of the New York City Cultural Institutions Group (CIG). As one of the 33 cultural institutions in this coalition, JCAL receives a significant amount of general operating support from City government through the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs. JCAL’s Fiscal 2012 Operating Budget was $1.1 million. It currently has 15 full- and part-time staff and an 11-person Board of Directors.

Position Summary: The Executive Director is the Chief Executive Officer of the organization, and is responsible for the overall leadership, management and fundraising success of JCAL. Working with the board of directors and senior staff, the Executive Director provides organizational and visionary direction in keeping with JCAL’s mission.

Primary areas of responsibilities:

Executive Leadership

Strong organizational and management skills are critical to this position. In addition to implementing the organizational mission and vision, the Executive Director is charged with providing sound fiscal management, and developing and maintaining partnerships with elected officials, trustees, the local community and the funding community and other relevant relationships.

Fundraising and Development

The Executive Director is the primary fundraiser for the organization. Responsibilities in this area include:

• Developing and implementing a comprehensive fundraising and development strategy
• Expanding existing and identifying new revenue sources, including institutional advancement and earned income opportunities, public/private partnerships and sponsorships, as well as cultivation and other fundraising events
• Overseeing the submission of grant applications

Financial Management

In collaboration with the finance committee of the board of directors, the Executive Director is accountable for the development and monitoring of the organization’s annual operating budget. Other responsibilities include:

• Ensuring proper cash flow and oversight of development goals
• Reporting regularly to the Finance Committee of the Board of Directors, including the submission of all relevant financial and budgetary documents
• Supervising ongoing capital projects to successful completion
• Monitoring compliance of record keeping and other reporting with funders’ requirements

Qualifications: The Executive Director must have a dynamic, out-going personality and professional credibility as he/she will be the public face of the organization. Candidates must also have:

• A minimum of five years of professional senior management experience in non-profit, corporate or business environments
• A Bachelors Degree in Arts Administration or Business Management is preferred
• Extensive experience in non-profit fundraising, including demonstrated success in leading fundraising campaigns
• A proven track record of ensuring programmatic success
• Superior written, oral and interpersonal communication skills
• Working knowledge of social media platforms and marketing opportunities
• Working knowledge of MS Office

The Jamaica Center for Arts & Learning offers competitive salary and benefits and is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Please note that relocation costs cannot be reimbursed.

Application Instructions

Please email a letter of interest and resume to the attention of:

Executive Director Search Committee

Email: EDsearch@jcal.org

Only email submissions will be accepted. No phone calls please.

Deadline: March 1, 2013