Executive Director

Who We Are:

 Founded in 1937, the Community Art Center is a neighborhood institution committed to our mission: to cultivate an engaged community of youth whose powerful artistic voices transform their lives, their neighborhoods, and their worlds. The Art Center has established an excellent track record of providing creative, challenging learning opportunities to youth. We do this in the context of a family-like environment with intensive social and emotional supports including academic help, mental health and transportation services and up to three full meals a day.

The Community Art Center’s arts education programs and public art initiatives promote knowledge of self, connection to history, acknowledgement of place and expression of differences and shared values. Our dedicated staff and volunteers, some of whom grew up at the Art Center, serve our youth as a family network, knowing the hurdles they must master first hand.   Read more here

Our Core Values: 
●        We believe in the power of young people.
o   We provide opportunities for youth to exercise their power.

o   We use a Youth Development approach.

●        We believe in the power of artistic expression.

o   We promote creativity as central to human development and a human right.

o   We use the arts as a tool for personal and social transformation.

●        We believe in taking care of ourselves and each other.

o   We support our youth, staff and families to grow.

o   We value diversity.

o   We believe in joyfulness.

●        We believe in creating positive change in our neighborhood and beyond.

o   We use our resources to benefit our community.

o   We value local-global connections.

o   We promote social justice.

The Community Art Center maintains a long history of quality, arts-based youth development and community programming - including receiving a Coming Up Taller award in 2006, the Citizens Bank Champion in Action in 2017, being selected to be part of the Barr Klarman Massachusetts Arts Initiative in 2018 and joining The Boston Foundation’s Place Leadership Network in 2019. The Art Center serves as lead agency for the new Port Arise Institute, funded through a multi-year grant from the City of Cambridge Community Benefits Fund. With strategic partnerships in place for the coming year both in the public and private sectors, the Community Art Center is poised to achieve new levels of engagement and investment.

What We Seek:

The Community Art Center seeks to identify an Executive Director who can bring their knowledge and lived experience to the critical discussions inspired through our commitment to racial and social justice, cultural equity, youth development and community led art making. They will provide visionary leadership that builds on our history of serving youth and families in the Port neighborhood of Cambridge, MA. This includes successfully  implementing and sustaining the mission, strategic goals, building relationships with current and prospective foundations, corporate and individual donors and community partners and ensuring that the Community Art Center is a welcoming, inclusive, safe and exciting environment for every young person and community member. They should possess understanding and perspectives on the value of a deeply rooted community based arts organization and its social and political responsibility within the community and beyond. Cultural responsiveness and humility are qualities a candidate must demonstrate.

 
Key Areas of Responsibility:

Provide Programmatic Direction and Oversight by building strategic partnerships and evolving programs according to strategic plan and organizational needs and creating a positive program physical environment and culture that promotes a youth and community led culture.

Hire, Develop and Manage Leadership Team through mentoring, advising, coaching and guidance around tactical and strategic goals.

Support the Development of Organizational Resources through leading organizational direction/strategy for resource seeking that ensures a pipeline of future funding to cover annual budget, special projects, and long-term sustainability of the Community Art Center.

Provide Financial Oversight through consistent leadership on all financial management decisions in collaboration with board and staff..

Engage External Stakeholders including building and maintaining partnerships that bring resources to the organization or our youth/community/families, advocating for the Art Center at funder meetings, and providing leadership in the field of youth development in the arts.

Administrative and Operational Oversight through strategic implementation and development of organizational infrastructure and facility.

Additional Qualifications:

 Education

●        Bachelor’s degree (masters degree and youth worker certification preferred)

Experience

●        Minimum 7 years working in leadership in the field of creative youth development, out of school time, community based organizations and/or human services

●        Experience in the planning and successful implementation of organizational activities that promote a combination of creative learning, leadership/social emotional skills and community based activism.

●        Experience working in environments that are culturally, racially and ethnically diverse.

●        Measurable success in financial campaign fundraising

●        Demonstrable success in community networking

●        Demonstrated success in supportive supervision of staff 
 

Skills/Competencies

●        Works well with others, is accountable and trustworthy and adapts well to change

●        Has a grounded presence and moves easily between detailed and global perspectives

●        Culturally aware and committed to equitable practice

●        Participates actively in the field and is able to build mutually beneficial relationships

●        Highly organized, detail-oriented and able to prioritize competing assignments

●        Communicates effectively across multiple sectors and with people of different backgrounds and levels of authority

●        Demonstrated ability to work as part of a team and delegate appropriately

●        Is passionate about the creative process and its role in human development

●        Interacts positively and empowers young people by offering maximum voice and choice and responding to priorities articulated by participants.

●        Takes initiative and is enterprising – willing to experiment and try new methods

Salary/benefits: $80,000-$90,000 / individual & family health & dental

Hours: Full time - 40 hours/week

How to Apply: Please email a cover letter, resume and 5 references to:

executivedirectorsearch@communityartcenter.org

 Preference will be given to resumes received by Monday, July 20, 2020

 Due to the anticipated high volume of responses only qualified candidates will be contacted.

Equal Opportunity Statement: The Community Art Center does not and shall not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion (creed), gender, gender expression, age, national origin (ancestry), disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or military status, in any of its activities or operations.