Director of Programs and Partnerships

Town Hall Seattle is a nonprofit community cultural center, offering a broad program of music, humanities, civic discourse, and world culture events. Formed collaboratively in 1998 as a shared venue, Town Hall Seattle is at once an arts organization and a community resource, with a season collectively programmed by the community itself. Town Hall serves more than 100,000 audience members and artists at nearly 500 events annually, and our century-old landmark home reopened in 2019 after a $35 million top-to-bottom renovation.

About the Position:

The Director of Programs and Partnerships will manage Town Hall’s diverse calendar, co-productions, and collaborations through series curation and broad community engagement. This role will be responsible for the strategy of all programming and partnerships spanning strategic leadership, team and organizational leadership, curation, booking, and community partnerships. Town Hall seeks a program leader with a background in arts, politics, education, science education, or literature — and curiosity about all of the above. Nonprofit management is a core competency for this role.

This new position reports to the Executive Director and has three direct reports.

Status: Position is full-time (40 hours/week); ability to work flexible hours with approval; some evenings and weekends are required.

Compensation: $90,000 – 100,000 per year, full-time, exempt.

Location: Position is a hybrid in-person/remote operation model out of our Seattle office in First Hill and onsite at our venue on 8th Avenue and Seneca St. Our staff currently meets 2-3 days/week in-person; this role requires attendance at evening or weekend events or community partner events on a regular basis (10-15 nights/month).

Benefits: fully paid medical and dental insurance; a fully subsidized bus pass; generous vacation time, sick leave, and paid holidays; and an employer-sponsored 403(b) plan.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities:
Strategic Leadership

• In collaboration with the leadership team, sets the annual and ongoing strategy and budget for Town Hall programs and partnerships — including ticket sales and rental strategy — and anticipating and adapting to meet current and future audience, member, and community needs.
• Fosters best practices around measuring program quality, impact, data, equity, access, and change management.
• Sets the culture, vision, and goals for Program and Partnerships team, working with the ED and connecting to org-wide priorities.
• Sits on the organization’s leadership team, with a key role as the visionary leader of our programs in strategic planning, values alignment, and org-wide decision-making.
• Ensures equitable practices in programs and partnerships, in alignment with organization-wide equity goals.

Team and Organizational Leadership

• Leads department staff, including management and guiding the professional development of 3 direct reports: Senior Program and Partnerships Coordinator, Community Engagement and Outreach Manager, and Rentals and Booking Director.
• Serves as the highly visible program leader for Town Hall-produced events, including broad communication with stakeholders; regular onstage presence; receptions/event hosting.
• Collaborates with the Marketing/Communications department to promote events, ensure accurate program descriptions, and generate content for marketing and outreach strategies.
• Collaborates closely with the Production department to ensure successful execution of each programmed event, including meeting the needs of performers and the audience.
• Partners with the Development team on proposals, funder site visits, program budgets, program narratives for fundraising opportunities, and supports reporting for grants.

Curation, Booking, Rentals, and Partnerships

• Supervises and guides Town Hall’s programming calendar, including the curation of book lectures (Arts & Culture, Civics, Science); scheduling and artist contracting for Global Rhythms (world music); Saturday Family Concerts; and Short Stories Live; and other co-produced events.
• Manages the Senior Programs and Partnerships Coordinator in booking a season-long calendar, which includes pitching requests, fielding inquiries, confirming events, managing relationships with bookstores and publishers, and booking interviewers.
• Manages and works with the Community Engagement and Outreach Manager to identify, create, and cultivate programming or partner events, expanding Town Hall’s reach to more communities.
• Manages program partnerships at a high level — represents Town Hall in the community for collaboration on mission-aligned event opportunities and nurtures current partnerships.
• Works with the Rentals and Booking Director to identify, create, and cultivate rental partners for use of Town Hall facilities and to meet revenue goals.
• Networks with, learns from, and supports other organizations, particularly within local arts and culture and BIPOC communities, and receives and offers thought leadership as invited.

Skills, Qualifications and Preferred Attributes

• 4-5 years in a program leadership, program management, or program development roles.
  • Experience with speaker agencies, publishing, festivals, theater, bookstores is a plus.
• Previous programming experience in the arts, education, politics, and/or literature, specifically in program leadership, program management or a program development role.
• Ability to collaboratively engage in strategic decision-making with ED and leadership team.
• Experience working successfully and tactfully with multiple partners and stakeholders.
• Excellent oral/written communication skills, including on-stage speaking and interviews.
• Cultural competency derived from lived experience working with people from different backgrounds and demonstrated experience in advancing equity and anti-racism.
• Strong program design skills and ability to think innovatively about growing enduring programs.
• Strong management skills, with the ability to gather data, make decisions, delegate, adapt, solve problems, create accountability, and communicate positively and professionally.
• Previous experience building and managing departmental budgets, forecasting and projecting program revenue, and adapting to meet targets as needed.
• Experience in contracting for event and/or performance talent.
• Ability to meet physical demands including working on a computer for extended periods and extended work hours on days that include events.
• Experience with CRM software (especially Salesforce).
• Experience and facility with on-site event management, including artistic productions.
• Sense of humor and personal connection style that helps build a culture of joy and abundance.

To Apply: Please send a one-page cover letter and resume, to: jobs@townhallseattle.org, with “Director of Programs and Partnerships: Name” in the subject line. Resumes requested by June 16^th, 2023, but position will remain open until filled.

For more information about Town Hall or to access this job description online, please visit our website at: www.townhallseattle.org/jobs. Data shows that women and BIPOC candidates more frequently do not apply to a job because they don’t feel that they meet all the qualifications listed. We strongly encourage applications from people with diverse backgrounds and lived experience, even if you have most but not all the qualifications listed above. If you feel passionate about our mission and believe that you have the skills to contribute to the growth of our organization, we want to hear from you.

Town Hall Seattle is an equal opportunity employer. Town Hall Seattle was founded to be an accessible shared resource for the community: a place where everyone is welcomed, represented, and valued regardless of their race, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, national origin, religion, disability, size, or class. Please see our full racial equity statement at here.