Dalhousie Arts Centre’s Rebecca Cohen Auditorium invites applications and referrals for the position of Executive Director.
The Dalhousie Arts Centre’s Rebecca Cohn Auditorium:
Located in the heart of the Dalhousie University campus, the Dalhousie Arts Centre opened in 1971 and has been a key part of the cultural infrastructure of the Halifax Arts Community ever since.
With a mandate to operate a highly professional, fiscally responsible performing arts rental facility, it serves a broad range of disciplines including music, theatre, dance, and comedy. The 1023-seat Rebecca Cohn Auditorium is the home of Symphony Nova Scotia and a premier venue for such special events as the Atlantic Film Festival. It is an important resource for community groups, promoters and local, national, and international arts presenters.
The Arts Centre is also home to the Dalhousie Art Gallery, the Fountain School of Performing Arts (formerly Dalhousie Music and Theatre Departments), a sculpture court, the Sir James Dunn Theatre, classrooms, practice rooms, workshop spaces, and offices. There are ambitious plans for an expansion of the Centre in the future to include a 300-seat recital hall, costume studies studios, additional rehearsal and studio spaces, and a film screening space.
The story of this building is significant in that it is tied both to the emergence of Dalhousie as a nationally recognized university and to the development of the arts in Nova Scotia, and therefore has played an integral role in the greater tale of the growth of Halifax as a community and the cultural hub of the Maritimes.
While the Dunn and studio spaces are under the control of the Fountain School, the Rebecca Cohn Auditorium historically was managed separately by what was then called the Department of Cultural Activities (now simply the Dalhousie Arts Centre). In 1989 the Arts Centre’s mandate was changed from a programming facility to a rental-only venue. The department (which has the same name as the building) continues to provide a professional performing arts facility to the community with full professional technical, box office, front of house, and administrative staff who share exceptional knowledge of the arts community and the audiences they serve.
The annual budget is approximately $3.8 million with a staffing complement 6 FTE and 96 PTE, with 170 performances in 2015/16 Direct reports include an Events Manager, Technical Coordinator, House Manager, and Box Office Manager.
Dalhousie University:
Dalhousie University is a vibrant community of 13 faculties, 6,000 faculty and staff, and 18,500 students. An influential driver of the region’s intellectual, social and economic development, Dalhousie has campuses in Halifax and Truro and a satellite of its Medical School in Saint John, New Brunswick. The university, poised to celebrate 200 years of academic excellence in 2018, is united in a purpose-driven quest to make a lasting impact on the world.
The Position:
Reporting to the Assistant Vice President, Ancillary Services, the Executive Director of the Rebecca Cohn Auditorium is charged with the daily management of the Arts Centre, operating in a manner that successfully balances fulfilling its mandate in a fiscally sustainable manner to its clients and within the University environment. The Executive Director is responsible for general operations, budget development, strategic planning, revenue generation, and general administration; liaising with the community; overseeing staff working in such areas as marketing, box office, front of house, scheduling, technical operations, building maintenance, grantsmanship, and finance.
The role requires close collaboration with colleagues from across the university including Facilities Management, Security Services, and others who contribute to the maintenance and operations of the facility.
The Arts Centre seeks an industry professional who will be an articulate champion for the performing arts in Halifax, a tactful and diplomatic leader with a thorough grounding in performing arts facility management and theatrical operations.
Qualifications:
The ideal candidate will have previous senior experience in leading a performing arts venue, a minimum of seven years of not for profit arts venue management, and a university degree in Arts and/or Business Management or equivalent experience in facility management and administration. A background of working in an academic environment would be extremely useful. Experience with arts building projects and high level capital campaigns would be an asset.
The new Executive Director will have excellent analytical, financial and organizational skills. Other essential competencies include political savvy, strong oral and written communication skills, a track record in community participation and partnership, and knowledge of ancillary businesses such as catering, ticketing, and rentals.
The Executive Director represents the Arts Centre to the public, the media and the performing arts industry at large through leadership and participation in community activities. The Arts Centre has a pivotal role in the cultural, educational and economic enrichment of Halifax and the province. The Executive Director must be able to establish and maintain effective working relationships with elected officials, the media, artists, donors, artist managers, other arts groups, sponsors, educational institutions, and audiences.
Other Information and Application Process:
Salary commensurate with experience. Dalhousie University is committed to supporting a healthy, rewarding and balanced lifestyle. Dalhousie culture is collegial and collaborative, the campus rich in tradition and natural beauty, and the total compensation package includes a defined benefit pension plan, health and dental plans, a health spending account, an employee and family assistance program and a tuition assistance program.
Interested candidates are invited to submit a letter of interest, resume, and list of references by Friday, July 15, 2016 in confidence to:
Margaret Genovese
Senior Partner
GENOVESE, VANDERHOOF & ASSOCIATES
77 Carlton Street, Suite 1103
Toronto, ON, Canada M5B 2J7
416/340-2762
For additional information see: www.genovesevanderhoof.com. www.dal.ca/dept/arts-centre.edu.
Dalhousie University is committed to fostering a collegial culture grounded in diversity and inclusiveness. The university encourages applications from qualified Aboriginal people, persons with a disability, racially visible persons, women, persons of minority sexual orientations and gender identities, and all qualified candidates who would contribute to the diversity of our community. For more information, please visit www.dal.ca/respect.