CAREER OPPORTUNITY
Executive Director, Chilliwack Cultural Centre
Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada
Located in the beautiful Fraser Valley, the Chilliwack Cultural Centre is a beautiful visual and performing arts venue that provides the community with a gathering place for creative expression, discovery, imagination, and inspiration. Hosting multiple arts and cultural organizations, individual artists, inspirational programming, and a range of immersive classes, The Centre is a place where the community comes together to enjoy a range of high-quality visual and performing arts.
We are seeking a collaborative, dynamic and inspirational leader for the role of Executive Director to build on the successes of The Centre to date and shape its future at the heart of a thriving, increasingly diverse, regional landscape of arts and culture.
The Community
Chilliwack is a growing community of 100,000 situated about 100 km east of Vancouver, BC, nestled alongside the mighty Fraser River between magnificent mountains, lush rainforests, and fertile fields. The city offers an unbeatable combination of year-round outdoor recreation, a rich cultural and artistic tapestry, a variety of world-class educational opportunities, rural charm, and urban access. Chilliwack is named for the Ch-ihl-kway-uhk (Ts’elxweyeqw) tribe, of the Stó:lō Coast Salish peoples on whose traditional, ancestral, and unceded territory The Centre is located.
The Centre
The mission of the Chilliwack Cultural Centre is to provide the community with a gathering place for life-long creative expression, discovery, imagination, and inspiration. Opened in 2010, The Centre is an architecturally stunning, $22 million facility housing a 500+-seat performance theatre, a flexible 140-160-seat studio theatre, an art gallery, music instruction studios, arts and crafts studios, meeting rooms, and offices. A multi-use venue for local arts organizations – including the Chilliwack Academy of Music, Chilliwack Players’ Guild, Chilliwack School of Performing Arts (CSOPA), Chilliwack Visual Artists Association, Chilliwack Lions Club Music and Dance Festival, and many others – The Centre is overseen by the Chilliwack Arts & Cultural Centre Society, a registered non-profit society whose volunteer Board of Directors governs The Centre on behalf of the City of Chilliwack. The Centre also hosts a range of productions and performances from outside the community.
The Role
The Executive Director is accountable to the Chilliwack Arts & Cultural Centre Society Board of Directors and leads all aspects of the operations of the Chilliwack Cultural Centre, defining and implementing strategic initiatives to foster the financial, organizational, and programming vitality of The Centre. As the senior officer and spokesperson for the Chilliwack Cultural Centre, the Executive Director will be a respected leader in the arts and culture community in Chilliwack and beyond, and a vocal advocate for The Centre and arts and culture, in general. The Executive Director will play a prominent role in leading and inspiring staff, volunteers, and other stakeholders of the organization; demonstrate an inclusive, collaborative approach; and actively embrace the opportunity to engage groups of diverse backgrounds, interests, and levels of experience in delivering the mission and vision of the Chilliwack Cultural Centre.
We are seeking an Executive Director with a proven ability to:
- Articulate, communicate, and implement a clear and compelling vision and strategy for the Chilliwack Cultural Centre, in consultation with the Board of Directors, staff, and community stakeholders.
- Establish and maintain positive, collaborative relationships with the Board of Directors, staff, community partners, local artists, and performers.
- Lead artistic and cultural programming, optimizing broad community participation and revenue generation. Drive program development and evaluation, actively tracking trends to ensure programming reflects changing community interests, needs, and cultural diversity.
- Embody a commitment to advance the spirit of Truth and Reconciliation in the community of Chilliwack.
- Provide patrons with a rich cultural experience in a welcoming and inclusive environment.
- Take primary responsibility for the operational and financial management of The Centre.
- Build and sustain a high-performing team of staff and volunteers, fostering a collaborative, inclusive, safe, and healthy work environment. Take primary responsibility for the hiring, management, evaluation, mentorship, and professional development of staff.
- Lead and direct fundraising initiatives, growing and nurturing relationships with a range of donors, supporters, granting agencies, and community champions of arts and culture.
- Direct the overall communications and marketing strategies, acting as the primary spokesperson for The Centre with media, arts councils, agencies, professional associations, and advocacy groups, among others.
- Ensure ongoing clear and transparent communication between staff, Board members, partners, and key stakeholders in The Centre.
Requirements
In general, candidates should demonstrate experience working productively with boards; marketing, communications, and community engagement; managing operating and capital budgets; recruiting, training, motivating, empowering, and leading staff and volunteers; negotiating and managing agreements; and building and fostering positive partnerships with other cultural and community organizations. They should demonstrate a deep affinity, respect, and enthusiasm for arts disciplines, including drama, dance, music, visual arts, art instruction, film, literary arts, and popular entertainment.
Specifically, candidates should bring a combination of the following skills, experience, and attributes:
- Relevant post-secondary degree
- 10+ years’ experience as a senior manager in the non-profit sector, preferably in a culture-related field, with progressive work history in community facility management.
- Leadership competencies: strategic thinking, engagement, management excellence, accountability, respect
- Proven ability to lead or oversee artistic and cultural programming.
- Outstanding skills in financial management, including the ability to read and understand a financial statement and to develop and follow a budget with diverse revenue streams. Able to prioritize and assign resources as needed.
- Strong knowledge of arts councils and funding agencies in Canada, with the ability to seek out continual sources of new funding and sponsorship.
- Confidence in dealing with all levels of government, sponsors, local businesses, and supporters of the arts.
- Proven ability to achieve and sustain financial sustainability.
- Understanding of and commitment to superb customer service.
- Proven ability to foster a collaborative and diverse work environment.
- Professional approach, with excellent interpersonal skills as well as verbal and written communication skills.
- High ethical standards and a dedication to openness, transparency, and community.
- Resilience and flexibility in the face of unexpected constraints; a proven ability to manage conflict.
- An understanding of municipal government and service delivery.
- Knowledge of local regulations and code regarding safety and employment.
- Ability and willingness to participate in meetings and community events outside of regular working hours to meet the needs of The Centre and its programs
- Excellent references.
Compensation
The Executive Director is a full-time position. The position offers a competitive remuneration and comprehensive benefits package that would be of interest to candidates currently earning $85-$100,000/year.
To Apply
The Chilliwack Cultural Centre is committed to fostering an equitable, inclusive, and accessible workplace that reflects the diversity of our communities. We strongly encourage qualified candidates from all communities to apply.
Please submit a resume (a CV + cover letter without name/contact details) that outlines your experience. We are requesting submissions in this format to support the Board in its commitment to diversity and inclusion with the hiring process. Include a separate cover letter with your name, email, and relevant contact details, including any social media handles you wish to share. You are welcome to include references in the cover letter.
Please send your resume and separate cover letter with contact details to: CCCEDSearch@maryblaisconsulting.com. Applications are accepted until end of day October 31, 2021.
For further information and the full briefing document, candidates are invited to connect with Mary Blais of Mary Blais Consulting, who is leading the search process on behalf of The Centre’s Board of Directors. To contact Mary, email mary@maryblaisconsulting.com or call 403 542 9491.
If you have access needs relevant to the application process, please get in touch with Mary directly to discuss them.
The ideal start date for this position is January 3, 2022.
