AAAE Seeks New Executive Director
POSITION: EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
The not-for-profit Association of Arts Administration Educators (AAAE) seeks an Executive
Director who brings experience in operational, strategic, and service leadership to this
international membership organization. The position is fully remote (within the United States),
requires limited travel (approximately three short trips each year, including two in-person board
meetings and one annual conference), and pays an annual salary of $55,000-$60,000.
Applications received by July 5, 2021 will be given first consideration.
About the Association
AAAE advances an inclusive, equitable, and resilient environment for the arts by supporting
formal arts administration training, development, discovery, and discourse in higher education
and beyond. Our international membership includes the world’s leading arts administration
undergraduate and graduate degree programs, as well as faculty, students, and affiliates. This
network and their alumni are the cornerstones of local, regional, national, and international arts
leadership communities across the globe.
Our programs and our members champion arts and culture as indispensable to a thriving
economy and society by conveying the value of arts administration as an academic discipline
and as a profession. We do this by:
● conducting a global membership conference annually;
● distributing information about AAAE and its members, and about arts administration
education and careers, to prospective students and the field more broadly;
● providing resources to arts administration educators for curriculum development,
teaching, and enrichment purposes;
● providing members with information about current arts administration education issues,
and about relevant legislation and government policies;
● maintaining a communication channel for members; and,
● developing and publishing curricular standards for graduate and undergraduate arts
administration programs.
Roles and Responsibilities
The Executive Director works closely with our highly engaged board to advance the field of arts
administration education through the design, development, funding, and delivery of inclusive
and high-quality programs to our membership and our field. This includes proactive and
responsive member services, annual conference planning and production, responsible financial
oversight and reporting, strategic communications to members and constituents and
development of sponsorship and support opportunities. The position oversees a full-time
program manager (also remote) and several contracted service providers (graphic design,
bookkeeping, etc.).
The Executive Director must be a passionate and purposeful team player, able to support and
coordinate multiple board task forces and working groups, including Student Affairs,
International Issues, Consulting, and Education Standards. Specific categories of responsibility
include:
Strategic Leadership and IDEA Vision
Under the board’s strategic vision, the Executive Director develops and implements an
annual operating plan to advance long-term goals in programs, activities, DEI
fellowships, and collaborations – all anchored in diversity, equity, inclusion, and access.
The ED also maintains existing institutional relationships – which at the moment consist
of the European network on cultural management and policy (ENCATC) and the Wallace
Foundation – and fosters new strategic partnerships with arts, culture, educational, and
other mission-aligned organizations.
Development and Revenue Maximization with Entrepreneurial Vision
The Executive Director oversees, in partnership with the board, all fundraising and
development activities including annual campaigns, government and corporate grants,
special fundraising events, and individual and corporate fundraising, as well as
developing earned income opportunities.
Membership Services, Recruitment, and Retention
The Executive Director is responsible for planning an annual campaign for membership
retention and development, much of which is implemented by the Program Manager.
The Executive Director also directs the Program Manager in member communications
(such as the member newsletter and online resources), processing of applications,
billing, and record keeping.
Programming
In partnership with the conference committee, the Executive Director is responsible for
planning, implementing, and evaluating the annual AAAE conference. This includes
negotiation and contracting with the host site and vendors. The ED and the Program
Manager also develop, produce, and support periodic online programs and convenings.
Organizational Infrastructure and Fiscal Oversight
The Executive Director is responsible for overall financial oversight of AAAE including
day-to-day operations, financial policies and procedures, payroll, annual budgeting,
bookkeeping and accounting, monitoring income goals and expenses, reporting financial
information to the board and members, and other business systems. Together with the
board treasurer the Executive Director is responsible for overall sound business
practices. The Executive Director provides timely and accurate financial reports, analysis
of key performance indicators, and other information relevant to governance and fiscal
oversight responsibilities. The Executive Director also develops and implements
forward-thinking policies that ensure a healthy workplace in which equity, diversity,
inclusion, and access are embraced.
Qualifications
Successful applicants will have three to five years of leadership experience, a demonstrated
commitment to anti-racist work and Inclusion, Diversity, Equality and Accessibility (IDEA)
practice, supervisory experience in and with diverse teams, and experience supervising remote
and distributed teams. Strong presentation, written, and verbal communications skills are
essential, as are adaptive organizational and fundraising abilities. A graduate degree in Arts
Administration or related field is preferred.
Apply
Please submit a cover letter and resume to [email protected] for consideration.
Applications received by July 5, 2021 will be given first consideration. More information about
the association is available online at www.artsadministration.org.
For questions or general inquiries about this job opportunity, or if you are an applicant in need
of additional assistance or a reasonable accommodation in the application process, please email
us at [email protected].
The final candidate will be required to submit to and pass a background check.
AAAE welcomes the application of any and all qualified candidates and does not discriminate on
the basis of race, color, age, sex, religion, marital status, national origin, disability, veteran’s
status, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or other factors which cannot be
lawfully considered, to the extent specified by applicable federal and state laws. Those
candidates who meet or exceed the qualifications of the role who identify as women, LGBTQ+,
Black, Asian, Chicanx/Latinx, First Nations/Native American/Indigenous, Native Hawaiian and
Pacific Islander, Southwest Asian, North African/Arab, Middle Eastern, Muslim, South Asian, and
Mixed-Race are encouraged to apply.
