Oakland Youth Orchestra (OYO) seeks an Executive Director who will collaborate with conductors and board members to fulfill OYO’s mission of inspiring young people, through the power of music, to become outstanding musicians, individuals, and leaders. The executive director is responsible for leading strategic planning, facilitating event logistics, representing OYO in the community, communicating with students, parents, conductors, and community organizations, and overseeing administrative responsibilities. An ideal executive director will have a deep passion for music education, has experience in setting achievable goals for nonprofit organizations, and is familiar with the music education landscape in the southeast Michigan area.
This is a year-round position and ranges from 25-40 hours per week depending on the time of year. This position does not include benefits. The salary range is $28,000-$30,000 annually, depending on experience. This is a hybrid position with in-person and virtual responsibilities.
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS
Strategic Planning
- Lead strategy planning sessions with the OYO Board of Directors.
- Set achievable goals for each programmatic year, develop key performance indicators, and measure success using those KPIs.
- Revisit the organization's strategic plan regularly to assess relevance and feasibility.
- Suggest new initiatives, programming and/or objectives to the Board of Directors for discussion and consideration as appropriate.
Event Logistics
- Work with conductors, education partners, and Board of Directors to develop and approve the yearly schedule of rehearsals, concerts, and events.
- Work with OYO education partners to secure rehearsal space for each orchestra throughout the year.
- Work with OYO education partners to coordinate concert venue space for three annual concerts.
- Plan annual competitions and events such as the Chamber Ensembles concert, community outreach concerts, the Solo & Concerto competition, spring and summer auditions, and merit awards. Duties include setting dates, procuring rehearsal and performance spaces, overseeing student and parent communications, and managing student participation.
- Develop and implement strategy for marketing concerts, events and auditions to OYO’s network of public school and private music instructors through digital and print media.
- Work with the graphic designer to create the season program, concert inserts, audition brochures, and other marketing materials.
- Attend the majority of weekly rehearsals in-person on Thursday evenings during the season (September-May) as well as all concerts and events.
Outreach
- Identify the needs of existing and potential partners and be able to communicate how a partnership with OYO would benefit them.
- Build relationships with community organizations in the greater Rochester area and beyond to cultivate advertisers, sponsors, or other partnership opportunities.
- Build relationships with potential donors and outline the benefits of a donation to OYO.
- Attend events at local chambers of commerce and similar organizations to advocate for OYO in southeast Michigan.
Communication
- With support of the Administrative Assistant, draft and review weekly emails to OYO students and parents to communicate upcoming rehearsal dates, concert dates, deadlines, and other updates.
- With support of the Administrative Assistant, monitor and respond to emails from parents, students, partners, and others as needed.
- Organize and attend quarterly Board of Directors meetings. Plan and lead regular meetings of the Executive Board.
- Organize and lead up to four parent meetings per year.
- Oversee development and implementation of social media plan on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram.
- Draft press releases for all events.
Administration
- Oversee and work closely with the Administrative Assistant, employees, independent contractors, and board of directors.
- Hire additional musicians as needed for open positions in orchestras.
- Support conductors in the hiring of sectional coaches and substitute conductors as needed.
- Review insurance policies annually and coordinate with insurance agent to amend and renew as needed.
- Review the website regularly and make updates. Coordinate with the web programmer to make coding changes on the website
- Update Google business profile regularly.
- Negotiate contracts annually with all OYO contractors, including graphic designer, marketing and social media specialists, grant writer, accountant, and others.
- Track donations, tuition payments, advertising fees, and sponsorships using database management tools.
- Oversee the music acquisition and licensing processes.
- Work with the treasurer to create an annual budget, approve expenses, and monitor actual results throughout the year.
- Oversee completion of tax returns with treasurer and accountant.
- Ensure all required filings are completed in a timely manner, including but not limited to the Cultural Data Project and corporate annual filing.
- Complete grant applications accurately and thoroughly as needed.
Please note that this list of functions is not exhaustive. The Executive Director carries out other
duties as required.
MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS
- Background in music, music education, or related field.
- Experience in overseeing nonprofit organizations, preferably in the arts and culture sector.
- Proven track record in management and administration, preferably of nonprofits.
- Demonstrated ability to network and communicate with a variety of stakeholders.
- Knowledge of grant writing and grant application processes.
- Able to work in-person and virtually as required.
ADDITIONAL PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
- Able to efficiently use a computer and GSuite.
- Proficient in video conferencing platforms like Zoom.
- Familiar with DonorBox, Salesforce or similar database management tool, online ticketing tools, and WordPress.
How to Apply
To apply for this position, please email a resume, cover letter, and three professional references to applications@oyomi.org.