Executive Director and CEO

Executive Director & CEO

POSITION OVERVIEW

Compensation: $95,000 – $110,000 salary, DOE;
benefits included.

Benefits: 15 days paid time off and 14 paid
holidays.

Medical, dental, vision, and life insurance (100% covered).

ARTS is committed to offering professional development
opportunities for staff.

Status: Full-Time, Exempt.

Evening and weekend availability is required.

Location: ARTS Center (National City, CA),
in-person and remote.

Reports to: ARTS Board of Directors

Direct Reports: Director of Advancement,
Programs Manager, Operations Manager

 

A Reason To Survive (ARTS) is a creative youth development
nonprofit and community art

center serving youth and young adults across South County
communities of San Diego.

Established in 2001, ARTS has served thousands of youth and
families through high-quality

arts education, community-based projects, and supportive
services.

Our mission is to: lift young people in the South County region
of San Diego to become

confident, compassionate and courageous community builders
through the transformative

power of creativity.

 

POSITION DESCRIPTION

ARTS seeks an experienced, accomplished, and inspiring Executive
Director who is

passionate about driving the mission, vision, and work of ARTS,
and eager to lead the

organization into its next chapter as regional and national
leader in creative youth development (CYD).

This executive role will be primarily responsible for guiding
the organization’s evolution to

become an anchor institution in the South County region of San
Diego and a provider of

excellence in arts-based learning programming, civic engagement
and public art projects,

and community development partnership.

The Executive Director & CEO will lead a growing, dynamic
team of nonprofit professionals,

teaching artists, community-focused interns and volunteers, and
directly manage a

leadership team comprising our Director of Advancement, Programs
Manager, and

Operations Manager. Essential aspects of this role include, but
aren’t limited to: overseeing

the success of the organization and the growth and satisfaction
of the team on an ongoing

basis; leading a multi-year strategic planning process with the
involvement of board and

staff; designing and executing a development strategy with an
aim toward long-term

financial sustainability – working toward a $2M budget and a
goal of 50% contributed 50%

earned revenue by FY26. – and deepening and expanding
programming and services

opportunities for youth and families across the South County
region of San Diego.

Reporting to the ARTS Board of Directors, the Executive Director
& CEO will work with the

Board on an ongoing basis to support good governance, ensure
financial best practices,

elevate Board’s capacity for organizational
fundraising/development, and provide regular

communications on the state of the organization.

 

QUALIFICATIONS

● Any combination equivalent to: A bachelor’s degree, at least
five (5) years of

leadership experience in the nonprofit sector, preferably in
fields like arts and

culture, youth development / services, education, community /
economic

development, and at least three (3) years of
management/supervisory experience

with a diverse team.

● Ability to collaborate with colleagues as a leader and team
member and work

autonomously; strong leadership, time management, high levels of
cultural

competency, and interpersonal skills.

● Excellent organizational and project management skills,
supported by technology

and other collaboration tools is essential. Proficiency with
Google Suite, Microsoft

Office. Familiarity with Slack and Asana preferred.

● Ability to foster, deepen, and steward relationships with
individual donors,

foundations, corporate partners, government agencies, and other
partners.

● Exceptional written and verbal communication skills,
presentation skills, and

organizational skills. Ability to translate organizational
strategies, programming

outcomes, and impact metrics into accessible, relatable
communications.

● Experience working with data and donor management platforms
and customer

management systems. Familiarity with donor management platform
(Classy) and

CRM (Salesforce) preferred.

● Master’s degree in Nonprofit management/leadership, business
or any other

applicable degree preferred.

● Youth arts and/youth education programmatic experience
preferred.

● Bilingual English/Spanish preferred.

● Professional/lived experience in South County communities of
San Diego preferred.

 

DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

● Board Partnership

Build a partnership with the Board of Directors, defining and
guiding the

organization’s strategic vision. Cultivate an effective working
relationship based on

trust, mutual respect, and demonstrable performance; facilitate
connections for

board members with staff, community members, funders, and other
constituents.

Work closely with the board and community to cultivate potential
new board

members, and identify new strategic partnership and funding
opportunities.

● Organization & Operational Management

Provide inspirational leadership, team building, and growth
opportunities to the

professional staff, while ensuring the effectiveness and
efficiency of the

organization’s programs and activities; embrace a collaborative
and transparent

culture and work environment in which staff are engaged,
productive, and thriving.

Strive to lead and grow an organization through the lens of
continuous learning and

improvement, anchoring the trajectory of ARTS around the
principles of creative

youth development (CYD) and healing-centered engagement
(HCE).

● Strategic Leadership

Lead in the present while living in the future: Show initiative,
use creative and

data-driven insights to make decisions, and take action around
new and existing

strategic initiatives that will define the future of ARTS –
within the communities of

the South County region of San Diego, the larger San Diego /
borderlands region, and

at a national level.

● Fundraising/Development

Play a pivotal role in fundraising, working with board and staff
diligently to secure

significant contributions from individual and corporate donors,
philanthropic

sources, government and other public funding sources. Prioritize
earned revenue

opportunities with school districts and other public agencies,
with an eye to financial

sustainability that comes from enduring partnerships attached to
recurring

contracts. Work closely with the team to drive both
grant-seeking and partnership

development efforts. Encourage an innovative approach to
engaging individual and

institutional philanthropy underscored by trust, in service to
the diverse needs of

our constituents.

● Community Impact & Engagement

Elevate the visibility and stature of ARTS at community,
regional, state, and national

levels; represent ARTS respectfully, responsibly, and
professionally across the

community. Serve as chief spokesperson and advocate for the
organization, forging

key relationships and partnerships that advance our mission.
Maintain and develop

relationships with elected officials and staff at the City of
National City – the ARTS

Center is owned by the City of National City; ARTS has been the
sole building tenant

since 2012.

The statements contained herein describe the scope of the
responsibility and essential

functions of this position, but should not be considered to be
an all-inclusive listing of work

requirements. Individuals may perform other duties as assigned.
Nothing in this job

description restricts management’s right to assign or reassign
duties and responsibilities to

this job at any time unless restricted by a negotiated
contract.

At-Will Employment Status.

 

HOW TO APPLY

Application Deadline: Tuesday, January 30, 2024

Please the following items (PDF versions preferred):

1) Your current resume/CV, and

2) A cover letter stating your interest in and qualifications
for the position (2 pgs max.)

Applications submitted without a resume/CV and a cover letter
will not be considered.

Please email the application materials to:

Tom Reise, Chair ARTS Board of Directors

search@areasontosurvive.org

Email subject line: “Executive Director & CEO – ARTS”