Over its 16-year history, the Adult Recreational Choirs (ARC) have created a community of men and women with a passion for music and performance in a recreational choir setting. Amongst the unique attributes of the program, established in 2002/03, are opportunities to participate in a non-auditioned choir, a focus on quality instruction, high‐quality performance opportunities, and a friendly, nurturing learning environment. These attributes remain central to the mandate of ARC and have been essential to its rapid growth.

From the first program established under the auspices of ARC, we have grown to include four programs with over 200 singers. The annual season includes numerous signature events including a Talent Show & Silent Auction, Something Christmas, biennial Calgary Sings! and an annual season finale. The artistic team has evolved to lead and support this growth with three directors, two accompanists, a principal choreographer and guest clinicians now working with us.

The achievements of the past years have been remarkable. The initial vision for ARC was to provide a venue for adults to express their passion for choral music in a non‐auditioned, choral setting. Founded on the belief that the opportunity to sing and perform was not the purview of young people alone, but that the benefits of a choral program extend to all ages, ARC embarked on an experiment that has proven successful beyond anyone’s imagination. Supporting this endeavor has been a remarkable group of volunteers and administrative personnel serving in leadership and support roles. A committed Board of Directors, Production Team and Administrative Team have contributed immensely to ARC’s direction and success. Growth presents its challenges, but in every case, the organization has overcome any hurdles with sound planning, a strong vision and a determination to see ARC not only survive but flourish.

An opportunity to join this remarkable community and contribute to its ongoing success has recently become available. The role of Executive Director represents an exciting and unique opportunity for a dynamic individual with a passion for the arts and strong leadership abilities to contribute to our ongoing evolution and success.

Our Opportunity

Adult Recreational Choirs is looking for a highly skilled professional to assume the role of Executive Director. The work associated with this position amounts to approximately 400 hours annually although the ARC season is cyclical. ARC is a non-profit society comprised of four non-auditioning choirs with a total of over 250 members. Now entering its 16th season, ARC has established itself as one of the finest adult recreational choir programs in Calgary. ARC exists to provide creative and challenging opportunities for adults to enrich their lives and the community through musical expression and performing arts.

Overview

Responsible to the Board of Directors (Board), the Executive Director (ED) oversees all aspects of the day-to-day operations of ARC. This includes, but is not limited to, all financial matters, personnel management (including volunteers), marketing of ARC’s artistic activities, development of an annual budget, as well as participation in the development and maintenance of policies. The ED directs and oversees the functions of the Business Manager, Program & Communications Coordinator, and Administrative Coordinator, liaising with the Board and ARC members on matters relating to these functions. The ED attends all Board meetings as a non-voting member but is expected to provide regular reports on ARC activities.

The ED co-leads the broader scope of ARC activities in concert with the Artistic Director (AD). Toward that end, the ED works closely with the AD and communicates regularly to develop an annual program, communication and marketing plan encompassing all events and performances. The ED works with the Board to support the AD in the development of new programs, including any associated personnel recruitment, which promotes the vision of ARC.

The ED acts as spokesperson for ARC for publicity and promotional purposes and is expected to actively promote community awareness of ARC’s vision, mission and core values. This entails fostering an inclusive, nurturing environment across all ARC’s programming for members, staff and volunteers. The ongoing intentions of ARC are to identify opportunities for members to develop and demonstrate individual talents within the organization, foster a sense of community, volunteerism and inclusion.

Responsibilities

Organizational Leadership:

• Network with other arts organizations, executive directors, arts administrators and community groups to   increase the visibility of ARC and to encourage collaboration.
• Evaluate new and ongoing programs and opportunities, both internal and external.
• Assess emerging issues within ARC and in the community to identify possible benefits and risks to ARC’s financial security, growth and image.
• Support the ongoing work of ARC’s Board, including attendance at all board and committee meetings, and providing administrative and resource support (as required).
• Work with the Board President to plan annual strategic planning sessions.
• Assist in developing procedures and goals for project committees (as required).

Administration & Human Resources:

• With the Artistic Director and support from the Human Resources Committee, manage ARC’s human resource functions, including policies, recruitment, compensation, role descriptions, and the contracting process.
• Supervise and oversee the functions of the Administrative team, which includes Business Manager, Program & Communications Coordinator, and Administrative Coordinator. This includes acting as liaison to the Board for these functions.
• Assume the roles of, or delegates the responsibilities of, the Business Manager and/or Program & Communications Coordinator and/or Administrative Coordinator in their absence.
• Recruit, train, supervise, and evaluate the administrative team.
• Oversee ARC’s volunteer program.
• Assist with the development of staff/volunteer work plans and timelines (as required).
• Contribute to the ongoing development of ARC’s infrastructure (e.g., records management, music library, capital assets, databases, etc.).
• Oversee communication with the membership, alumni and friends, and to the community at large.

Financial Management:

• Attend and participate in all Finance Committee meetings. This does not preclude working individually with the Treasurer and Business Manager as circumstances warrant.
• Work with the Business Manager to develop the annual budget as well as project budgets and business financial plans as required.
• Oversee all gaming activities. Ensure that financial reports, including those to the Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission, are prepared by the Business Manager.
• Oversee project budgets (as required).

Fundraising:

• Lead the fund development strategy and initiatives. This includes preparing all supporting documentation in cooperation with the Fund Development Committee, the Board, the Finance Committee and any other ad hoc bodies the Board may charter.
• Identify and prepare applications and reports for Alberta Foundation for the Arts and Calgary Arts Development grants, and other grants as they arise.
• Ensure compliance with all federal, provincial and municipal statutes related to fundraising for a non-profit society.

Qualifications:

• Minimum five years experience in management in a non-profit organization and working with a Board of Directors.
• Experience working collaboratively with a co-leader.
• Fund development experience essential; in a non-profit, arts-based organization a definite asset.
• Exceptional project and financial management skills.
• Post-secondary degree or diploma in a related discipline (e.g., arts, business administration, non-profit management, communications, fundraising).
• Experience supervising, managing and motivating staff and volunteers as well as committees; prior experience working with contracted (vs. salaried) staff an asset.
• Excellent planning, organizational and problem-solving skills.
• Superior communication skills and interpersonal skills; strong ability to work with many different people from a variety of backgrounds.

Salary: $25 – $30 per hour (commensurate with experience)

This is a part-time (averaging about 33 hours/month), contract role with the understanding that ARC’s activities are cyclical (i.e., some months will be busier than others).

Closing Date: Monday, April 30, 2018

Please send all resumes with cover letter electronically foundations_hr@shaw.ca.