Executive Director

Washington, DC, United States

Full time / $250,000-$325,000 annually / Shakespeare Theatre Company / Washington, DC

Reporting to the board of directors as a co-leader alongside the Artistic Director, the Executive Director will be responsible for the business operations of the organization, and the leader of its financial and strategic planning for its evolving business model. This will include overseeing all aspects of STC’s administrative operations, including financial management, labor relations, facilities management and construction, community engagement, and contributed and earned revenue streams. Serving as an engaging community ambassador, they will develop influential connections throughout Washington D.C., as well as nationally and internationally. The Executive Director will build authentic relationships with staff at all organizational levels, as well as with the board, artists, and donors, by being a visible presence in the office and community. A fearless champion of EDI, they will be committed to making STC inclusive for people of all backgrounds and create an organizational culture of respect, teamwork, and accountability.

Role and Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership and Financial Oversight

• Collaborate as a dedicated partner to the Artistic Director, jointly advancing the theatre’s programming and long-term strategic direction, artistic vision, and organizational goals.

• Demonstrate exceptional fiscal and business acumen, overseeing budgets, controlling expenditures, and developing short- and long-term forecasts, ensuring STC operates at the highest level of financial accountability.

• Monitor and report financial performance to the board, providing clear financial analysis and scenario plans to underpin data-driven financial decisions that support sustainability and growth.

• Champion and implement organizational EDI and anti-racism initiatives in all aspects of artistic and administrative decisions.

• Identify potential artistic collaborators, domestically and internationally, partnering with the Artistic Director to curate an exciting and diverse season in alignment with the organization’s mission.

Organizational Excellence and Board Governance

• Foster a healthy and cohesive working culture that removes silos and supports creative and collaborative work while holding departments accountable to their financial and other goals.

• Engage regularly with all staff, addressing complex issues honestly, directly, and without fear of conflict, including issues around pay equity, EDI, and anti-racism.

• Guide the marketing department to ensure imaginative communication and creative ticket pricing strategies.

• Oversee the management of STC’s two theatres, guiding building renovations when necessary, establishing innovative uses of the spaces, increasing rental opportunities, and executing the real estate project, The Bard.

• Assist in growing, diversifying, and supporting the board of directors, leveraging their expertise, networks, and resources to support the organization’s mission and goals.

• Provide regular updates, reports, and strategic guidance to the board, while ensuring the organization operates in accordance with its legal, governance, and compliance requirements.

External Relations and Revenue Enhancement

• Serve as a visible community leader and public spokesperson, fostering strong relationships with all audiences including funders and potential supporters, politicians, government officials, other arts organizations and businesses, raising STC’s profile and advocating for the importance of the arts.

• Support ongoing labor relations and negotiate contracts with unions, including Actors’ Equity Association, Stage Directors and Choreographers Society, United Scenic Artists, League of Resident Theatres, American Federation of Musicians, and the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees.

• Prioritize the work of the learning department, increasing staff and broadening educational and community programs, camps, classes, and on-line learning offerings to generate additional earned revenue.

• Support new audience engagement initiatives designed to expand the theatre’s reach and deepen the experience of new and existing theatregoers.

• Actively engage in fundraising efforts, supporting the development department to increase both annual giving and strategic contributed revenue through comprehensive fundraising campaigns and galas, and cultivating relationships with individual donors, corporations, foundations, and other funders.

• Participate in industry conferences and theatre organizations to represent STC, staying informed of and offering leadership on current trends and best practices.

Traits and Characteristics

The Executive Director will be a visionary and strategic leader and manager, with a collaborative approach to establishing goals and solving problems. As a business savvy professional, they will possess financial and business management skills to envision alternative business models and financing models for STC, its facilities, and its organizational objectives. A clear and transparent communicator with an approachable demeanor, they will be people-centered, responsive to the needs of others, and foster close working relationships. As a confident networker, the Executive Director will be adept at cultivating and maintaining a wide range of partnerships that bring value to the organization.

Other key competencies include:

• Leadership and Teamwork – The ability to organize and influence people to believe in a vision while creating a sense of purpose and direction, and to cooperate with others to meet objectives.

• Time and Priority Management – The capacity to prioritize and complete tasks to deliver desired outcomes within allotted time frames.

• Personal Accountability and Flexibility – The dexterity to be answerable for personal actions, readily modifying, responding, and adapting to change with minimal resistance.

• Decision Making and Customer Focus – The acumen to analyze all aspects of a situation to make consistently sound and timely decisions, as well as anticipating, meeting and /or exceeding customer needs, wants, and expectations.

Compensation and Benefits

STC provides an equitable and competitive compensation package in keeping with comparable theatres and commensurate with the candidate’s experience, with an estimated base salary in the range of $250,000 to $325,000. Benefits include paid vacation, sick leave, personal days, and holidays; health coverage, including dental and vision; a Flexible Spending Account (FSA); voluntary life insurance; and a 403(b)-retirement plan with a match after two years of service.

Requirements No specific educational prerequisites are required, although an advanced degree in arts administration, theatre management, business, or a related field is strongly preferred. The ideal candidate will demonstrate proven arts leadership with exceptional business and financial acumen, preferably in theatre. Candidates should have a track record of fundraising and establishing strategic partnerships, a commitment to arts education and community engagement, and an ability to quickly form relationships and exert influence on a wide variety of stakeholders. Experience with facilities management is beneficial. A deep passion for Shakespeare and classical theatre is expected. Full time / $250,000-$325,000 annually / Shakespeare Theatre Company / Washington, DC

Reporting to the board of directors as a co-leader alongside the Artistic Director, the Executive Director will be responsible for the business operations of the organization, and the leader of its financial and strategic planning for its evolving business model. This will include overseeing all aspects of STC’s administrative operations, including financial management, labor relations, facilities management and construction, community engagement, and contributed and earned revenue streams. Serving as an engaging community ambassador, they will develop influential connections throughout Washington D.C., as well as nationally and internationally. The Executive Director will build authentic relationships with staff at all organizational levels, as well as with the board, artists, and donors, by being a visible presence in the office and community. A fearless champion of EDI, they will be committed to making STC inclusive for people of all backgrounds and create an organizational culture of respect, teamwork, and accountability.

Role and Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership and Financial Oversight

• Collaborate as a dedicated partner to the Artistic Director, jointly advancing the theatre’s programming and long-term strategic direction, artistic vision, and organizational goals.

• Demonstrate exceptional fiscal and business acumen, overseeing budgets, controlling expenditures, and developing short- and long-term forecasts, ensuring STC operates at the highest level of financial accountability.

• Monitor and report financial performance to the board, providing clear financial analysis and scenario plans to underpin data-driven financial decisions that support sustainability and growth.

• Champion and implement organizational EDI and anti-racism initiatives in all aspects of artistic and administrative decisions.

• Identify potential artistic collaborators, domestically and internationally, partnering with the Artistic Director to curate an exciting and diverse season in alignment with the organization’s mission.

Organizational Excellence and Board Governance

• Foster a healthy and cohesive working culture that removes silos and supports creative and collaborative work while holding departments accountable to their financial and other goals.

• Engage regularly with all staff, addressing complex issues honestly, directly, and without fear of conflict, including issues around pay equity, EDI, and anti-racism.

• Guide the marketing department to ensure imaginative communication and creative ticket pricing strategies.

• Oversee the management of STC’s two theatres, guiding building renovations when necessary, establishing innovative uses of the spaces, increasing rental opportunities, and executing the real estate project, The Bard.

• Assist in growing, diversifying, and supporting the board of directors, leveraging their expertise, networks, and resources to support the organization’s mission and goals.

• Provide regular updates, reports, and strategic guidance to the board, while ensuring the organization operates in accordance with its legal, governance, and compliance requirements.

External Relations and Revenue Enhancement

• Serve as a visible community leader and public spokesperson, fostering strong relationships with all audiences including funders and potential supporters, politicians, government officials, other arts organizations and businesses, raising STC’s profile and advocating for the importance of the arts.

• Support ongoing labor relations and negotiate contracts with unions, including Actors’ Equity Association, Stage Directors and Choreographers Society, United Scenic Artists, League of Resident Theatres, American Federation of Musicians, and the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees.

• Prioritize the work of the learning department, increasing staff and broadening educational and community programs, camps, classes, and on-line learning offerings to generate additional earned revenue.

• Support new audience engagement initiatives designed to expand the theatre’s reach and deepen the experience of new and existing theatregoers.

• Actively engage in fundraising efforts, supporting the development department to increase both annual giving and strategic contributed revenue through comprehensive fundraising campaigns and galas, and cultivating relationships with individual donors, corporations, foundations, and other funders.

• Participate in industry conferences and theatre organizations to represent STC, staying informed of and offering leadership on current trends and best practices.

Traits and Characteristics

The Executive Director will be a visionary and strategic leader and manager, with a collaborative approach to establishing goals and solving problems. As a business savvy professional, they will possess financial and business management skills to envision alternative business models and financing models for STC, its facilities, and its organizational objectives. A clear and transparent communicator with an approachable demeanor, they will be people-centered, responsive to the needs of others, and foster close working relationships. As a confident networker, the Executive Director will be adept at cultivating and maintaining a wide range of partnerships that bring value to the organization.

Other key competencies include:

• Leadership and Teamwork – The ability to organize and influence people to believe in a vision while creating a sense of purpose and direction, and to cooperate with others to meet objectives.

• Time and Priority Management – The capacity to prioritize and complete tasks to deliver desired outcomes within allotted time frames.

• Personal Accountability and Flexibility – The dexterity to be answerable for personal actions, readily modifying, responding, and adapting to change with minimal resistance.

• Decision Making and Customer Focus – The acumen to analyze all aspects of a situation to make consistently sound and timely decisions, as well as anticipating, meeting and /or exceeding customer needs, wants, and expectations.

Compensation and Benefits

STC provides an equitable and competitive compensation package in keeping with comparable theatres and commensurate with the candidate’s experience, with an estimated base salary in the range of $250,000 to $325,000. Benefits include paid vacation, sick leave, personal days, and holidays; health coverage, including dental and vision; a Flexible Spending Account (FSA); voluntary life insurance; and a 403(b)-retirement plan with a match after two years of service.

Requirements No specific educational prerequisites are required, although an advanced degree in arts administration, theatre management, business, or a related field is strongly preferred. The ideal candidate will demonstrate proven arts leadership with exceptional business and financial acumen, preferably in theatre. Candidates should have a track record of fundraising and establishing strategic partnerships, a commitment to arts education and community engagement, and an ability to quickly form relationships and exert influence on a wide variety of stakeholders. Experience with facilities management is beneficial. A deep passion for Shakespeare and classical theatre is expected.

#J-18808-Ljbffr