Vice President of Community Engagement: Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance

The Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance was founded in 1972 and is one of the nation’s best-known and most effective arts service organizations. We operate in five counties surrounding Philadelphia, and also serve southern New Jersey and Northern Delaware as part of our metropolitan region. We have over 450 nonprofit and for-profit members, but the Alliance serves the entire cultural sector – over 1,500 performing arts, visual arts, history, science, horticulture, arts education, community art centers and other cultural organizations.

We are currently searching for a Vice President of Community Engagement to join our team.

Position Summary

The Vice President of Community Engagement is a full-time position that reports to the President & CEO. They serve as a member of the senior leadership team. They will oversee community engagement, advocacy, creative youth development, and grantmaking, serving as supervisor for a team of four. The position is primarily responsible for developing and maintaining authentic, credible relationships with organizational constituents, including organizations, individuals and other community-based stakeholders and representing the interests of the Cultural Alliance. They directly support the President in advancing the Cultural Alliance’s advocacy strategies. They work across departments to help ensure efficient communications and to facilitate execution of the Cultural Alliance’s key strategic objectives.

Primary Role & Responsibilities

Community Engagement

• Lead and provide strategic direction to the Cultural Alliance’s community engagement initiatives and programs, ensuring alignment with the organization’s strategic priorities and advocacy positions.
• Serve as one of the primary representatives of the Cultural Alliance in the community, actively participating in meetings, forums and events to heighten the organization’s profile, strengthen its relationships with stakeholders and amplify its strategic positions and key services.
• Organize and lead coalition-building efforts, bringing diverse stakeholders together to share information and insights, and to build collaborative relationships.
• Enhance community awareness of Cultural Alliance services to advance the organization’s role and to grow its membership.
• Work closely with the Senior Leadership Team to ensure the alignment and integration of community engagement strategies with other initiatives.
• Serve as a primary contact to address stakeholder feedback and resolve concerns.
• Develop and analyze community engagement metrics to inform strategy development and to provide reports to the Cultural Alliance leadership.

Programs

• Provide strategic direction to the Cultural Alliance’s Creative Youth Development and Grantmaking departments, ensuring alignment with the organization’s strategic priorities and interdepartmental coordination.
• Lead and supervise the Bloomberg Arts Internship program, which includes the Director of Creative Youth Development and Partner Engagement and the Creative Youth Development Manager.
• Serve as point of contact with Bloomberg Philanthropies, overseeing the Bloomberg Arts Internship’s program’s application, annual budget, reporting, execution of program objectives and other aspects of the program’s management.
• Lead and supervise the Grantmaking program, which includes the Director of Grantmaking and the Grantmaking Coordinator.
• Serve as point of contact with the Pennsylvania Council for the Arts regarding annual allocations, program policies, and other aspects of the program’s management.
• Collaborate with Program Directors to develop and monitor department budgets.
• Lead the design and execution of programming aligned with the strategic goals of the organization, including managing internal staff and contractors as needed.

Advocacy

• Collaborate with the President to ensure community engagement interests align with and inform the Cultural Alliance’s advocacy positions.
• Serve as a primary representative of the Cultural Alliance to inform community partners and other stakeholders of the organization’s advocacy goals and strategies.
• Share stakeholder feedback with the President to inform the Cultural Alliance’s advocacy positions and strategies.
• Attend meetings and events that support and enhance the Cultural Alliance’s advocacy positions and strategies.

Other

• Support, develop and execute special projects and events as requested.
• Interface with and coordinate membership strategy and outreach.
• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or applicable experience
• 7-10 years’ experience required, 2-4 in a similar community engagement position preferred.
• Strong ties to the Greater Philadelphia community and a familiarity with the nuances of its arts and culture sector.
• Experience developing authentic community connections, relationship and coalition-building
• Experience with program development and event planning
• Comfort with frequent local travel within Philadelphia and our four-county region (Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery)
• Exceptional public speaking skills.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong interpersonal skills; demonstrates professionalism.
• Strong personal code of ethics and integrity with high degree of confidentiality.
• Results oriented with strong project management and analytical skills.
• Creative thinker.
• Ability to work independently but also as part of a team.
• Must be available to participate in meetings/events in evenings and weekends.
• Excellent computer skills including experience with Microsoft Office, Word, Excel, PowerPoint. Experience with Salesforce preferred, but not essential.
• Detail oriented.
• Candidates from diverse backgrounds are strongly encouraged to apply.
• Interest in the arts is a plus.

Compensation

This is a full-time position with an annual salary of $90,000 – $100,000. The Cultural Alliance provides a generous benefits package including medical, dental and vision benefits, a 403b plan, short- and long-term disability, and Paid Time Off.

This is a hybrid remote/in-person position based in Philadelphia. Proof of COVID vaccination is required by the time of hire for this position.

The Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. We strongly encourage candidates with lived experiences from a wide range of communities to apply and we welcome applicants of all backgrounds. Our office is located in The Philadelphia Building, which is an accessible space in Center City Philadelphia.

The Cultural Alliance Work Environment Values Statement

As the Cultural Alliance serves our members and the broader arts and culture sector, we also celebrate the people who make that vital work possible. We know that as happy, healthy and fulfilled individuals, we are better advocates for the Cultural Alliance and its constituents.

We create an inclusive and supportive environment by practicing respect, empathy and valuing the diversity and perspective of each individual. Through our actions, we are accountable to our mission and values and considerate of each other and our stakeholders. We encourage work/life balance because we know that our unique backgrounds, passions and interests outside of work help to inspire innovative solutions.

We believe that we are all leaders, all possessing important insight into the mission of the Cultural Alliance, and all deserving of opportunities for advancement and professional development. We work as a team to build trust and collaborate in a way in which everyone’s input is heard and their contributions appreciated. We promote creativity and out-of-the-box thinking and challenge ourselves to continually ask what a strong organization looks like.

To Apply

To apply, please email sarahw@philaculture.org with the subject line Vice President of Community Engagement , , and include the following:

• Resume
• Cover letter detailing your relevant experience and interest