Erie Arts and Culture is now seeking an Arts Education Program Officer

Erie Arts and Culture is now seeking an Arts Education Program Officer

Annual Salary: $52,500

Erie Arts and Culture is located in Erie, Pennsylvania, on the shores of Lake Erie and Prescott Bay. The City of Erie is experiencing a renaissance, building momentum in neighborhood regeneration through the support of multiple community organizations and partnerships with local businesses and government agencies. Erie boasts a low cost of living that is 10% lower than the national average and 7% lower than the state average. The City also has beautiful outdoor amenities on Lake Erie and in the surrounding region, the Warner Theater that hosts the Erie Philharmonic and internationally renowned performances, free weekend outdoor festivals in the summer and fall, the Children’s ExpERIEnce Museum, Erie Art Museum, and many locally owned restaurants. In addition to the generations of families who have lived here, Erie is also home to a diverse community of New Americans and Refugees who own businesses and restaurants. Situated one and a half hours from Pittsburgh, PA; Buffalo, NY; and Cleveland, OH; Erie is an ideal location to experience world-class amenities in a reasonably priced location.

The Arts Education Program Officer position is a full-time position with benefits including Health, Vision, and Dental Insurance; two weeks paid time off in first year of employment; eight paid sick days; 10 paid holidays; optional 403b with 5% maximum employer match available after first three months of employment with one-year vestment period; and monthly flat-rate reimbursement of cell phone and internet bills.

About Erie Arts and Culture:

Founded in 1960 as the Arts Council of Erie, Erie Arts and Culture (EAC) is the regional arts agency for Northwestern Pennsylvania, as appointed by the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts (PCA). EAC began as the organization that raised funds through the United Arts Fund for arts organizations in the City of Erie. Today, EAC serves communities in the City of Erie, and Erie, Crawford, Venango, Warren, Mercer, and Lawrence counties through grants, teaching artist residencies, and a folklife program documenting and preserving diverse cultures. Erie Arts and Culture is expanding its engagement in the six counties of Northwestern Pennsylvania and the City of Erie, equitably providing resources that increase vitality of the arts and culture sector and communities as a whole. 

About the Arts Education Program Officer position:

The Arts Education Program Officer (Program Officer) reports to the Executive Director, and is responsible for the successful implementation of the Arts in Education program as agreed to in the partnership with the PCA. This program primarily relies on the PCA for its funding, while smaller grants and donations may supplement additional educational programs. This person is an organized, detail-oriented team player who is committed to working in service to communities and has a demonstrated track record of successful partnerships. The Program Officer is a forward-thinking expert in arts education, proactively anticipating what needs to be done and noticing trends that inform the program’s strategies and implementation. This position is responsible for working with Teaching Artists and host sites to place artist residencies in schools and nonprofits in the six-county service region; organizing and producing the annual Poetry Out Loud competition; working with local partners to organize and produce the annual Regional Common In Service day that provides professional development opportunities for arts educators in public schools; and other projects that may take place under the arts education umbrella. 

The person who assumes this position will play a key role in strengthening and building regional relationships to equitably distribute resources throughout the region. Strong administrative skills are essential, as are a friendly demeanor, confidence to engage people, ability to effectively build and maintain strategic relationships, and ability to work across the EAC team’s areas of service as appropriate. This is a hybrid position, requiring in-person weekly meetings with the Executive Director, in-office work with the team one day each week, and other in-office meetings as necessary.

Duties/Responsibilities:

• Serve as the organization’s liaison to the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts for the Arts in Education program; produce programs within the six-county service region to fulfill the partnership agreement
• Responsible for the development and ongoing management of all arts education programs for people of all ages, abilities, and traditions
• Work with the Marketing Manager to create marketing plans and content and the Development Director on fundraising initiatives relevant to this program and the organization
• Participates in funder and cross-sector collaborations to achieve program objectives
• Negotiates artist and host site agreements, including completion of all background checks, clearances, and other necessary documentation of teaching artists and all details that ensure successful implementation and completion of teaching artist residencies
• Regularly creates professional development opportunities for teaching artists and recruits teaching artists who will complement the artist roster
• Accurately evaluate and report status, content, and effectiveness of programs
• Actively obtains, maintains and shares knowledge of the most effective strategies, current thinking, and developments in the arts and culture sector pertaining to arts education; identifies needs for new approaches, what are the most effective and innovative ways to support the work, and makes recommendations to leadership.
• Collaborates, participates in, and coordinates program activities with respective team members.
• Negotiates contracts for services needed to execute program
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Required Skills/Abilities:

• Excellent project management and administrative skills.
• Excellent public speaking, presentation skills, and competency in working with people of diverse backgrounds and cultures
• Excellent interpersonal, customer service, verbal and written communication skills, grammar and punctuation skills, and ability to track multiple projects and their related data simultaneously
• Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Strong leadership, analytical, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to create, implement, and monitor budgets.
• Thorough understanding of principles and methods used to create, implement, and complete programs and the proper stewardship of program resources
• Proficient with Google platform or similar platforms
• Successful completion of background checks

Education and Experience:

• Bachelor's degree in related fields plus three to five years experience will be considered. Masters degree with minimum two years experience preferred; or
• At least five years of experience in a directly related field.

Travel:

The Program Officer may be required to travel to Erie, Crawford, Venango, Mercer, Warren, and Lawrence Counties. Mileage is reimbursed at the current GSA rate. Rental cars may be used in place of a personal vehicle.

Work Environment:

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Normal office setting with frequent computer work approximately 75% of the time.
• Travel to community sites and agencies with varying degrees of temperature, humidity and noise approximately 25% of the time.
• Responsibilities occasionally may require an adjusted work schedule and additional hours worked in order to meet deadlines.

Physical Requirements:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Sufficient mobility to work in a normal office setting and use standard office equipment including a computer.
• Vision to read printed materials and VDT screen.
• Hearing and speech sufficient to communicate in person or over the phone.
• Lifting up to 20 lbs. maximum and occasionally carrying such articles as a laptop computer, files.

To Apply:

Please email 1) a cover letter introducing yourself and your accomplishments that align the responsibilities of the position, 2) a resume/CV, and 3) three references in one pdf document to Anne O’Dell, Executive Director, Erie Arts & Culture, at [email protected] with the subject line “Arts Education Program Officer Application.” 

Incomplete applications will not be considered. Screening of applications will begin immediately and it is anticipated that interviews for qualified applicants will begin in early- to mid-March with the selected candidate joining the organization in late April or early May.