Executive Director Jobs

The Organization:

Founded in 1996 by Kathleen Rathbun, Harriet Casey, and a dedicated group of volunteers, Syracuse City Ballet, Inc. (SCB) is the only professional ballet company serving the Central New York community. We create family-oriented entertainment while offering opportunities for local professional, pre-professional, and student dancers to perform classical and premiere works with national and international guest artists.

A vibrant arts community encourages creativity, instills local pride, draws people together, supports economic investment, and is essential to a community’s vitality. Syracuse City Ballet contributes to the richness of Central New York’s cultural palette by providing a “big city” dance experience in a mid-size community. Our growth from a small grass-roots venture to a professional company has established the SCB as a premier arts organization in Central New York, with support from the NYS Council on the Arts, CNY Arts, Onondaga County, and the City of Syracuse, as well as corporate and private donors and patrons.

Syracuse, NY, is located in Central New York State–the 5th largest city with more than 700,000 in the region–with a diverse, thriving urban center surrounded by a growing community of suburban and rural towns and villages. Syracuse sits on Onondaga Lake and offers a rich topography that inspires activity and outdoor engagement–within a couple of hours of the Adirondack Mountains, Niagara Falls, and 20 miles from the beautiful Finger Lakes region. The urban center offers world class museum collections, a symphony orchestra, fine restaurants, highly regarded colleges and universities, professional sports teams, and a growing technology and innovation sector. Despite our robust amenities, our region has a low cost of living, and is one of the fastest growing cities for millennials in the US. In addition, our community is within a 4 hour drive of several major metropolitan areas including Boston, New York City, Philadelphia, and Buffalo, giving us the ability to share cultural and economic experiences with much larger markets.

The SCB Company:

A company of professional dancers is hired on an annual contract basis to perform in several full-length ballets such as The Nutcracker and The Sleeping Beauty. In recent years, the SCB has performed 3 full-length ballets and 2 mixed repertory programs.

In addition to its main stage performances, the company engages with the Syracuse community through a variety of community outreach efforts and education programs. Among these programs is an instructional program bringing ballet to underserved schools, and a Sensory Friendly Nutcracker creating opportunities for people with disabilities to access the world of ballet. The Company provides free tickets to children with disabilities and to those from low-income communities.

The Executive Director provides hands-on leadership for Syracuse City Ballet and has ultimate responsibility for the financial and operating stability of the company, in support of the Artistic Director whose focus is on artistic excellence.

The Executive Director is responsible for implementation of SCB’s vision and strategic plan; developing and maintaining external relationships with donors and with other organizations; managing finances, business staff and operations; supporting the Board of Directors; and building its profile and its resources to advance its artistic mission.

The Executive Director reports to the Board of Directors through its President. The Executive Director has an important partnership with the Artistic Director–together they fulfill the artistic mission while ensuring the long-term sustainability of SCB. The Executive and Artistic Directors both serve as non-voting members of the Board of Directors.

• Be a vocal, proactive advocate of Syracuse City Ballet, and represent the company’s best interests in civic issues, working closely with the Artistic Director to further the company’s reputation and increase the appreciation for its offerings regionally.
• Ensure the financial sustainability of the company through creating and achieving balanced annual operating budgets, providing accurate financial reports regularly to the Board.
• Oversee the management of SCB assets, including office operations, facilities, and personal property. Oversee and ensure compliance with tax filings and requirements, and all applicable Federal, State, Local laws and donor requirements. Administer and enforce SCB policies and procedures.
• Recruit, develop, inspire and retain skilled and experienced staff members who can help the company achieve its artistic and financial goals.
• Forge an effective and positive partnership with the Artistic Director and Board of Directors to ensure the company stays true to its artistic vision while ensuring financial stability. The Executive Director will be responsible for the business and development related aspects of the organization, while the Artistic Director is responsible for the artistic and educational components of the mission.
• Lead the Ballet’s development and fundraising efforts, including grant writing and administration, to provide for substantial growth in contributed income and in the donor base; this includes managing a prospect portfolio of corporate and major gift donors, intentionally building relationships, making solicitations, and tracking all such activity in a database. Please note: the planned operating budget for 2023 is currently set at approximately 500,000 with limited major donors and corporate sponsors. The successful candidate will be able to devise and execute a fundraising strategy with campaigns to optimize revenues and grow the budget to ensure the SCB is capable of fully achieving its mission.
• Maintain current knowledge of industry trends and developments in ballet/arts management, and participate in appropriate regional, national, and international organizations and activities.
• Work closely with the Directors to support their efforts, commitment, and leadership. Assist the Directors in cultivating and recruiting new members. Coordinate for meetings as needed.
• Oversee the company’s Community Outreach programs, working to build our relevance to the community and to increase and diversify the company’s audience and stakeholders.
• Oversee the creation and execution of marketing and audience development strategies to support both earned and contributed revenue and to enhance the reputation of the company.
• Create and implement the SCB’s strategic plan, with input from the Board of Directors and key stakeholders, and align it with fund development and investment strategies to position the SCB for sustainable growth in service to the community.
• Establish effective partnerships with local, regional, and/or national organizations and entities that can help promote and advance the role of SCB in both the Syracuse community and the professional dance/ballet world.

• An experienced executive with direct shirt-sleeves involvement necessary to run a performing arts organization with a small staff on a financially sound basis, and who also understands how to work effectively with a volunteer Board.
• An exceptional manager with strong financial skills in sales and marketing with superb skills in building a management team and creating a positive working environment.
• An inspiring leader with exceptional networking skills and a high-energy level for donor cultivation and fundraising.
• A confident and respected spokesperson who can command the trust of the Board, staff, volunteers and community, and who can represent the company to its audiences, its stakeholders and the public.
• A strategic thinker and planner who can work collaboratively to establish and communicate a vision for the company and a plan for developing sustainable resources to support it.
• A ballet advocate, with knowledge of and passion for the art form.
• A person who advocates for diversity, equity and inclusion in all areas of the company.

• This job requires organizational, analytical and communications skills normally acquired through the completion of a bachelor’s degree. An advanced degree or professional certification in arts, business, non-profit management or other relevant fields would be a valuable addition.
• Excellent oral, written and presentation skills are required.
• Candidates should have a successful track record in building donor relationships and in soliciting and stewarding significant gifts from individuals, foundations and corporations.
• A positive attitude and a sense of humor are welcome attributes.
• Demonstrated experience working with a non-profit Board of Directors.
• Exposure to contract negotiations, and experience building successful partnerships would be helpful.
• At least 5 years of experience in managing comparable staff and budget; experience leading a ballet company or other performing arts organization would be ideal. Strong financial management skills are essential. A knowledge of facilities issues would be an asset as would a thorough understanding of the issues and challenges facing ballet companies today.

Compensation will be commensurate with experience, skills, and qualifications. SCB is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Interested candidates should send a letter of interest, along with a resume and list of three professional references to: [email protected], or by mail to: Syracuse City Ballet, 932 Spencer St. Syracuse, NY 13204.