Leading the newly formed Performance Facilities Department, which combines Stevens Center and Campus Performance Facilities, the Managing Director, Performance Facilities (MDPF) will first and foremost be an advocate for the students, faculty, staff, and audiences served by UNCSA.
Organization
The University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA) is a top-ranked creative and performing arts conservatory located on 74 acres in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Founded in 1963 as America’s first public arts conservatory, UNCSA celebrates more than 50 years of training wildly creative, hardworking young artists. It is the state’s unique professional school for the performing, visual, and moving image arts, training students at the high school, undergraduate, and master’s levels for professional careers in the arts. UNCSA offers a transformative arts education across five professional-caliber conservatories: Dance, Design & Production, Drama, Filmmaking, and Music. Its mission is to provide gifted emerging artists with the experience, knowledge, and skills needed to excel in their disciplines and in their lives, and to serve and enrich the cultural and economic prosperity of the people of North Carolina and the nation.
UNCSA is one of the 17 campuses of the University of North Carolina, with semesters running August through May, as well as a summer session. Enrollment for Fall 2016 totaled 1,303, including 263 high school, 907 undergraduate, and 133 graduate students. In 2016 UNCSA had students from 46 states as well as international students. There are eight residence halls – six for college students and two for high school students – in addition to both on-campus and off-campus student apartment complexes. The student-to-faculty ratio is exceptional at 7:1 (includes high school), and the faculty is rich with innovative, award-winning professionals who are leaders in their fields. There are 137 full-time and 93 adjunct faculty members, and the school hosts many notable guest artists each year. UNCSA fosters a culture of service and support for its students at the highest level.
UNCSA owns and operates the 1,380-seat Stevens Center, a magnificent neoclassical venue located in downtown Winston-Salem that serves as UNCSA’s primary performance space; houses its community music school; and is home to the Winston-Salem Symphony, Piedmont Opera, National Black Theatre Festival, and other regional arts organizations. UNCSA also has nine campus performance facilities, including Agnes de Mille Theatre, Crawford Hall, Watson Hall, Hood Recital Hall, and Alex Ewing Performance Place, which is comprised of Gerald Freedman, Catawba, and Patrons Theatres. UNCSA presents more than 300 public performances, screenings, and recitals, including faculty performances and student productions, during the academic year. Summer programs include workshops, residencies, screenings, training, and performances in every school at UNCSA.
UNCSA is governed by a 20-member board of trustees, chaired by Michael Tiemann. In the fall of 2014, M. Lindsay Bierman was named the eighth Chancellor of UNCSA, and since then the UNCSA team has unveiled transformational strategic initiatives to enhance the institution’s rigorous professional training, expand its economic and cultural impact across the state, and deepen its engagement with the global arts and entertainment industry in the years to come. UNCSA operates with a budget of $46 million, including $1.2 million for performance facilities, and has an endowment exceeding $50 million.
Community
Winston-Salem is known as the City of Arts and Innovation and lies in the hills of the Piedmont region at the base of the Blue Ridge Mountains. It was created in 1913 after the consolidation of the post offices of two adjacent small towns: Salem, founded in 1766 by the Moravian Protestant sect, and Winston, established in 1849 and named for a local Revolutionary War hero. Winston-Salem is the fifth largest city in North Carolina with a population of 229,617. The region offers four distinctive seasons with mild temperatures, and there are more than 3,500 acres of parks and recreation areas to enjoy all year long. The cost of housing in Winston-Salem is 20 percent lower than the national average.
Winston-Salem is synonymous with a zeal for exploration, innovation, and an entrepreneurial spirit, both in business and in culture. Home to several major medical centers, Winston-Salem State University, Piedmont International University, Wake Forest University, and Wake Forest Innovation Quarter, Winston-Salem is a civic community with high priorities for strong philanthropic support, diversity and inclusion, and reducing disparity among its residents. As home to the first Arts Council in the United States, Winston-Salem paved the way for public-private support of the arts and created the model for arts councils nationwide. The city’s numerous galleries, performing arts groups, theaters, collectives, and collections continue to attract and appeal to arts lovers worldwide. Winston-Salem is a place of juxtapositions, as there is no shortage of things to do and places to explore. Visitors may enjoy an art museum in what was once a tobacco tycoon's mansion, tour a historic Moravian landmark, or dance at a reggae festival. The city has a lively culinary scene, and there are several local vineyards and breweries within driving distance.
Sources: cityofws.org; winstonsalem.com; bizjournals.com; Salary.com
Position Summary
Leading the newly formed Performance Facilities Department, which combines Stevens Center and Campus Performance Facilities, the Managing Director, Performance Facilities (MDPF) will first and foremost be an advocate for the students, faculty, staff, and audiences served by UNCSA. The MDPF will be a results-oriented leader who will provide oversight of performance facilities, including master planning and implementation processes. Reporting to the Provost, the MDPF will collaborate with the Deans and Academic Affairs to develop mutually agreeable scheduling, planning, and implementation solutions while advocating for external partners and other stakeholders who utilize UNCSA performance facilities. The scope of responsibility in this position will include creating streamlined processes and systems for managing; centralizing facility schedules; providing staff leadership; guiding short- and long-term logistical planning; and cultivating integrated audience, university, student, and community relationships for all UNCSA performance facilities. The MDPF will oversee the Alex Ewing Performance Place renovation, which is scheduled to begin in 2018, and participate in the ongoing institutional master planning process related to future Stevens Center revitalization and the continuing improvement of UNCSA performance facilities. In collaboration with the Provost, the MDPF will manage relationships with external strategic partners, including but not limited to Piedmont Opera, National Black Theatre Festival, and the Winston-Salem Symphony.
Roles & Responsibilities
Strategic Planning and Operational Effectiveness
Create and execute effective and efficient management and operations of mixed-use performance, rehearsal, and classroom facilities.
Oversee the annual development of an institutional-wide, multi-year master calendar for all performance venues.
Develop a relocation plan for Alex Ewing Performance Place facilities, and any others in the future, prior to renovation.
Ensure economies of scale in performance facility equipment purchases, usage, and upgrades across facilities.
Monitor and evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of management and operational processes and develop new and revised methods and procedures, as appropriate.
Executive Administration and Management
Supervise Stevens Center and Campus Performance Facilities management and their respective production support and operations teams.
Analyze the new department’s structure, roles, and responsibilities, and recommend changes to increase efficiency and effectiveness.
Administer contract negotiations and fulfillment for external partner rentals, visiting artist performances, and public guest lecturer activities.
Oversee management of ticketing systems, front-of-house staff, student workers, and volunteers, as appropriate.
Develop, implement, and manage department budgets; forecast additional funds needed for staffing, equipment, materials and supplies; find economies of scale between schools and venues; and implement adjustments as necessary.
Research and develop opportunities for shared inventory, services, and resources among venues to create impactful efficiencies.
Facility Operations, Planning, and Management
Collaborate with facilities management (i.e. housekeeping, maintenance, and grounds) to ensure that performance facilities receive appropriate support, especially during peak operations.
Communicate regularly with faculty and staff to ensure timely response to venue scheduling deadlines and technical needs.
Partner with Design and Production (D&P) Dean and faculty to clarify academic, rehearsal, and performance facility needs to ensure that facilities are prepared and maintained for use.
Collaborate with D&P Dean and faculty to ensure students use appropriate safety measures to comply with and enforce building and fire codes.
In consultation with the Provost, provide priority for academic venue requests and usage while fulfilling and reviewing for approval the rental requests from strategic partners and for other non-academic purposes.
Communicate with information technology (IT) department to ensure academic audio visual technologies are in proper working order.
Leadership and Quality Control
Create a balanced, team-oriented working environment for the students, faculty, and staff founded on collective responsibility, creativity, and accountability.
Build and implement innovative policies and procedures that elevate service and support to students, faculty, external partners, and audiences.
Develop, maintain, and foster positive relationships between key UNCSA stakeholders and the community.
Verify that projects are managed in compliance with University codes, ordinances, regulations, laws, and other requirements.
Establish regular and recurring interaction with all Deans to ensure that their venue related goals are understood, planned, and achieved.
Ensure that all events comply with security and safety policies.
Traits & Characteristics
The MDPF will be a result-oriented leader with the ability to anticipate and solve complex problems and will possess effective people skills to work collaboratively with faculty, staff, students, and stakeholders. Inquisitive and decisive, the MDPF will be a clear communicator, practical thinker, and active listener. The selected individual will be able to work in a fast-paced environment in prioritizing tasks and responding to the needs of others. Critical thinking, tenacity, and resiliency are all important traits of the MDPF. Motivated by knowledge, research, and the traditions inherent in effective structures, rules, and policies, the MDPF will have high aesthetic values and complete commitment to arts education as an unwavering priority.
Other key competencies of the MDPF include the following:
Planning and Organization – The capacity to work within established time frames and ascertain top priorities for optimum productivity with procedures, processes, and systems that result in order, accuracy, and efficiency.
Customer Focus – A commitment to customer satisfaction with a high value on multiple stakeholder needs and the ability to anticipate challenges and develop appropriate solutions.
Problem Solving and Decision Making – The dexterity to make informed and collaborative decisions in a timely manner while evaluating the consequences of decisions; acting decisively despite obstacles, resistance, or opposition; and accepting consequences for decisions.
Leadership – The ability to organize and motivate others to accomplish goals while creating a sense of order, direction, and active participation among a variety of stakeholders.
Self-Management and Personal Accountability – The competence to prioritize and complete tasks necessary to meet mutually agreed upon expectations and assume responsibility for professional actions.
Qualifications
A bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience is required, as well as a minimum of five to seven years of senior management experience, ideally with significant background in planning, management, and operations of performing arts facilities. International Association of Venue Managers or Certified Facilities Executive training is preferred but not required. Excellent organizational, management, and oral and written communication skills are needed. A mastery of standard computer applications, including calendar, database, spreadsheet, word processing, and presentation systems is essential. A positive attitude and good humor in working in a fast paced, multi-venue environment is indispensable.
Compensation & Benefits
The University of North Carolina offers a flexible and comprehensive package of benefits, along with valuable work and family programs. These programs can help employees attain their retirement savings and career goals as well as help meet every day needs. Programs are designed to allow employees to tailor a benefits package that best meets their unique needs.
Applications & Inquiries
Please submit a letter and resume (electronic submissions preferred) with a summary of demonstrable accomplishments to:
Ms. Jenna Deja
Vice President, Arts Consulting Group
201 West Lake Street, Suite 133
Chicago, IL 60606-1803
Tel (888) 234.4236 Ext. 227
Fax (888) 284.6651
Email UNCSA@ArtsConsulting.com
UNCSA provides equal employment opportunities for all persons regardless of race, color, national origin, creed, religion, gender, age, genetic information, disability, sexual orientation, veteran’s status, or political affiliation, except where religion, gender, or age are bona fide job related employment requirements.