Job

Program Officer, Creative Economy

New England Foundation for the Arts

321 Harrison Ave, Suite 420
Boston, MA 02118

Deadline

Nov 07, 2022

Posted

Oct 07, 2022

The New England Foundation for the Arts (NEFA) is a 501©3 organization with an annual budget of $11.25 million. NEFA invests in artists and communities and fosters equitable access to the arts, enriching the cultural landscape in New England and the nation.

As an organization, NEFA values an equitable, diverse, and inclusive world, which we interpret as all people having fair access to the tools and resources they need to realize creative and community endeavors. We acknowledge structural inequities that have excluded individuals and communities from opportunities based on race, gender, disability, sexual orientation, class, age, and geography and strive to counter those inequities in our work.

NEFA is proud to be an equal opportunity employer, and is invested in creating an equitable and inclusive working environment and organizational culture. We are committed to hiring individuals who share, value, and support these goals, and who reflect the diversity of the communities we serve. NEFA does not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, religion, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, age, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

About the Position
NEFA’s Creative Economy program strengthens New England’s creative community by supporting its visibility, connection, and knowledge building. This is in service of the vision of a sustainable, inclusive, and resourced New England creative economy that is valued by all New England communities. The Program Officer, Creative Economy is a steward of programmatic and organizational goals, working closely with users of CreativeGround.org, partners, advisors, cohorts, and other constituents within the New England creative economy; driving communications and promotional efforts that support and enhance the reach of NEFA’s programs and services; and providing administrative and logistical support for department activities and events. They will play a critical role in implementing plans to grow and deepen engagement with the New England creative economy network following the recent public relaunch and rebranding of CreativeGround.org.

This position reports to the Senior Program Director for Research and Creative Economy and works in close coordination with the Program Administrator. The Program Officer is responsible for organizing all community building activity: creating communications campaigns and materials; providing direct support to constituents and CreativeGround users; planning meetings, workshops, trainings, and events; and tracking trends and creating content to share with stakeholders and partners. This position requires excellent communication, attention to detail, and project management, an aptitude for online marketing, an appetite for learning and mastering new platforms and tools, and a passion for building community with New England’s artists and creative enterprises. This role collaborates with NEFA’s grant program staff to advance the organization’s mission in the region, and with NEFA’s Communications staff to support and enhance brand coherence across the organization.

Essential Functions - % of Time
Program Communications – 40%
Engage and build community with the New England creative economy network:
Research and assess prospective, untapped, or underserved audiences to grow diversity and inclusion on CreativeGround and within the broader creative economy network;
Develop and recommend strategies to reach desired audiences and collaborate with creative economy team to implement;
Capture CreativeGround featured profiles, user stories and testimonials for data storytelling;
Identify relevant events around the region for community engagement and information sharing; present and exhibit about creative economy programs and tools;
Invite cohorts and local leaders with other directories and datasets to engage in cross-promotions and social sharing;
Develop communications content, campaigns, and materials that demonstrate value and impact to key stakeholders:
Edit and maintain up-to-date materials and toolkits for constituents;
Compose, edit, and manage CreativeGround site content that is engaging and follows search engine optimization (SEO) best practices;
Craft and distribute program communications, including monthly eblasts, blog posts, social media campaigns, and audience-specific invitations;
Generate and maintain email campaigns;
Create online and event promotional materials such as banner ads and videos;
Assist with the design of creative economy data snapshots and visualizations;
Facilitate the implementation of the communications plan for NEFA’s creative economy work:
Monitor alignment of plans with the department’s goals and processes;
Implement and document plan updates;
Support the sharing of plans with NEFA staff, identified partners and stakeholders;
Create and maintain an editorial calendar, content lists, and campaign plans
Maintain CreativeGround branding across platforms, events, and communications;
Track and report on constituent response to communications, community engagement activity across platforms, and in-person events to inform program plans and activity.

Constituent Relations and Support – 30%
Provide promotional assistance, information, and other support to the creative economy network, including CreativeGround users, project partners, and other constituents;
Cross-train to help provide technical assistance to CreativeGround users and advise on site design and user experience enhancements;
Respond to phone and email inquiries related to community building and promotion;
Schedule, create, and post training webinars, online materials, and regular virtual office hours;
Create customized promotional and training materials for specific constituent groups;
Steward the launch and management of the Creative Economy Cultivators program;
Assist with “trainer trainings” of network leaders and partners;
Support cohorts hosting creative economy community-building events around the region with promotional materials and consultation;
Support constituents at events hosted by the Creative Economy department such as workshops, conferences, meetings, and CreativeGround demonstrations throughout New England;

Program Administration – 20%
Coordinate and support the integration of Creative Economy communications across all applicable NEFA programs:
Create, share, and maintain an internal Creative Economy/CreativeGround Toolkit for NEFA staff;
Facilitate continued collaboration on New England programs’ shared marketing calendar, templates, and regional events/gatherings;
Maintain Creative Economy Program contacts and user lists from CreativeGround;
Coordinate consistent CreativeGround cobranding and cross-promotion with NEFA website and communications, and cohorts;
Coordinate logistics for creative economy workshops, meetings, and other events including scheduling, locating/securing meeting location, catering, tracking participant attendance;
Participate in program planning and evaluation discussions;
Prepare agendas and correspondence for program staff and other advisory group meetings;
Support Senior Program Director in meetings through note taking, summarizing discussions, and identifying next action steps.

Connecting and Learning – 10%

Represent the program and organization at conferences, meetings, performances, and other events; report on learning and outcomes;
Participate in organization-wide convenings and events, planning sessions, and working groups.

Scope
Does this position supervise others?
No

Internal/External Contacts
Develop, maintain, and support positive relationships with a variety of external constituents such as prospective and current CreativeGround users, event participants, program partners, community partners, as well as with all internal NEFA staff and specifically the communications, tech & data, New England-based grant program staff. Engage in and support program planning and evaluation activities with team members, colleagues, consultants, and constituents.

The person in this position may be asked to represent the organization at events that occur beyond or outside “traditional” business hours.

Financial/Operational Resources Impacted
$ 0

Decision Making/Problem Solving
Steer communication and promotional efforts which advance the program’s mission and objectives. Communicate effectively with internal and external program partners and stakeholders. Provide superior constituent support services and technical assistance to external constituents. Research and assess strategies to enhance community engagement; implement communications plan and recommend adjustments; support CreativeGround site improvement plans. Coordinate planning for creative economy workshops, meetings, and other events.

Minimum Starting Salary
$ 64,000

Opportunities for Advancement
At the beginning of their tenure in the role, staff in Officer/Administrator positions should set performance, development, and skill-building goals with their supervisor based on the expectations of the role and needs of the department. After two (2) years in an Officer/Administrator position, employees who have a proven track record of success in their role, have accomplished or made significant progress toward their performance goals, and have demonstrated steady growth as measured in their annual performance assessments, may be considered for promotion with careful consideration of department conditions.

Requirements

Required
4 – 8 years of professional experience; past work in communications/marketing and/or front-facing constituent support roles;
Knowledge of online marketing campaign tools and strategies including experience developing and editing content for websites, ecommunications and social media tools;
Familiarity with managing an editorial calendar and promotional campaigns;
Ability to work, grow, and thrive within a team-based environment and comfort working with and navigating the dynamics of multiple teams;
Past experience with project management; Excellent organization and planning skills with the ability to advance multiple priorities and processes concurrently;
Ability to set priorities, initiate projects, work independently, and set and meet deadlines in service of broader objectives and goals;
Ability to digest, synthesize, and distill data and recommendations to develop strategies and action plans;
Outstanding communication skills – verbal and written – with an understanding of adapting authorial voice to different audiences;
Proficiency in Microsoft Office suite; familiarity with Drupal, MailChimp, InDesign, Google Analytics, Asana preferred;
Compassion, patience, and flexibility when assisting or instructing constituents, partners, and other stakeholders;
Interest and ability to travel around New England;
Appreciation for and identification with NEFA’s mission, vision, and values and interest in engaging in work to advance NEFA’s organizational goals, including those centering equity, diversity, intersectionality, and accessibility.

Preferred
Knowledge of/experience with search engine optimization (SEO) best practices;
Comfort with public speaking; training; teaching; or workshop facilitation a plus;
Interest in/awareness of the experiences of working artists and creative and cultural workers across New England;
Experience in meeting and event planning;
Background in marketing/design, data visualization, and/or creative economy research or initiatives.

Workplace Requirements
NEFA is a multi-state organization and an evolving and dynamic workplace. NEFA staff work in a variety of contexts, including in-person in Boston and remotely across New England and New York. For this position we welcome applications from individuals who are interested in working in-person or hybrid schedules ideally within a reasonable commuting distance that allows for at least one (1) day in the office per week for in-person team meetings.

Physical/Mental Demands
Stationary position, occasional lifting (up to 15 lbs.), frequent travel (local/regional, including to events during hours outside 9-5 work hours), reasoning, decision-making, detailed work, communication, organization skills, reading, processing, synthesizing, analyzing.

All candidates will apply using the application form at nefa.org/about/employment. We ask all candidates to submit a current resume and a cover letter describing their interest in and preparedness for the role, and to respond to a limited set of questions about relevant skills. Contact information to request accessibility accommodations to participate in the application or hiring process is listed on the webpage above.

The deadline to apply for this position is Monday, November 7

Applications will be reviewed as they are received, and we encourage interested candidates to apply prior to the deadline. Applications received after the deadline may not be reviewed if the existing candidate pool is deemed sufficient. Requests for initial phone interviews will go out approximately one week after the application deadline.