Executive Director - Burlington Performing Arts Centre

Genovese Vanderhoof & Associates

 A Cultural Management Consulting Firm

Job opportunity

Burlington Performing Arts Centre

Burlington, ON

Executive Director

The Burlington Performing Arts Centre (BPAC) invites applications and referrals for the position of Executive Director. 

The Position of Executive Director:

Reporting to the Board of Directors, the Executive Director--as the chief operating officer of the corporation--is charged with maintaining an effective fiscally responsible operating model for the performing arts centre, balancing between performances of regional, national, and international arts groups, festivals, and outdoor events such as Jazz on the Plaza, the Centre’s own presenting series, and other community/corporate rentals and usage. 
The Executive Director is responsible for general operations, financial management and reporting, programming, strategy implementation, general administration, revenue generation, and community liaison, overseeing staff working in such areas as marketing, fund-raising, box office, front of house, technical and artistic operations, building maintenance, programming, educational outreach, and finance.   The staff complement is 12 full-time and 45 part-time with an active group of 130 volunteers.  

The Burlington Performing Arts Centre seeks an industry professional who will be an articulate champion, a dynamic and entrepreneurial leader with a thorough grounding in performing arts facility management and arts presenting, producing, and programming.  The annual budget is approximately $3.5 million.

The Executive Director represents the Centre to the public, the media and the performing arts industry-at-large through leadership and participation in community activities, serving as the chief development officer.   The Executive Director takes a leadership role in the community’s cultural development by ensuring the BPAC remains healthy, sustainable, and dynamic.

The BPAC provides Burlington and surrounding communities with direct access to the diversity of Canadian and international work in music, comedy, theatre, dance, and family programming by providing a performance venue for many local organizations, co-productions with local festivals, and through its own presenting season.  

The Burlington Performing Arts Centre:

The Burlington Performing Arts Centre, located in the heart of downtown just steps away from Lake Ontario on Burlington’s beautiful waterfront. The BPAC is the performance home to many regional groups. 
 A 63,000 sq. foot facility that opened in 2011 and  designed by Diamond + Schmitt Inc., the BPAC is LEED-certified (leadership in energy and environmental design), Ontario’s first stand-alone green performing arts venue.  It is managed by a separate charitable not-for-profit organization with an independent board of directors (Burlington Theatre Board, Inc.), supported in part by the City of Burlington. 

The Main Theatre (seating capacity 718) includes a six-story fly tower and an orchestra pit to accommodate more elaborate theatrical and musical productions.  The Community Studio Theatre is a flexible “black box” space to be used for professional series presentations, community presentations and rehearsals, as well as corporate and social events, seating up to 225. The generously-scaled Family Lobby accommodates large groups and serves as a venue for receptions, exhibitions, corporate functions and civic events. The lobby is open with a glass wall and is encircled by a mezzanine-level lobby above, creating a unique social setting. 

In addition to its performance function, the Centre is a much-needed community gathering space, capable of hosting conferences, product launches, client appreciation and other special events, and more. A publicly accessible pedestrian bridge links The Centre with the neighbouring parking garage, located at 414 Locust Street.   

The City of Burlington:

Chosen as Canada’s second “Best Place to Live” and the Best Mid-Size City in the country in 2016, the City of Burlington is home to a number of leading companies with global mandates.  With enviable access to regional, national and international transportation networks, Burlington is central to the Golden Horseshoe, one of the most prosperous areas in Canada. It is a charming area with a vibrant history and an historic downtown     

The City of Burlington has a dedicated staff team committed to growing the City’s cultural sector and industries.  Burlington is an inclusive city, welcoming newcomers, where both newcomers and long-standing residents thrive.  When the Burlington City Council adopted its 25-year strategic plan for the City in 2016,    community building through arts and culture is a key objective of this plan.  Together with the City’s cultural partners, Burlington embarked on, and continue concerted actions to support, enhance, and growth the City’s cultural sector. 

Qualifications:

The ideal candidate will have previous senior experience in leading performing arts venues, a minimum of seven years of not for profit arts venue management with budgets of $1.5 to 5 million, and a university degree  in arts and/or business management or equivalent experience in facility management and administration.  

The Executive Director will have excellent financial and organizational skills, with demonstrated leadership in human resources management , community partnerships, board relations, and fund-raising.  A good knowledge of programming, producing, and festival management would be essential. Other necessary characteristics would include political savvy and diplomacy, good oral and written communication skills, and knowledge of ancillary businesses such as catering, ticketing, corporate rentals, and the like.   

The Centre has a pivotal role in the cultural, educational and economic enrichment of the City of Burlington; the Executive Director must be able to establish and maintain effective working relationships with elected officials, the Board of Directors, the media, artists, artist managers, other arts groups, sponsors, educational institutions, volunteers, and the audience.

In addition the Executive Director must work well and inspire with the excellent staff team and board currently in place.     

Other Information and Application Process:

Salary range: $135,000 to $150,000.   Excellent benefits package. Interested candidates are invited to submit a letter of interest, resume, and list of references by Friday, October 18, 2024 in confidence to:

Margaret Genovese
Senior Partner
Genovese Vanderhoof & Associates
77 Carlton Street, Suite 1103
Toronto, ON, Canada  M5B 2J7
416/340-2762
Email  gvamargaret@aol.com.

For additional information see:  https://genovesevanderhoof.com/opportunities/executive-director-2/

www.burlingtonpac.ca.