Education and Community Engagement Manager

The full-time Education and Community Engagement Manager reports to GMCLA’s Executive Director & Producer (E.D.P.) and works closely with GMCLA’s Music Director & Conductor (M.D.C.) and staff to develop and facilitate GMCLA’s education and community engagement programs that bring GMCLA’s music and message to schools and community partner organizations, contributing to GMCLA’s value and impact across greater Los Angeles. The organization’s current programs include Alive Music Project in high schools, Arts for Healing Justice Network and partnerships with the Los Angeles LGBT Center, community colleges, and the City of West Hollywood.

The successful candidate for this position will have a proven track record in community engagement and education programs as an administrator or music educator / conductor. While the primary focus of this position is program development and execution, teaching and occasional conducting will be required of the candidate.

GMCLA has an ongoing commitment to the principles and practices of diversity and inclusiveness throughout the community and strongly encourages applications from candidates who would enhance the diversity of the organization.

The Education and Community Engagement Manager’s Primary Responsibilities:

I. Education Programs

• With the guidance of the E.D.P. and M.D.C., develop, manage, and write materials for GMCLA’s education programs
• Act as GMCLA’s liaison to high schools, colleges, and partner organizations throughout the Los Angeles region to create collaborative education programs
• Travel to schools in Los Angeles on an ongoing basis, to establish and maintain positive, ongoing relationships with teachers, schools, education partners, and other stakeholders as needed
• Manage day-to-day school communications, including but not limited to scheduling, administering agreements, and completing weekly check-ins
• Provide in-school teaching and educational workshops
• Act as a Teaching Artist or supervise Teaching Artists by providing clear direction, organized education plans, and operational support as needed
• Manage the Los Angeles area school communication list and implement the email schedule
• Serve as a representative of GMCLA at educational, community and civic events
• Attend L.A. Arts Education meetings and events as needed
• Support the development and planning of music for GMCLA’s education programs
• Conduct the chorus at education program events when the Music Director is not available and/or as required

II. Community Outreach & Engagement

• In collaboration with GMCLA’s E.D.P. and M.D.C., manage the creation and implementation of the overall strategy for the organization’s community outreach and engagement programs
• Create effective programs that cultivate new community and partner relationships that will allow GMCLA to build meaningful connections within the community and maximize the vibrancy and inclusivity of the organization’s programs
• Identify new opportunities and strengthen existing partnerships that will expand GMCLA’s reach and focus on advocacy, equity, and access, especially in traditionally underserved communities
• Curate a list of community partners and distribute and maintain regular communications with the group
• Communicate regularly with GMCLA singing members to ensure that its programs are coordinated successfully in collaboration with the organization’s initiatives
• Record, analyze, and report data on attendance and demographic information to determine the effectiveness of the organization’s community outreach and engagement programs, including their intended outcomes as aligned with GMCLA’s DEI Initiative
• Attend meetings of neighborhoods, communities, city councils, and partner civic organizations as needed
• Conduct the Chorus at community concerts as requested

Duties Continued:

• Work closely with the Development Director in grant reporting and developing ideas for seeking new grants
• Maintain education data for grants and research methods to retrieve additional data that will support future grant applications
• Support E.D.P.’s annual budget planning processing with program budgets as needed
• Provide staffing support for GMCLA main series concert weekends and final rehearsals as needed.

The Successful Candidate Will:

• Have demonstrated success in building diverse, inclusive, and comprehensive education and community outreach & engagement programs for a music / choral organization
• Have an excellent sense of how to evaluate the relative strength of projects, within the context of a clearly articulated set of organizational goals
• Have an attitude of service, a commitment to ongoing learning, and desire to contribute to the organization and the community
• Demonstrate leadership initiatives, self-confidence, a positive attitude, practicality, sound judgement and attention-to-detail
• Have an extroverted personality and a passion for building community through music
• Have a strong desire to go out and cultivate external relationships in the community
• Be an exceptional public speaker and comfortable speaking in front of large groups of people whether it be in a school setting or at community events
• Be an active listener possessing excellent communication skills, both written and verbal

Qualifications:

• A Bachelor’s Degree in music education, choral conducting or vocal performance is preferred. A Liberal Arts or Arts Management Degree with music and/or conducting experience is also acceptable.
• 3 years of experience in either arts administration, music education or community chorus leadership is required
• Excellent project management and project development skills
• Excellent presentation and interpersonal skills
• Experience working in a nonprofit environment preferred

Computer Skills:

• Proficiency in Microsoft Office software including Word, Excel and Powerpoint
• Proficiency in web-based research tools

Special Requirements:

• Position is on-site (West Hollywood, CA) with flexibility to accommodate offsite activities
• Local travel, in and around the Los Angeles region, is required for this position. Candidates must have a vehicle and valid driver’s license. Local travel will be around 15-20% of the time.
• Candidates must have a flexible schedule, which will require working some evenings, nights, and weekends to attend community events, Chorus performances, rehearsals, etc.
• Candidates must have received or be willing to receive the COVID-19 vaccine by date of hire to be considered
  The application deadline is May 5. Please send your materials including resume, cover letter, and any relevant work examples such as a digital portfolio to GMCLA’s recruiter Bernie Fabig at bernie@coastwentytwo.com. Candidates please do not contact the organization directly.