Executive Director

Range: $110,000 – $155,000. Medical benefits and robust PTO included

Reports to: Board of Directors

Direct reports: Director of Artistic Programs and Education, Facility and Operations Manager, Administrative Coordinator.

Location: This is an on-site position.

Medical benefits and robust PTO included

Self Help Graphics & Art (SHG) is dedicated to the production, interpretation and distribution of prints and other art media by Chicana/o, Latinx, and other artists inspired by the social justice imperative of the Chicano Movement. Our multidisciplinary and intergenerational programs promote artistic excellence and empower our communities by providing access to space, tools, training and resources.

SHG has reached a historic juncture. It has been operating for 50 years, it outright owns its own building and is planning for the renovation of its home. The growing staff continues to meet the pace, scale, and demand of the organization’s cultural production and community serving programming. This moment will find a new executive director inheriting a Self Help Graphics that is fiscally sound with a robust, talented and cohesive staff. There is momentum and time to prepare and envision the future while the operations scale down to accommodate the renovation period from Spring 2023 – Winter 2024. SHG leverages this opportunity of reaching 50 years to orient SHG away from survivalism and utilize ownership and stewardship of land as a jumping off point for this new organizational stage that creates a sustainable future.
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The Board of Directors seeks a leader with the following abilities and capacities to fill the Executive Director (ED) role:

Leadership that champions the Chicana/o/x and Latine cultural community

SHG seeks a leader who understands their role in representing of the work and impact of the organization at the local, regional, and national levels and can be a champion of the Chicana/o/x and Latine (a term used to recognize gender spectrum) artists, cultural workers and culture bearers within and outside of the organizational walls, spaces (physical and digital) and circles.

Core connection to SHG’s history and its work through an intergenerational and intersectional lens

The ED has a knowledge of and fundamentally values the cultural and place-based histories of the origins of Self Help Graphics, the Chicano movement, and the plurality of the communities served by the organization. The ED will understand or learn how the people, values, and experiences of the last five decades inform the organization’s cultural practice and social justice orientation. The ED will operate from a place of curiosity when engaging these narratives and ensure all voices and experiences are valued and elevated.

Strategic visionary through a lens of inclusivity, intersectionality and community cultural practice

The ED values, embodies and is on a constant learning path toward a culturally-rooted intersectional arts administration practice that elevates and uplifts our artists, culture bearers, youth, and families in their work. They understand the need to consistently engage the many concentric circles of SHG’s communities in our work. Through strategic planning, programming, and operations, this community engagement is critical in how the organization shows up for its allies and peers in the work toward liberation. There is a clear emphasis on process-oriented practice that creates space to understand SHG through a cyclical rather than linear lens – both historically and toward the future. The story, trajectory, and practice of the organization builds on a legacy of artistic excellence from artists of all backgrounds, while always centering Chicana/o/x, Latine, and additional BIPOC voices.

Fundraising: Commitment to resource-building for SHG

The Executive Director is responsible for securing the resources necessary for SHG to conduct its daily operations (currently ~$1.5M and projected for growth), as well as to complete the capital campaign fundraising goals. Demonstrated track record of meaningful fundraising and interest in a nuanced understanding of the relationship-building required for SHG’s growth trajectory is welcome. Entrepreneurial spirit and a vision that leverages SHG’s cultural capital and capacity for revenue is required as the organization seeks ways to support itself outside of traditional nonprofit funding sources. As of this posting, the capital campaign is within approximately $2.5M of its goal and the Executive Director is expected to raise this funding over the next two years in addition to the annual operating budget.

Experience in managing talent

Experience in managing intergenerational teams with varying levels of experience, capacities, areas for support is required. The ED must understand how to elevate the team to be empowered in their roles, support professional development, and recognize that the cultural workers who come through our doors on their journey are part of the legacy of Self Help Graphics as much as its cultural production in the studio and programs. The Executive Director will make immediate key hires in the areas of fund development and accounting.

A leader who centers empathy and compassion; values a healthy and sustainable work culture

The Executive Director will continue the work of shifting internal culture towards a more sustainable pace and do so in a way that is inclusive of the full staff, board, and creative community. They will understand that this shift is a strength for SHG in recruiting and retaining talent and in asserting itself as a values-centered space that holds equity at the core of everything taken on by the organization. The ED understands that often their job is to listen and ensure our multi-generational plural community feels seen and heard.

Operational and Financial Management

The Executive Director will be familiar with nonprofit financial practices and implement practices that enable long-term planning and projections while maintaining an awareness of the day-to-day financial operations. As SHG grows and larger grants and contracts are awarded, the Executive Director must navigate bringing up financial and operational capacity to the level required for compliance, reporting and consistent monitoring.

How to Apply

Please send cover letter and resume to executivesearch@selfhelpgraphics.com with the position title and your name in the subject line by 6/1/23. For example: Executive Director – Jane Doe. Position will remain open until filled.