NOW HIRING: PROGRAM MANAGER
APPLICATION DEADLINE: WEDNESDAY MARCH 24, 2021, 11:59PM PACIFIC TIME
ANTICIPATED START DATE: MONDAY APRIL 12, 2021
COMPENSATION PACKAGE RANGE: $50,000 – $60,000
VIRTUAL POSITION – CONSIDERING APPLICANTS FROM ACROSS CANADA

WHO WE ARE:
STEPS fosters dynamic, inclusive and resilient communities through public art, community-engaged design and creative placemaking. We are a small but mighty team of creative entrepreneurial innovators. We attract high-performing, highly ethical employees who truly care about their community. Our team works well together because we hold ourselves accountable for strong project management and complement one another’s strengths. STEPS is a Canada Revenue Agency registered charity that provides professional public art and placemaking services, as well as support for artists. Our open-concept office along Toronto’s Waterfront has natural light and ample room for physical distancing. We have a flexible working arrangement policy that includes remote working options for staff.

THE ROLE:
We are seeking a creative, energetic and organized team player with passion for forging new partnerships, amplifying the work of Canadian artists and engaging people in public art experiences. Informed by STEPS strategic plan, the Program Manager will design and execute public art and placemaking programs. Their portfolio will range from facilitating calls-for-artists, stewarding review committees, managing the production of large-scale public artworks for agency clients, and overseeing a national virtual public art residency for Black, Indigenous and racialized artists. They will be integral in maintaining strong relationships with STEPS cross-sectoral stakeholders including: artists and cultural organizations from coast to coast, Business Improvement Areas, private land developers, City Councillors, community-serving agencies and funders. Positioned within Canada’s only national charitable public arts organization, STEPS Program Manager will have the opportunity to design and facilitate programming that can shift the way that public art opportunities are conceptualized, commissioned and accessed in Canada.

For the immediate future, this will be a remote-work position and we are accepting applications applicants across Canada. This is a one-year full-time contract position, with the possibility of renewal and salary commensurate with experience. Following a probationary period, this position is eligible for group benefits (including health, dental and limited life policies).

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Working closely with the Executive Director and Program Director to develop an annual program plan and budget, as well as integrate art agency projects into the work plan as confirmed.
• Identifying, developing and stewarding relationships with stakeholders, including but not limited to: artists, arts organizations, funders, clients, advisors, fabricators, suppliers and community outreach partners
• Managing the successful design and implementation of cultural programming from conception to completion, including but not limited to: 
  • facilitating needs and risk assessments of sites and stakeholders
    
  • designing program and contingency plans that reflect assessments to ensure successful programs while complying with legislative and organizational policies
    
  • identifying and recruiting program collaborators (e.g. artists, facilitators, partners)
    
  • maintaining strong relationships with cross-sectoral stakeholders
    
  • sourcing materials, fabricators and other program suppliers
    
  • developing outreach, communications and/or public relations strategy
    
  • tracking progress against intended outcomes throughout program lifecycle
    
  • implementing ongoing evaluation to inform program refinement
    
  • ensuring professional documentation and storytelling throughout program
  • reporting on program outcomes to stakeholders
• Executing revenue generation activities in support of program sustainability: 
  • developing fundraising and agency proposals, including program budgets
  • preparing proposal materials, such as program descriptions, work plans, budgets, collaborator lists and support materials well in advance of deadlines
  • stewarding relationships with program donors / funders / sponsors / clients

• Working with Engagement Coordinator and Program Coordinators to ensure success of all outreach, communications and public relations strategies in service of recruitment, audience development and other engagement goals
• Strengthening organizational relationships with artists, cultural organizations and public art departments outside of Toronto, Ontario, including direct outreach and representing the organization at conferences, events or external meetings 
• Recruiting, supervising and facilitating administrative tasks for program staff and contractors (e.g. collaborating artists, designers, fabricators, documentarians), which includes cultivating strong working relationships characterized by productivity, respect, clear communication, mentorship, and commitment to professional excellence.
• Actively participating in organization-wide strategic projects, such as operational enhancements, artist engagement, audience development and revenue generation initiatives.

WHO YOU ARE:

Our ideal candidate will be passionate about the role of the arts and artists in building vibrant inclusive communities. You will be creative, proactive, observant, well organized and thrive in a fast paced environment. You must be an experienced cultural project manager who has a knack for program design. You have knowledge of the Canadian cultural sector and have an interest in forging partnerships across industries. You love brainstorming, problem solving and connecting with people. You have a strong understanding of the public art landscape across Canada, as well as a knowledge of materials, fabricators and installation approaches used to bring public art projects to life. You’re often told by coworkers that they know something will get done if it gets passed to you, and you are not afraid to ask for support or clarification if needed. You have experience jumping in and helping to put processes in place that make an improvement on what has been built while being respectful of the work that has come before. You relish making sense of things, executing logistics, anticipating problems and fixing them. You’re good at keeping information confidential. You thrive on each day being different and presenting new opportunities and challenges. You must be able to work independently, remotely, and be a collaborative team player. If you are organized, not easy to overwhelm, and you have a positive attitude that makes people want to be your teammate, we are looking forward to meeting you!

STEPS encourages applications from all qualified candidates that represent the full diversity of communities in Canada, including complexities of intersecting identities such as ability, age, class, gender, race and sexual orientation.

We are particularly interested in receiving applications from equity-seeking communities, including those who identify as Black, Indigenous (First Nations, Inuit and Métis), or racialized persons.

WE THINK IT’S IMPORTANT THAT YOU HAVE THE FOLLOWING:

• Strong project management skills, honed through 5-7 years of complex multi-stakeholder cultural project management experience. This includes the ability to organize workflow, manage teams (including performance management), delegate tasks, negotiate contracts, manage stakeholder expectations, meet deadlines and budgets, as well as facilitate evaluation and reporting
• Post-secondary education in cultural management, fine/visual arts, curation, urban planning, related fields and/or the equivalent combination of education and experience
• In-depth understanding of public art, placemaking and/or cultural planning approaches, including program design and facilitating equitable/transparent review selection processes
• Strong knowledge of materials, fabrication techniques or approaches used in public art
• Experience cultivating and stewarding relationships across public, private, non-profit and cultural sectors (preferably with artist engagement/relationship management experience);
• Experience working with diverse stakeholders, including equity-seeking intergenerational groups, and familiarity with equity frameworks.   
• Excitement for bringing personal creativity and experimentation to a startup environment, including proposing ideas to enhance organizational policies, ensure efficient processes and extend programmatic impact;
• Demonstrated success at facilitating outreach and engagement campaigns (both in-person and online), such as facilitating community meetings, developing social media campaigns, designing surveys or other marketing/evaluation tools
• Familiarity and willingness to navigate (the sometimes bureaucratic) processes required to manage successful and safe public realm projects
• Good judgment and discretion in relation to human capital, business and/or client information as well as community and stakeholder relations
• Teamwork abilities, while thriving at being independently resourceful in a fast-paced organization
• Adaptable facilitation skills; comfortable fostering a collaborative environment among program teams and stakeholders, who sometimes have divergent interests;
• Self-motivation, with the capacity to work independently under minimal supervision to accomplish high-profile tasks, as well as meet multiple and concurrent deadlines;
• High attention to detail
• Ability to pass a Police Vulnerable Sector Screening
• Proficiency in both PC and Mac operating systems, MS Office, Google Drive and Zoom
• Familiarity with the landscape of funding in the Canadian cultural sector (asset)
• A licensed Canadian driver (asset)
• Fluency in French will be considered a strong asset

APPLICATION PROCESS
We invite qualified applicants to apply by no later than Wednesday March 24, 2021, 11:59pm Pacific Time. Applications will not be accepted by email. This is a multi-stage interview process that will make use of videoconferencing and respect public health guidelines. While we appreciate the interest of all applicants, we can only communicate with those shortlisted for an interview. For the immediate future, this will be a remote-work position so we are open to accepting applications from anywhere in Canada.

 **The deadline for this opportunity has passed. STEPS is no longer accepting applications for this role.
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Human Bee by AlfAlfA at Stackt Market, photographed by May Shi, featured on this post.