DESCRIPTION
About Hartford Performs:
Hartford Performs is an independent, non-profit, arts-education collaborative serving students in the Hartford Public School system. Our mission is to connect all Hartford Public School students to quality arts experiences that advance student learning and deepen engagement in community. We bring teaching artists into Hartford classrooms and Hartford students out to the region’s cultural venues to present school curriculum in creative ways that reach students of all learning styles. This school year, we are delivering nearly 850 programs to 14,000 students in all of Hartford’s PreK-Grade 8 schools. We also provide professional-learning workshops to Hartford’s teachers and the 150 teaching artists who deliver our programs.
Hartford Performs produces a great deal of programming with a very small and dedicated staff. All employees must be true believers in the mission, and have a strong team mentality and exceptional organizational, time-management and communication skills.
About the Programming Director position:
This is a full-time (40 hours per week), exempt position, reporting to the Executive Director. The Programming Director takes the lead on administering all existing student and educator programs and creating new programs in line with our strategic plan. This position is Hartford Performs’ main point of contact with both arts providers and Hartford Public School educators. Our Programming Director must possess both the ability to innovate strategically and to adeptly manage the many details of hands-on implementation.
Key Responsibilities:
Ensure the successful delivery of student programs during the school year, creating effective coordination strategies and tools, and troubleshooting communication and logistical issues.
Seek out new student programs each year and administer an application and vetting process, being sensitive to evolving educational standards and responsive to the cultural needs of students.
Direct the annual process by which teachers select their student programs for the year. This involves ensuring that the online program database is fully updated, the program tracking system is in place, and Hartford Performs staff is efficiently deployed to each school and prepared to support teaching teams in making thoughtful program selections for their students.
Ensure that all student programs meet Hartford Performs’ standards and the needs of the Hartford Public School system.
Support arts providers in meeting high standards of practice with programs that are engaging, academically and artistically sound, and relevant to students’ lives.
Arrange all aspects (from topic generation and presenter selection to catering and printing) of informational and professional-learning sessions for arts providers on a quarterly basis.
Work with schools and the district’s Professional Learning staff to develop workshops and other tools to help teachers make arts integration a regular strategy in their instruction.
Design and implement hands-on and celebratory experiences that engage educators and school administrators in our work and nurture their value of the arts.
Ensure the collection of program evaluation data. Analyze those data to report observations and trends, and to inform ongoing program improvement.
Take the lead on developing new programs that align with Hartford Performs strategic plan. These include expansion to high school and out-of-school-time programming, and increased professional-learning opportunities.
Contribute to organizational learning by keeping up with trends, emerging issues and practices, influential leaders and practitioners, and best practices both locally and nationally.
Represent Hartford Performs locally and in the national arts-education community, and engage in partnerships that advance the organization’s mission.
Position Requirements:
Minimum 2-3 years of program management experience.
Minimum 3-5 years of experience in the arts, preferably with several art forms.
Firm grasp of the philosophy and practice of arts integration.
Ability to understand and work with public school teachers, students and administrators. Experience working in a formal or informal educational setting is preferred.
Understanding of learning standards (e.g. Common Core State Standards and National Core Arts Standards).
Outstanding communication skills, both written and verbal.
Exceptional organizational and time-management skills.
Demonstrated success in meeting short- and long-term programmatic goals.
Enthusiasm for working collaboratively with a dedicated team, while having the initiative to complete projects independently when needed.
Proven ability to work in a fast-paced environment, juggling multiple priorities with skill and good humor.
Strong proficiency in Microsoft Office, preferably on a PC platform.
Experience with online project management and evaluation platforms.
The intellectual curiosity to keep current and explore innovative approaches.
Bachelor’s Degree.
Occasional overtime is required. Our goal is that all Hartford Performs employees see themselves as part of a flexible team whose success depends on the commitment of each member. Assistance with events (including those held on evenings and weekends) is expected of all team members.
Qualified applicants will go through an interview process and must successfully complete a background check.
Hartford Performs is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
HOW TO APPLY
hr@HartfordPerforms.org