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Employment Opportunity

Vice President, Community Programs

Big Apple Circus located at One Metro Tech Center North, in Brooklyn, New York, is an iconic non-profit arts institution devoted to presenting high quality circus arts from around the world in our intimate one-ring Big Top where no member of our audience is ever more than 50 feet from the ring.  Celebrating our 35th season this year, Big Apple Circus is also very proud of our wide array of community programs that educate students, give accessibility to the disadvantaged, and lift the spirits of seniors in nursing facilities and children in hospitals.  Our current annual operating budget is approximately $19M, with nearly 80% coming from earned income revenue and the remainder coming from contributed income. 

Community Programs:

  • Clown Care brings laughter and joy to acutely and chronically ill children and their loved ones at bedsides in 14 leading pediatric hospitals nationwide, three to five days per week, year-round.  Annually, more than 60 Clown Care Unit Clown Doctors visit more than 200,000 kids in a highly professional manner that is completely personalized based on each patient’s needs. 
  • Vaudeville Caravan brings the joy and wonder of classical circus to elders living in residential care facilities, utilizing music, juggling, magic, and improvisational theater.
  • Circus of the Senses provides specially-designed, free performances to children with hearing and vision impairments and other disabilities along with their teachers, families, and caregivers.  American Sign Language interpreters, wireless head sets transmitting live play-by-play, and special touch sessions in the ring are all part of the opportunity. 
  • Circus for All! distributes more than 50,000 free and discounted tickets to economically and/or physically challenged children, enabling many of them to experience the excitement and wonder of the circus for the first time. 
  • Circus After School teaches circus arts to hundreds of at-risk students aged eight to eighteen, fostering self-esteem and teamwork.  

OVERVIEW

The Vice President, Community Programs is one of the leaders on a small Executive Team that is working with the Board to shape the future of Big Apple Circus while also successfully running current operations.  Reporting to the Executive Director and working in close partnership with the creative staff, the Vice President, Community Programs has overall responsibility for the management and administration of all Big Apple Circus community outreach efforts, including all areas listed above.     

RESPONSIBILITIES 

Overall Responsibilities:

Programming:

  • Oversee team that ensures the overall artistic excellence of BAC’s community programs
  • Lead strategic planning for program growth and new initiatives
  • Forge and maintain relationships with high-level officials at Clown Care host hospitals and other key program partners.
  • Create, update and maintain all contracts, partner agreements, policy and procedural manuals, and other key program documents

 

Budgeting:

  • Create annual budget and track expenses working closely with CFO to monitor variances and adjust forecasts
  • Report to Executive Board and Staff leadership on management and details

 

Personnel Management:

  • Ensure the efficiency of staffing and procedures.
  • Lead the management and supervision of all full time and part time staff, including Clown Care performers and after-school instructors
  • Work with Director of Administration to ensure clear policies and proper documentation for personnel management

Board and Donor Cultivation and Development:

  • Manage the Board’s Community Programs Committee, seeking insight and guidance where appropriate
  • Work with Development Department to support and ensure funding for programs
  • Create language and provide data for funding proposals and reports
  • Collaborate with Director of Development and Executive Board and Staff to cultivate, develop, and secure funding from existing and prospective sources

Institution Building:

  • Engage Board members, other major donors, institutional contributors, elected officials and their representatives, community leaders, and others in the Big Apple Circus family
  • Actively participate in the development, execution, and evolution of a thoughtful, multi-year, strategic business plan that fully integrates community programs
  • Develop mutually beneficial relationships which would facilitate expanded reach of Big Apple Circus community programs

Day-to-day responsibilities

For all programs:

  • Provide overall day-to-day management of programs
  • Create budgets and evaluate monthly expenditures, identifying and analyzing any significant variances
  • Oversee all hiring of CAS instructors, and support maintenance of detailed personnel files on CC performers
  • Ensure that CC/VC performers and supervisors communicate and submit required reports. Disseminate reports as appropriate.
  • Oversee staff who are primary contacts for CAS schools and community-based agencies and COS participant groups.
  • Develop positive and productive relationships with key contacts at partner agencies.
  • Identify problems and potential problems, and brainstorm solutions with CP colleagues.
  • Plan site visits by Board members, donors, prospects, and other VIPS to program sites.
  • Generate updates and other appropriate edits for all print and electronic materials.

Clown Care and Vaudeville Caravan Areas

  • Invoice hospitals for regular program and any gigs that go through CP and not Circus to Go, keep record or payments, and contact the hospital regarding any delinquent payments.
  • Ensure completion of administrative new hire paperwork for all Clowns including I-9, W-4, employment application, offer letter, background check, and payroll change authorization form.
  • Facilitate clearance for new Clowns at respective hospitals
  • Submit payroll change authorization forms for any Clowns that get incremental raises (according to CC Days Worked spreadsheet), on extended leave of absence, or that leave the program for any reason.
  • Oversee staff member who calculates payroll for all Clowns.  Along with the payroll process keep track of days owed to the hospital, sick days for each performer, creative staff time in hospital, payroll analysis by pay period and Clown Care days worked outlined in the Payroll Process Sheet.
  • Oversee staff member who makes changes to the Google Calendar schedule for the New York team.
  • Oversee staff member who updates Clown Care roster with contact information and upload roster to share with the team via Google Documents using mail merge, collect a new W-4 for any changes of address.
  • Oversee team responsible for overall management planning of Clown Care Conference, including choosing the venue and scheduling the weekend
  • Oversee staff member who is managing Supervisor Reports due on the 15th of each month.
  • Put together an Agenda for business portion of all Clown Care rehearsals and remind Clowns about the rehearsal with information regarding location, what to bring, etc.
  • Compile agenda from BAC team, supervisor reports, and supervisor additions for Supervisor Conference call and remind them of the call providing call in procedure information.

Circus of the Senses (3 scheduled during 2012-2013 season)

  • Act as primary liaison for all special service vendors, for example Braille program printers, ASL interpreters and headset rental.
  • Coordinate and communicate with BAC staff as necessary, both in the office and on-site, to ensure a smooth and successful event.
  • Create, maintain, and expand mailing list for outreach.
  • Ensure maximum efficiency of policies and procedures for distributing tickets. Distribute tickets and other materials to participant groups.
  • Handle all questions and/or issues with participant groups.
  • Create descriptive text for Braille and large print programs.
  • Act as on-site “go-to” person to manage event smoothly and deal with problems as they arise.
  • Secure volunteers and additional performers for events as needed.

Circus after School area – Oversee team handling all responsibilities listed below

  • Act as a liaison between BAC, Circus after School instructors and schools/organizations.
  • Coordinate dates with all parties for demonstrations, start of the program, dress rehearsal, show date, and end date.
  • Coordinate a date for each group to attend the BAC each semester, secure tickets and transportation.
  • Order t-shirts for all Children and staff for the show.
  • Transport set and costuming between sites for the shows.
  • Clean costumes after each show.
  • Calculate payroll for Circus after School instructors.
  • At the beginning of each semester, make a new permission slip for each site and distribute it to the site and head instructor.  Collect all permission slips from all children involved and keep them on file.
  • Make up an emergency contact sheet/roster for each site.
  • Send out stub list to all instructors.
  • Collect attendance numbers from instructors each week.
  • Collect reports from instructors after attending Big Apple Circus show.

Circus for All

  • Working with Box Office team who currently executes this program, determine how to expand and maximize potential as appropriate. 
  • Future areas of work could include the following for the Community Programs Team:
    • Create, maintain, and expand mailing lists for outreach.
    • Devise policies and procedures for distributing tickets. Distribute tickets and other materials to participant groups.
    • Handle complex questions and/or issues with participant groups.
    • Coordinate and communicate with internal BAC staff as necessary, both in the office and on-site.

 

QUALIFICATIONS

At least 5 years community programs management experience is required.  Excellent oral and written communication skills are a must.  Overall computer literacy and proficiency with Microsoft Office is required.  Bachelor’s degree is required, advanced degrees are a plus. 

COMPENSATION

Salary is commensurate with experience, and includes a comprehensive benefits package. 

PLEASE EMAIL COVER LETTER, RESUME, AND SALARY REQUIREMENTS IN CONFIDENCE TO:

the contact below. 

Big Apple Circus is an Equal Opportunity Employer., Posting as of September 28, 2012

To apply for this position, please send your resume and cover letter to