Community Engagement Specialist

Ravinia Festival Association • Highland Park, IL

1d • Hybrid

About The Position

The Community Engagement Specialist advances Ravinia’s Reach Teach Play mission by building and sustaining strong partnerships with individual schools and school districts, community organizations, and cultural institutions to ensure live performance experiences are accessible, relevant, and meaningful. Serving as the primary liaison for new and existing program partners, this role coordinates engagement opportunities that deepen Ravinia’s connection between the partner organization, artists, and the diverse communities we serve. The Specialist plans and implements guest artist performances in schools and community settings, coordinating single-visit engagements across multiple locations. This includes on-site support for performances typically lasting 45–60 minutes, ensuring programs are well-organized, accessible, and responsive to partner needs. In addition, the Specialist supports Ravinia’s ticketing program initiatives by coordinating group attendance and serving as a welcoming, front-facing presence for students, educators, families, and community audiences experiencing live music at Ravinia.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Arts Administration, Music Education, or a related field, or equivalent work experience
• 2-3 years of work experience in community engagement, arts administration, education, or related field
• Excellent interpersonal and community relations skills
• Clear written and verbal communication with diverse stakeholders
• Experience coordinating arts, music, or cultural programs, including outreach and engagement
• Program planning and logistics coordination for multi-site events
• Ability to manage multiple programs with attention to detail
• Adaptability and problem-solving during live engagements
• Data tracking and reporting to inform program improvement
• Collaborative skills with artists, internal teams, and community partners

Nice To Haves

• Demonstrated focus on music, community engagement, and work with diverse communities preferred.

Responsibilities

• Build and sustain relationships with schools and school districts, community organizations, social service agencies, libraries, and cultural partners.
• Serve as the primary liaison for new and existing partners, ensuring consistent communication, coordination, and follow-through.
• Identify opportunities to deepen partner engagement and strengthen long-term collaboration.
• Represent the organization professionally in community settings as a trusted, responsive partner.
• Manage scheduling, logistics, and coordination for community engagement programs across Chicago and nearby suburban locations.
• Prepare and communicate day-of logistics and run-of-show details to partner locations in advance, ensuring all stakeholders are informed and prepared; address questions and troubleshoot issues prior to the engagement.
• Serve as the internal point of coordination between guest artists, RTP operations, and external partners.
• Plan and schedule guest artist performances in schools, community settings, and at Ravinia.
• Provide on-site support for single-visit engagements (typically 45–60 minutes), ensuring smooth execution and artist readiness.
• Coordinate ticket distribution programs for Chicago area organizations, partner libraries, and community music students.
• Provide timely problem-solving and support for partners and artists during program delivery.
• Track participation data, partner engagement, and program reach across all community engagement initiatives.
• Collect qualitative feedback from partners, artists, and participants.
• Maintain accurate records to support internal reporting, evaluation, and planning.
• Contribute data and insights to support grant reporting, institutional learning, and program refinement.

Benefits

• Excellent health and welfare benefits include medical, dental, vision, flexible spending accounts, commuter benefits, TeleDoc options, and life insurance.
• Company-paid employee well-being program, basic life insurance, short-term disability, long-term disability, and four weeks of paid parental leave.
• Benefits also include comprehensive time off plans (holidays, vacation, sick, and personal days).
• Additionally, a generous employer-sponsored 401(a) retirement savings plan, employee-elected 403(b) retirement savings plans, learning and mentorship opportunities, and Ravinia lawn tickets for two (general admission) to the grassy areas, ideal for picnics (all concerts, except the Gala day concert).

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Number of Employees: 101-250 employees