Senior Program Officer of Arts & Culture

Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo•Buffalo, NY

20h•Hybrid

About The Position

The Senior Program Officer of Arts & Culture is a member of the Foundation’s Community Impact team, reporting to the Director of Community Impact. The Senior Program Officer of Arts & Culture (SPO) will lead the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation Arts & Culture Initiative (ACI) at the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo. The vision of the ACI is “a healthy and coordinated arts & culture ecosystem that is rooted in the collective good of the sector and the people it serves.” The work of the SPO is to realize the ACI Vision and Values through Grantmaking and Resource Coordination. Grantmaking includes managing the annual ACI grant process and supporting other aligned grant opportunities at the Community Foundation. Resource Coordination includes active participation and, as appropriate, leadership in sector-wide initiatives including Fund for the Arts, managing the ACI Workshop Series, developing and maintaining strong relationships with intermediary organizations, and maintaining a strong knowledge of relevant community issues. A successful SPO should be comfortable in a fast-paced environment, excellent at relationship-building, and eager to identify creative and thoughtful ways to continue strengthening the sector. The SPO should be motivated by the important mission-driven work of the Community Foundation and must maintain exceptional standards of ethics and confidentiality.

Requirements

Demonstrated domain expertise and ability to lead strategy development and collaboration
Minimum seven years of progressively more responsible experience in philanthropy or arts and cultural field
Proven program development and project management experience, prioritizing multiple projects within tight deadlines
Extensive knowledge of the nonprofit sector, in particular, the arts & culture sector, and experience participating in community coalitions
Demonstrated ability to establish and maintain effective relationships with persons of diverse backgrounds and organizations throughout the Western New York community
Experience in communicating in a persuasive, credible manner, in person, in digital settings, and in writing and presentations
Strong analytical, evaluative, and managerial skills
Computer proficiency in all Microsoft components
Technology skills and the ability to apply software knowledge
Demonstrate consistent quality
Commitment to the team effort of the Community Foundation

Responsibilities

Seeing the annual ACI grant processes through from beginning to end, working with the in-house Communications team to ensure arts organizations are aware of the opportunity, and reporting for RCWJRF Arts & Culture Initiative funds. This includes managing the Designated Culturals process and the small to mid-size grantmaking process.
Ensuring all activities of the ACI are cohesive and aligned with the ACI Vision and Values.
Managing and leveraging resource coordination and capacity-building opportunities for the arts & culture sector, including the ACI Workshop Series, building strategic funder and intermediary partnerships
Actively participating in sector-wide building opportunities including Fund for the Arts, City of Buffalo Arts & Culture Strike Team, ongoing cultural planning initiatives, Buffalo State Cultural Hub
Managing and evolving the Capacity-Building cohort program based on grantee feedback, with support from external consultants
Developing strong, collaborative relationships with arts & culture funders and beyond
Modeling intentional philanthropic practices and values in accordance with Community Foundation strategic sharpening
Supporting other aligned grant programs at the Community Foundation
Work with Communications team to develop and deliver key messages that reflect the Arts & Culture Initiative vision and values, and the Community Foundation and the RCWJF brand and brand promises
Manage relevant contracts and budgets
Identify and implement annual evaluation
All other duties, as assigned