Visual Arts

CO-DIRECTOR (FULL-TIME)

The Berkeley Art Center (BAC) is reimagining what a community art center can be. We champion local artists and curators to create contemporary art exhibitions and community programs that reflect and serve the Bay Area’s many diverse populations. Founded in 1967, we are located in a unique Arts & Craft–style building in Live Oak Park in North Berkeley. Check out recent exhibitions and projects at berkeleyartcenter.org.

We are growing our staff with a focus on equitable access to leadership and decision-making opportunities. We seek a new Co-Director to join our current Director in shaping the vision for our future and expanding BAC’s reputation as an inclusive space that centers the role artists play in creating strong communities.

Together, the Co-Directors will be responsible for overseeing all areas of the organization, including strategic planning, fundraising, programming, marketing, community relations, finance, facilities, and general administrative duties. You will be a good fit for this position if you are a generalist with interests in all aspects of running an arts organization. We expect candidates to have strengths in some areas and a strong desire to learn in others.

Since shared leadership is a new structure for the organization, the new Co-Director will take an active role with the current Director to jointly design their position descriptions and divide responsibility for major areas across their work plans. The Co-Directors report to the Board of Directors.

Examples of representative responsibilities include:

Administration and Operations
●      Assure that the organization engages in strategic planning and evaluation to achieve its mission.

●      Oversee the maintenance of the facility, infrastructure, and site.

●      Maintain official records and documents to ensure compliance with federal, state, and local regulations.

Development/Fundraising
●      Develop, write, and manage grant and sponsorship requests.

●      Cultivate engagement among donors and members, including the coordination of individual giving campaigns.

●      Guide planning and implementation of special events, including annual fundraiser.

Exhibitions and Programming
●         Identify, enlist, and engage artists and arts professionals — including contracted personnel such as guest curators, preparators, photographers, and speakers — to produce programs and events.

●         Explore and leverage program partnerships with peer organizations in the arts and community-building movements.

Finance
●      Work with staff, Finance Committee, and the board to prepare the annual budget.

●      Work with the bookkeeper to ensure timely handling and tracking of bills, deposits, receipts, and disbursements.

Marketing and Community Relations
●         Act as a lead representative of the Berkeley Art Center with the City of Berkeley and the public.

●        Publicize and promote the activities of the organization, its programs, and goals.

Personnel Management
●         Supervise part-time staff, contractors, and interns.

●         Promote active and broad participation by volunteers at all levels of the organization’s work.

Who We’re Looking For

Our ideal Co-Director will share our vision, have a can-do attitude, and be deeply committed to supporting artists in their professional and personal growth. We are looking for someone with broad experience (both paid and unpaid) across multiple areas of responsibility. The nature of the position is deeply collaborative, with both Co-Directors mentoring and learning from one another in service of the organizational mission and vision.

This is a great opportunity for someone who feels challenged by the call to help grow a small and nimble organization into a hub for diverse communities to see themselves represented and involved in the arts. We know leadership takes many forms, and we welcome applications from candidates who have not yet had the opportunity to serve in a paid director position.

Here are some words and phrases that might describe you: Highly creative, generative, adaptable, collaborative, organized, self-directed, strategic, community-minded, excellent communicator, good with people, and able to stay (mostly) positive and focused while managing multiple deadlines.

Compensation & Benefits

Each Co-Director will be classified as an exempt full-time employee at 32 hours per week with a prorated annual salary of $64,000 (equivalent to an $80,000 annual salary at 40 hours per week). Weekend and evening hours are required as needed. Some regular remote work is possible in coordination with staff and volunteers.

There will be times when events and deadlines may require Co-Directors to work more than 32 hours in a given week; these hours will be eligible for an equivalent number of compensatory time hours to be scheduled in coordination with other staff. Additionally, each Co-Director will accrue 12 days of paid vacation, eight days of sick leave, and 10 paid holidays per year. Full-time employees are also eligible to earn up to $4,200 per year ($350 per month) in pre-tax revenue to reimburse qualified healthcare premium expenses.

How to Apply

Cover Letter or Personal Video:
We want to know what you’re passionate about and why you’re ready to be a leader. In a 1–2 page cover letter OR a short video (3–4 minutes), tell us about the work and life experiences that have shaped your professional interest in the arts and how they have prepared you for this next professional challenge.

Resume:
Please list relevant professional, volunteer, educational, and life experience that makes you uniquely qualified to be our next Co-Director. A degree in art, art history, arts administration, curatorial/museum studies, liberal arts, the humanities, or the equivalent is preferred but not required.

Please send your cover letter and resume as a single PDF OR the private link to your unlisted YouTube/Vimeo video and a resume as a PDF to our Search Committee at jobs@berkeleyartcenter.org by April 18. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Qualified candidates will be contacted to schedule an interview. No phone calls please.

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We believe the experiences of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color, women, members of the LGBTQIA+ community, and other marginalized groups should be centered in the arts. We encourage people who identify with these communities to apply to join us.

Berkeley Art Center is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to providing equal employment opportunity for all employees and applicants regardless of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, age, national origin, ancestry, religion, marital status, pregnancy, genetic information, disability, whistleblower status, or any other personal characteristics protected by state or federal law.