Program Manager — Public Programming

National Music Centre; Calgary; On-site; CAD 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Benefit package

On-site Studio Bell

Job summary

National Music Centre in Calgary is hiring a Programs Manager — Public Programming to lead the conception, delivery and evaluation of on-site and selected off-site programming. You will shape inclusive, innovative experiences that connect audiences with music and NMC’s collection, reporting to the Director of Programs.

The role requires strong organizational, budgeting and stakeholder-skills, with flexibility for evenings and weekends to support live programming at Studio Bell.

Qualifications

• An undergraduate degree or equivalent experience in education, museums programming, music programming, or appropriate discipline.
• Minimum 3-5 years of experience in arts administration, project management and public-facing programming within non-profit or for-profit environments.
• Experience and familiarity with trends at performing arts centres, festivals, museums, galleries, science centres, conferences, or similar cultural institutions is highly preferred.
• Experience within the Canadian music industry is considered a strong asset. A broad network in a wide variety of music disciplines is an asset.
• Program Management: Minimum three years of demonstrable experience overseeing program development and production.
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong financial literacy and experience managing program budgets.
• Skilled in translating strategy into operational plans and measurable outcomes.
• Communication: Exceptional verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to build rapport and communicate effectively with stakeholders at all levels.
• Confident decision maker with strong initiative and time management discipline.
• A friendly, positive attitude and solution-based approach to problem solving.
• Technology: Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite.
• Familiarity with Formstack, Smartsheet, Canva, website CMS, accounting software, venue management software and ticketing systems is considered an asset.
• Cultural Alignment: Demonstrated alignment with core values of community, diversity, innovation, passion, teamwork and fun.
• Demonstrated commitment to community engagement, diversity, innovation and collaborative teamwork.
• Broad understanding of Canada’s musical landscape and cultural ecology.
• Language: Multilingual capabilities, particularly French, are considered an asset.

Responsibilities

• Lead the budgeting, advancing, delivery and evaluation of Public Programming across multiple musical genres and cultural communities, ensuring alignment with organizational programming priorities.
• Develop, steward and evolve innovative Public Programming activations that engage and connect with Studio Bell visitors and new audiences.
• Develop strategic alignment with NMC exhibitions and collections, as well as other programming pillars including live music, artist development and education.
• Work closely with the Finance team to manage program budgets, including forecasting, contracts and payments for artists and partners, cost tracking and post-event financial reporting.
• Serve as lead on-site programming representative during program delivery, performing stage management, artist liaison, and troubleshooting duties as needed.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with local artists, funders, community partners, national partners and cultural organizations.
• Collaborate with production, events, marketing, visitor experience, collections and fund development teams to ensure successful planning, promotion, execution and evaluation of programs.
• Monitor program impact through evaluation metrics, stakeholder feedback and reporting to sponsors, donors and funders.
• Administer and steward programming KPIs and related data tracking.

Skills

Project management

Budgeting

Stakeholder communication

Team collaboration

Event planning

Music industry knowledge

Multilingual (French)

Microsoft Office

Venue management software

Strategic planning

Education

Undergraduate degree or equivalent in education/museum programming

Tools

Formstack

Smartsheet

Canva

CMS (website content management)

Accounting software

Ticketing systems

Microsoft Office Suite

Job description

Programs Manager — Public Programming (Full-Time)

Location:Studio Bell, home of the National Music Centre
Reporting to:Director of Programs

About Studio Bell, home of the National Music Centre

More than a museum, the National Music Centre (NMC) preserves and celebrates Canada’s music story. It is inspiring a new generation of music lovers at its home, Studio Bell. Located in the heart of Calgary’s East Village, on-site activities include five floors of interactive exhibitions, instruments, artifacts and Canadian music memorabilia from NMC’s vast collection as well as four separate Canadian Music Halls of Fame. NMC also hosts public programs, live performances across multiple music venues, education programs and creative artist residencies with NMC’s world-class recording facilities.

Commitment to Fair Hiring Practices

National Music Centre (NMC) believes in the power and importance of fair hiring practices in the workplace. We ensure equal opportunity for all qualified applicants and encourage people of all visible minorities, and those of any religion, sex, age, ability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression to apply.

About this Position

The National Music Centre (NMC) is seeking a dynamic and experienced programs manager to lead the strategic conception, delivery, and evaluation of public programming. This role plays a vital part in advancing NMC’s national mandate by presenting innovative, inclusive programming that reflects the diversity of music in Canada, aligns with organizational programming strategy, and strengthens relationships with artists, community partners and audiences.
Reporting to the Director of Programs, the Programs Manager — Public Programming oversees the full lifecycle of innovative on-site and occasional offsite activations that connect audiences through music, story, and experience, and encompass a wide range of activities for diverse audiences designed to promote the love, sharing, and understanding of music, while connecting to the NMC collection.

This role works closely with the Director on strategic concept development and budgeting, and is responsible for ensuring successful program execution through to evaluation. The ideal candidate is highly organized, communicative, collaborative and thrives in a fast-paced, public-facing environment. They bring strong operational and planning skills and are passionate about delivering meaningful live experiences. Flexibility to work evenings and weekends is required to support on-site programming.

Responsibilities

Key responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Lead the budgeting, advancing, delivery and evaluation of Public Programming across multiple musical genres and cultural communities, ensuring alignment with organizational programming priorities.
• Develop, steward and evolve innovative Public Programming activations that engage and connect with Studio Bell visitors and new audiences.
• Develop strategic alignment with NMC exhibitions and collections, as well as other programming pillars including live music, artist development and education.
• Work closely with the Finance team to manage program budgets, including forecasting, contracts and payments for artists and partners, cost tracking and post-event financial reporting.
• Serve as lead on-site programming representative during program delivery, performing stage management, artist liaison, and troubleshooting duties as needed.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with local artists, funders, community partners, national partners and cultural organizations.
• Collaborate with production, events, marketing, visitor experience, collections and fund development teams to ensure successful planning, promotion, execution and evaluation of programs.
• Monitor program impact through evaluation metrics, stakeholder feedback and reporting to sponsors, donors and funders.
• Administer and steward programming Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and related data tracking.

Qualifications/Requirements

Experience:

• An undergraduate degree or equivalent experience in education, museums programming, music programming, or appropriate discipline.
• Minimum 3-5 years of experience in arts administration, project management and public-facing programming within non-profit or for-profit environments.
• Experience and familiarity with trends at performing arts centres, festivals, museums, galleries, science centres, conferences, or similar cultural institutions is highly preferred.
• Experience within the Canadian music industry is considered a strong asset. A broad network in a wide variety of music disciplines (i.e. pop, rock, classical, country, blues, jazz, electronic, world, folk, and others) is an asset.

Program Management:

• Minimum three years of demonstrable experience overseeing program development and production.
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong financial literacy and experience managing program budgets.
• Skilled in translating strategy into operational plans and measurable outcomes.

Communication:

• Exceptional verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to build rapport and communicate effectively with stakeholders at all levels.
• Confident decision maker with strong initiative and time management discipline.
• A friendly, positive attitude and solution-based approach to problem solving.

Technology:

• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite.
• Familiarity with applications such as Formstack, Smartsheet, Canva, website content management systems, accounting software, venue management software and ticketing systems is considered an asset.

Cultural Alignment:

• Demonstrated alignment with NMC’s core values of community, diversity, innovation, passion, teamwork and fun.
• Demonstrated commitment to community engagement, diversity, innovation and collaborative teamwork.
• Broad understanding of Canada’s musical landscape and cultural ecology.

Language:

• Multilingual capabilities, particularly French, are considered an asset.

Location and Work Arrangement:

• Full-time position located in Calgary, primarily on-site at Studio Bell, Calgary, with limited remote work as approved by the Director of Programs.
• Flexibility to work weekends and potentially evenings is required to support on-site program delivery and oversight.
• Clean credit, criminal record and vulnerable sector checks form a condition of employment for the successful candidate.
• Benefit package offered upon successful completion of probationary period.

Key Relationships

• Director of Programs
• Programs Managers (Education, and Live/Artist Development)
• Departmental managers and team (Marketing, Production, Events, Visitor Experience, Administration, Exhibitions & Collections, Finance, Recording Studios)
• King Eddy management and team
• Participating artists
• External sponsors, donors and programming partners