Chief Operating Officer

Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra; Cincinnati (OH); On-site; USD 140,000 - 240,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Generous PTO

12 weeks parental leave

HSA contributions

401(k) contributions

Affordable health and dental coverage

Mental health support services

Annual incentive opportunities

Professional development funds

Job summary

Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra seeks a Chief Operating Officer to partner with the Executive Director on long-range strategy for the May Festival, VAE and Cincinnati Boychoir. You will lead operations, earned revenue initiatives, and education programs while aligning resources and people to advance mission and impact.

You will oversee branding, partnerships, governance, and data-driven performance across three organizations to ensure sustainability and artistic excellence in the Greater

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in business, arts administration or related field.
• Significant nonprofit leadership experience with strategy and growth.
• Experience managing budgets, revenue and financial performance.
• Experience working with boards and governance activities.
• Experience coordinating donor engagement and fundraising.
• Experience overseeing marketing, communications and audience growth.
• Familiarity with education, community engagement programming preferred.

Responsibilities

• Partner with the Executive Director to develop and execute long-range organizational strategy.
• Lead strategic initiatives and oversee business operations for three organizations.
• Grow earned revenue through ticketing, programming, pricing, and services.
• Guide marketing, branding, and content to align with priorities and growth.
• Support education and community outreach programs and measure impact.
• Strengthen partnerships and shared services with the CSO and affiliated groups.
• Foster an inclusive, mission-driven culture and support fundraising efforts.

Skills

Strategic leadership

Budgets & finance

Board engagement

Marketing & branding

Education outreach

Partnership development

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration

Tools

Tessitura

Adobe

Prospect 2

Job description

Description

The Chief Operating Officer (COO) serves as a strategic partner to the Executive Director, helping translate the vision, priorities, and long-term goals of the May Festival, Vocal Arts Ensemble (VAE), and Cincinnati Boychoir into effective organizational strategies and execution. The COO provides leadership across strategic planning, operations, earned revenue, education and community engagement, ensuring that resources, systems, and people are aligned to advance each organization's mission and maximize impact throughout the Greater Cincinnati region.

Working collaboratively with staff, board members, donors, community partners, and the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, the COO leads strategic initiatives, oversees business operations, supports audience and revenue growth, and strengthens the systems and processes that enable organizational effectiveness. The role also provides leadership for educational and community programs, evaluates organizational performance through data and impact measurement, and helps strengthen relationships that support artistic excellence, community engagement, and long-term sustainability.

The COO fosters collaboration across the family of organizations, supports fundraising and board engagement efforts, and cultivates an inclusive, mission-driven culture for artists, staff, volunteers, patrons, and stakeholders. This position plays a key role in building the infrastructure, partnerships, and operational excellence necessary to support organizational growth and future success.

Job Responsibilities:

Strategic Planning & Organizational Growth

• Serve as a key thought partner to the Executive Director in developing and executing long-range organizational strategy for the May Festival, VAE and Cincinnati Boychoir.
• Drive the implementation of strategic priorities by gathering and evaluating key data, informing organizational decision-making, and reporting progress to leadership and the Board of Directors.
• Play a foundational role in expanding the May Festival's organizational footprint — identifying staffing needs to support the phases of strategic planning priorities, defining new roles and building infrastructure to support growth.
• Optimize internal processes and procedures to support strategic initiatives.
• Monitor trends in the performing arts sector, choral music field and Greater Cincinnati civic landscape to inform strategic decision-making.

Earned Revenue, Content & Brand

• Lead earned revenue strategy for the May Festival, VAE, and Cincinnati Boychoir, including ticket sales, festival passes, group sales, program-related income, pricing strategies, and patron services in collaboration with the CSO box office and communications teams.
• Establish and monitor earned revenue goals and budgets, identify opportunities to grow audiences and diversify revenue streams, and provide data-driven recommendations to support financial sustainability across all three organizations.
• Provide strategic oversight to the Marketing Manager and collaborate with the CSO Communications and Digital Media teams to guide content and messaging strategies, ensuring year-round marketing efforts align with organizational priorities, brand objectives, and audience growth goals.
• Serve as a brand steward for the May Festival, Vocal Arts Ensemble and Cincinnati Boychoir, ensuring that each organization maintains a distinct, cohesive and compelling identity across all visual and verbal communications — including logos, design systems, tone of voice, taglines and key messaging — while reinforcing the shared values that unite the family of organizations.
• Monitor financial performance throughout the year, reviewing monthly financial statements, identifying variances and recommending corrective action as needed.

Education & Community Engagement

• Provide strategic leadership and oversight for education and outreach programs across the May Festival, VAE, and Cincinnati Boychoir, ensuring alignment with each organization's educational mission, community commitments, and strategic goals.
• Support positive relationships with schools, community organizations, teaching artists, and civic partners to advance the choral arts across the Greater Cincinnati region.
• Oversee the evaluation, measurement, and reporting of education and outreach initiatives, leveraging data and outcomes to demonstrate community impact, inform strategic decision-making, and support engagement with the Board, donors, and other key stakeholders.

Strategic Partnerships

• Serve as the primary liaison for the shared services partnership between the May Festival, VAE, Cincinnati Boychoir, and the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, cultivating strong relationships and ensuring services effectively support each organization's mission and goals.

Executive Support

• Support the Executive Director in board meeting preparation, including drafting reports, assembling materials and coordinating follow-up on action items.
• Partner with the Executive Director to advance fundraising and philanthropic engagement across the May Festival, VAE, and Cincinnati Boychoir by aligning donor communications, impact reporting, program data, and organizational narratives to support grant funding, donor cultivation, and stewardship activities.
• Support a respectful and inclusive culture for patrons, donors, volunteers, artists, board members, and staff.
• Other duties as assigned.

Reporting Relationship:

Executive Director

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Arts Administration, Nonprofit Management, Public Administration, Marketing, Communications, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and relevant professional experience.
• Significant leadership experience in nonprofit, arts, cultural, educational, or mission-driven organizations, including responsibility for strategy, operations, team leadership, and organizational growth.
• Experience managing budgets, financial performance, and revenue-generating activities.
• Experience working with Boards of Directors and supporting governance activities.
• Experience supporting philanthropic initiatives through donor engagement, stewardship, grant support, and relationship-building with funders and community partners.
• Experience overseeing marketing, communications, audience development, or brand strategy initiatives.
• Familiarity with education, community engagement, or outreach programming is preferred.
• Commitment to fostering inclusive, collaborative, and mission-driven workplace cultures.
• Knowledge of classical and/or choral music preferred.
• Tessitura, Prospect 2, Adobe, experience a plus.

Employee Benefits

• generous PTO
• 12 weeks of fully paid parental leave
• employer contributions to both an HSA and 401(k)
• affordable health and dental coverage
• free mental health support services
• annual incentive compensation opportunities
• dedicated professional development funds for all employees
• flexible work arrangements