Executive Director

Arts Hacker; Brookline (MA); On-site; USD 80,000 - 95,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical & dental coverage

Three weeks vacation

Winter break

Job summary

The Brookline Arts Center (BAC) seeks an Executive Director to serve as the organization’s chief executive and steward, responsible for financial health, operations, people, and long-term growth. You will partner with the Board of Directors to align resources with mission and capacity, leading a dedicated faculty, staff, and volunteers in a community arts hub in Brookline.

As a collaborative, strategic leader, you will build sound operating systems, drive fundraising, and steward external

Qualifications

• Senior leadership experience in nonprofit, arts, education, or community-based organizations.
• Financial-management and stewardship experience with budgeting, forecasting, cash flow, and reporting.
• Strong governance and board-partnering abilities.

Responsibilities

• Lead annual budget development and management with the Board and accountant to ensure financial health.
• Oversee programming strategy, enrollment, and community impact in alignment with mission and capacity.
• Develop and maintain organizational systems, governance, and risk management.

Job description

Status: Full-Time, Exempt
Salary: $80,000-$95,000, depending on experience
Reports To: Board of Directors
Supervises: Office + Faculty Teams
Location: Brookline, MA – In-Person

About the Role

The Brookline Arts Center is seeking an experienced, collaborative, and detail-oriented Executive Director to lead the organization into its next chapter. The Executive Director is BAC’s chief executive and organizational steward, accountable for the Center’s financial health, operational effectiveness, people, and long-term sustainability and growth. Working in close partnership with the Board of Directors, the Executive Director will ensure that BAC’s resources, programs, and growth plans remain aligned with its mission and financial capacity.
BAC is a visual arts center dedicated to bringing the community meaningful experiences in the arts through classes, exhibitions, outreach, and community programs.
The BAC’s core offerings are our classes, which run year-round and have options in a variety of visual arts across all age groups. In addition to weekly courses, the BAC also offers one-time workshops and vacation programming for kids during school holidays. To aid in this effort, the BAC typically employs twenty experienced faculty and a core three-person administrative team reporting to the Executive Director.
In addition to classes, the BAC also has a small gallery space dedicated to showcasing art from students, staff, local artists, and more that is free and open to the public, and the BAC regularly hosts community events highlighting our programs and celebrating the work on show at the gallery.
For more than 60 years, BAC has served people of all ages and backgrounds throughout Brookline and Greater Boston. The Brookline Arts Center offers financial aid to those who qualify, and we strive to provide assistance to the fullest extent our budget allows. Through our Artreach community programs, the Brookline Arts Center also works to extend arts education and creative opportunities beyond our walls, partnering with and serving members of the broader community.

We are seeking a collaborative, strategic, and financially astute leader with demonstrated experience managing budgets, monitoring cash flow and financial performance, building sound operating systems, and making disciplined decisions about organizational priorities. The successful candidate will bring a track record of careful resource stewardship, transparent communication, and practical leadership through changing circumstances.
The ideal candidate sets clear priorities, builds accountability, and supports the staff and faculty who deliver excellent classes, programs, and community experiences. They are a thoughtful manager, an effective partner to a governing board, and a confident ambassador to donors, families, teaching artists, funders, and community partners.
Experience in the arts sector is desirable but not required. We welcome candidates from nonprofit, education, community-based, cultural, or mission-driven organizations who are energized by BAC’s commitment to accessible, high-quality arts education and prepared to learn the particular opportunities and needs of a community arts center.
The Executive Director reports to the Board of Directors, partnering on governance and strategy while leading day-to-day execution.

Responsibilities:

BAC’s core priority is running an exceptionally well-managed, financially sustainable community art center centered on high-quality classes and workshops. The Executive Director will be responsible for the following:

Financial Leadership & Stewardship

• Lead annual budget development and management with the Board, Treasurer, and accountant
• Maintain oversight of revenue, expenses, cash flow, and overall financial performance
• Regularly review budget-to-actual performance and use financial indicators to inform decisions
• Ensure sound financial controls, policies, and reporting systems
• Manage relationships with the accountant, bookkeeper, payroll providers, and banking institutions
• Oversee accounts payable, contracts, tax filings, and audits
• Provide the Board with clear, timely, and accurate financial information and communicate emerging challenges with transparency and a solutions-oriented approach

Strategic Leadership & Programs

• Set strategic vision and direction for BAC’s program portfolio
• Evaluate classes, workshops, exhibitions, residencies, and events based on mission impact, financial sustainability, community value, and staff capacity
• Ensure programming is scaled appropriately to staffing and resources, and delivered at a consistently high level
• Partner with program staff and faculty to strengthen enrollment, educational quality, and participant experience
• Use enrollment trends, pricing, and program performance data to guide decisions and identify and implement growth opportunities
• Ensure new initiatives have clear strategic purpose and adequate resources before launch

Operations & Systems

• Maintain and improve organizational systems (registration, scheduling, CRM) for efficiency and strong customer service
• Clarify staff responsibilities, decision-making authority, and accountability
• Establish effective processes across programs, marketing, finance, facilities, and administration
• Maintain a current Operating Manual and strong onboarding/transition systems
• Proactively identify and address operational gaps

People & Culture

• Recruit and retain excellent teaching artist faculty and staff, leading hiring, onboarding, professional development, and staff transitions, ensuring roles are thoughtfully designed and responsibilities appropriately assigned
• Supervise and support staff and faculty, setting clear goals and holding high standards while remaining warm and invested in their growth with regular check-ins and effective performance management
• Foster a healthy, collaborative, accountable workplace culture; address personnel issues promptly
• Oversee payroll, benefits, and compliant employment practices (policies, handbooks, records), partnering with a bookkeeper or outside support as needed

Development & Fundraising

• Lead fundraising strategy and contributed-revenue goals in partnership with the Board
• Cultivate and steward relationships with individual donors, foundations, corporations, and community partners
• Oversee donor stewardship, annual campaigns, and fundraising events
• Lead grant research, applications, and reporting
• Ensure fundraising initiatives align with mission, capacity, and financial priorities

Community & External Relations

• Serve as BAC’s visible public ambassador
• Build relationships with schools, businesses, arts organizations, funders, and community partners
• Strengthen BAC’s presence within the local arts and education community
• Identify partnerships that advance BAC’s mission and strategic priorities
• Oversee external communications and marketing strategy

Facilities & Risk Management

• Maintain executive-level oversight of building safety, maintenance, and repairs
• Ensure staff, vendors, and systems address routine and urgent facilities needs
• Oversee safety, emergency preparedness, insurance, and risk-management practices
• Oversee major facilities projects and capital decisions

Governance & Board Partnership

• Report to the Board of Directors, partnering on governance and strategy while leading operational execution
• Communicate transparently and proactively, fostering trust and shared ownership
• Act as a co-steward of the mission alongside the Board, keeping programs, finances, and strategy aligned with core purpose

What We’re Looking For

The Executive Director is entering BAC at a critical inflection point, and we are seeking a leader who brings most of the following qualifications:

• Senior leadership experience in nonprofit, arts, education, or community-based organizations
• Demonstrated financial-management and stewardship experience, including ownership of organizational or departmental budgets, forecasting, cash-flow management, financial reporting, and budget-to-actual decision-making.
• A record of making sound, mission-aligned decisions about spending, staffing, program investment, and organizational priorities.
• Experience managing and developing staff and building effective teams
• Strong operations and systems-thinking ability, driven by an entrepreneurial and proactive mindset and experience building effective operational systems, improving processes, and translating strategy into clear priorities, accountability, and execution.
• Fundraising experience, including donor cultivation and grants
• Excellent judgment and decision-making
• Strong written and verbal communication with a variety of audiences; a direct communicator who holds high standards with warmth
• Ability to prioritize within a small organization’s limited capacity; demonstrated ability to flex and problem-solve as needed
• Genuine passion for arts education and equity-centered programming; experience with a nonprofit Board and/or the BAC community is a plus

Compensation

Salary of $80,000-$95,000, depending on experience; 100% medical and dental coverage; three weeks of vacation time, plus winter break and State recognized holidays.

The BAC is an Equal Opportunity Employer, committed to being a diverse and inclusive workplace. The BAC does not discriminate against individuals based on race, color, religion, age, sex, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, national origin, marital status, disability or veteran status, or any other status protected by applicable law.

The BAC is dedicated to building a culturally diverse and pluralistic workforce committed to working in a multicultural environment. Qualified candidates from groups historically underrepresented in the arts are strongly encouraged to apply.