Executive Director

PSM ED; Salt Lake City (UT); On-site; USD 120,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health, dental, vision insurance

Retirement plan with employer match

Paid time off

Job summary

The Diana & Joel Peterson School of Music in Salt Lake City is seeking an Executive Director to provide visionary leadership in partnership with the Artistic Director. You will oversee financial health, fundraising, operations, external relations, and governance support for the 501(c)(3) nonprofit serving over 800 students across the Conservatory, Academy, and GRIT.

This on-site role requires evening and weekend presence for performances, donor engagement, and community events.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience required.
• Five+ years of senior management experience in nonprofit or arts organizations.
• Proven track record in fundraising, donor relations, marketing, and advertising.
• Strong organizational development, financial management, and HR skills.
• Experience working with boards and volunteers.

Responsibilities

• Lead fundraising strategy and donor relations.
• Oversee budgeting, finance, and operations.
• Guide external relations and community engagement.
• Provide governance support and board liaison.
• Develop strategic plans with co-leaders and the Board.

Skills

Fundraising

Donor relations

Marketing

Advertising

Organizational development

Financial management

Human resources

Board relations

Project planning

External affairs

Education

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent

Tools

Donor CRM systems

Google Workspace

Job description

Job Description

About the Peterson School

The Diana & Joel Peterson School of Music is a Salt Lake City nonprofit dedicated to expanding access and advancing excellence in music education. Founded in 2008 as the Gifted Music School, it was renamed in 2026 to honor longtime supporters Diana Peterson and the late Joel Peterson. Its core values are collaboration, excellence, and accessibility.

The Peterson School offers a complete path in music education through three programs:

• The Conservatory: A full-scholarship, pre-college program that prepares students for admission to leading music schools. Graduates have gone on to institutions including The Juilliard School, the Curtis Institute of Music, the Colburn School, the Cleveland Institute of Music, Rice University, and the University of Michigan, as well as Stanford and Yale.
• The Academy: Individualized private lessons and group classes that bridge early music study and pre-professional training.
• GRIT: A full-scholarship outreach program that provides instruments, private lessons, group classes, and ensemble training to more than 500 students in Title I schools across the Salt Lake Valley.

Shared Leadership

The Peterson School is led by two co-equal executives, the Executive Director and the Artistic Director. Each is hired, evaluated, and may be removed only by the Board of Directors, and each reports to the Board Chair. The Executive Director leads the organization’s business, development, finance, and operations; the Artistic Director leads its artistic and educational life. Together they set strategy, represent the school, and are jointly accountable to the Board for its success.

Position Details

• Organization: Diana & Joel Peterson School of Music
• Title: Executive Director
• Reports to: Chair, Board of Directors
• Co-equal partner: Artistic Director
• Status: Full-time, exempt
• Location: Salt Lake City, Utah (on-site)
• Salary range: $120,000–$150,000, depending on experience
• Annual operating budget: Approximately $2 million

Position Summary

The Executive Director provides visionary leadership to the Peterson School in partnership with the Artistic Director, guided by its mission and values. The Executive Director is responsible for the organization’s financial health, fundraising, operations, external relations, and governance support. The school is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that serves more than 800 students across the Conservatory, the Academy, and GRIT.

This is a demanding, on-site role that requires extensive evening and weekend presence for performances, recitals, student events, and donor engagement. Visible, consistent presence with students, families, faculty, and supporters is central to the job.

Responsibilities

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following.

External and Community Relations

Serve as the Peterson School’s chief liaison for external relationships, including individual and corporate donors, foundations, underwriters, patrons, volunteers, and arts and civic organizations.

• Fundraising: Lead all fundraising activities, taking a strong management role in identifying, cultivating, and soliciting gifts from individuals, corporations, foundations, the public sector, and other sources. Partner with the Board of Directors to achieve annual and long-range financial goals through earned and contributed income. Take a primary leadership role in the development program, including potential capital and endowment campaigns, engaging the Artistic Director in cultivation and donor events.
• Marketing and Public Relations: Serve as the Peterson School’s principal institutional spokesperson, articulating its mission and activities to the arts community and the community at large. The Artistic Director serves as principal artistic spokesperson.

Strategic Planning

Work with the Board and the Artistic Director to set and maintain the organization’s strategic goals. Partner with the Board Chair to sustain an annual strategic planning process and carry out strategic initiatives in governance, operations, marketing, administration, and community development.

Programs and Faculty

Partner with the Artistic Director, who leads the artistic and educational direction of the Conservatory, the Academy, and GRIT. Provide the financial, operational, and administrative support programs and faculty need to succeed, and keep programs responsive to the needs of students and families.

Operations

Oversee all business operations, including:

• Administrative Management and Leadership: Directly hire and supervise senior administrative staff, and oversee all other administrative personnel, including consultants, contractors, and volunteers. Faculty and artistic staff report to the Artistic Director. Board members acting in their Board capacity are excluded.
• Financial Management: Oversee the organization’s financial health, including budgets, cash flow projections, financial transactions, bank accounts, and monthly financial reports. Hold signature authority on all bank and investment accounts, with the ability to delegate that authority to staff as needed.

Board Operations and Relations

Provide primary administrative support to all Board functions, including:

• Board recruitment, orientation, and evaluation
• Staffing plans for Board committees and projects
• Maintenance of Board records, schedules, and policies
• Preparation of Board agendas, packets, and required reports, incorporating program reports from the Artistic Director
• Collaboration with the Board Chair and committee chairs so that committees operate efficiently and effectively

Shared Responsibilities and Decision-Making

The Executive Director and the Artistic Director work as partners. The following areas are shared, with responsibilities divided as shown:

• Strategic planning: Jointly developed by the Executive Director and the Artistic Director with the Board.
• Budget: The Executive Director prepares and manages the overall budget. The Artistic Director proposes and manages the program and faculty portions within it.
• Fundraising: The Executive Director leads. The Artistic Director participates in donor cultivation, grant content, and donor events.
• Faculty compensation and contracts: The Artistic Director recommends; the Executive Director approves within the approved budget.
• Tuition, scholarships, and enrollment targets: Decided jointly.
• Board reporting: Both attend Board meetings. The Executive Director reports on finance, development, and operations; the Artistic Director reports on programs, faculty, and student outcomes.
• Resolving disagreements: Matters the two leaders cannot resolve together are brought to the Board Chair, and if needed to the Executive Committee, for decision. Neither executive has authority to overrule the other.

Compensation and Benefits

The salary range for this position is $120,000–$150,000, commensurate with experience. Benefits include health, dental, and vision insurance; a retirement plan with employer match; and paid time off.

Equal Opportunity

The Diana & Joel Peterson School of Music is an equal opportunity employer. We welcome applicants of all backgrounds and do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other legally protected characteristic.

Requirements

Required

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience
• Five or more years of senior management experience
• Demonstrated success in fundraising, donor relations, marketing, and advertising
• Demonstrated strength in organizational development, financial management, and human resources
• Solid experience working with boards, staff, and volunteers
• Strong supervisory experience, including the ability to delegate and to propose, represent, and maintain organizational policies
• Excellent skills in project planning, communication, and external affairs
• Experience with arts or cultural organizations
• Ability to work collaboratively in a shared-leadership model
• Proficiency with donor CRM systems and Google Workspace

Preferred

• Background in music, music education, or performance
• Experience leading a capital or endowment campaign
• Experience in an organization with a co-leadership or dual-executive structure