Program Manager, Partnerships

Minnesota Council of Nonprofits; Minneapolis (MN); Hybrid; USD 58,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading nonprofit literary organization in Minneapolis is seeking a Program Manager, Partnerships to oversee partnerships and engagement within the community. The role involves program administration, collaborating with teaching artists, and promoting equity within literary partnerships. With a strong focus on community and wellness, the ideal candidate will possess a commitment to antiracism and a passion for the literary arts.

Benefits

Health insurance (80% paid by Loft)

Two weeks paid time off annually

Eleven floating holidays

Opportunity to take one free Loft class per year

Qualifications

• Experience implementing literary programs in community-centric environments.
• Strong experience with program and data management.
• Knowledge of antiracist pedagogies.

Responsibilities

• Administer the Loft’s partnerships programs and manage relationships with partnering organizations.
• Recruit and supervise teaching artists and manage program implementation.
• Coordinate outreach and marketing strategies with the Community Engagement team.

Skills

Program administration

Customer service

Conflict management

Interpersonal communication

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher

Tools

Salesforce

Asana

Submittable

Google Suite

Zoom

Job description

Job Title: Program Manager, Partnerships

Organization: The Loft Literary Center, Minneapolis www.loft.org

Status: FT Exempt

Reports to: Senior Director of Craft

Compensation: $58,000 - $60,000 annual salary

The Loft operates on a 32-hour work week with the exception of seasonal demands. Benefits include health insurance (Loft pays 80% of a top tier plan, life insurance, two weeks paid time off annually (starting), 11 floating holidays, accrued sick/personal leave, and the opportunity to take one free Loft class per year.

This hybrid position includes working some days in the Loft office along with some evenings and weekends in support of Loft partnership programs and events. Reliable cell phone access and high speed internet are required for work off-site.

About the Loft: For more than 50 years, the Loft Literary Center has been one of the nation’s leading nonprofit literary centers with classes, workshops, mentorships, events, resources and services that advance the power of writers and readers to craft and share stories, to create and celebrate connections, and to build just, life-sustaining communities. Loft staff members enjoy a flexible workplace, health and other benefits, and the company of dedicated and creative colleagues. The Loft is committed to being an actively antiracist organization and the Partnerships Program Manager will play a key role in advancing the cultural competence, equity, and accessibility within the Loft’s partnership programming.

Position Purpose: The Loft maintains a high priority on partnerships that celebrate the artistry of writers, engage writers in community, and provide for their artistic and professional development. As a member of the Loft’s Craft Team, the Partnerships Program Manager will provide effective administration for the Loft’s partner awards programs and community-based partnerships with schools, libraries, and other organizations.

Primary Areas of Responsibilities and Tasks

This position will administer the Loft’s partnerships programs including competitive awards for the Loft’s Mentors Series, McKnight, MISA, the City Poet Laureate, and other celebratory and developmental awards programs and the Loft’s community-based partnerships with schools, libraries, and other organizations including the Bring the Loft to You program and other community-based partnerships.

This position serves as a liaison managing relationships between the Loft’s partner organizations and participating writers. In all areas of accountability for this position, responsiveness, empathy, humor, and a strong commitment to customer service will be needed. You will be a good fit for this position if you enjoy program administration, working with a wide variety of partners and learners, and you share our commitment to antiracism. The list below is representative of the essential duties for the job, but it is not necessarily an all-inclusive list of duties required to perform this role. As a member of the Loft’s team, you may be asked to provide support for “all hands on deck” activities or events and to perform other duties as necessary to fulfill the Loft’s mission, vision and strategic objectives.

Partner, Teaching Artist, and Participant Engagement

• Manage relationships with partnering organizations that contract with the Loft
• Recruit and supervise teaching artists for Mentor Series and community-based partnerships
• Support teaching artists in the design and development of course offerings according to program and partner specifications, develop course descriptions and syllabi, and identify technology or equipment needs for offerings
• Manage communications with teaching artists throughout scheduling, contracting, and course implementation
• Coordinate and provide onsite support for program implementation, as needed
• Supervise the registration and engagement of participants, as appropriate with support staff
• Train and orient teaching artists to Loft values and commitment to equity and antiracism, pedagogical best practices, pay structures, conduct and protocols, and offer guidance on other relevant policies and supportive resources
• Work with Senior Director of Craft to manage manuscript critique consultant lists and requests
• Negotiate with agent representatives on behalf of the Loft and in support of Loft programming

Application and selection processes

• Work with Senior Director of Craft to select judges, mentors, and award panelists
• Prepare award guidelines and program criteria with program partner
• Schedule and facilitate awards information sessions
• Support and coordinate work of judges, mentors, and award panelists
• Develop submission portals in Submittable
• Respond to applicant inquiries and provide assistance
• Vet applications according to program guidelines and eligibility criteria, confirm eligibility, and follow up on problematic applications
• Manage panels and facilitate selection processes

General program administration

• Work with the Senior Director of Craft to create and attain partnership engagement and revenue goals and to evaluate and evolve program offerings to increase participation
• Pursue fee-based partnership opportunities to advance earned revenue goals
• Plan and implement annual program schedules, meetings, and events
• Oversee and manage the contracting process for engaged partners and writers and maintain Salesforce records
• Develop and manage program budgets based on available resources
• Supervise customer service including onsite and virtual support for partnership offerings with support staff
• Gather and analyze evaluative data for ongoing program improvement
• Assist with efforts in developing program contracts and grants including participating in meetings with partners and contributing to proposals and reports (collecting reports from fellows in a timely manner)
• In coordination with Senior Director of Community Engagement, serve as lead for partnership-related events

Outreach and communications

• Manage communications with program constituents (including partners, judges and mentors, teaching artists, applicants and awardees), external groups, and general public
• Plan and implement outreach and marketing strategies in consultation with the Community Engagement team
• Assist marketing efforts by providing timely information about program activities, events, and writers using Asana and Salesforce.

Knowledge and experience required for this job:

• Experience implementing literary programs in community-centric learning environments (an understanding of enrichment vs academic programs)
• Strong experience with program and data management
• Experience working with a wide variety of constituents including BIPOC and marginalized learners and learning environments
• A hospitality orientation and experience — the ability to remain personable, diplomatic, with a commitment to be responsive, manage conflict, and remain solutions-oriented in response to complaints
• Experience with marketing, sales, and business development
• Experience with contract negotiations
• Demonstrated knowledge and skills with antiracism and antiracist pedagogies
• Ability to champion the Loft’s core values
• Experience with supervision and managing interns and/or volunteers
• Proficient knowledge of Salesforce, Asana, Submittable, Google Suite, and Zoom or comparable platforms for managing sales, projects, and applications
• An open and learning orientation to technology, software, and office equipment
• Appetite and ability to learn quickly
• Strong interpersonal and communications skills including proficiency in written and spoken English
• Ability to work and problem-solve independently
• Enjoyment working alone and in teams
• A positive, forward-looking, and curious approach
• Excellent attention to detail and deadlines
• Ability to work a flexible schedule including evenings and weekends, as needed
• A bachelor’s degree or higher or equivalent experience

The ideal candidate will have:

• An established network in the Twin Cities literary community, especially with writers and teaching artists
• Energy and enthusiasm for active participation in local, national, and virtual literary events and communities
• Experience using antiracist, decolonized, and liberatory pedagogies and/or frameworks
• A love of stories and books
• Analytic skills and experience
• A sense of humor and an ease with people

NOTE: Loft employees are not eligible to apply for Loft awards for writers

To Apply: Please answer the application questions and submit your resume via Submittable. If you do not have a Submittable account, you will need to create one.

Due to the expected number of applicants, we request that you do not call or email to check on your application status. You will get a confirmation by email to let you know that your application was received as well as notification when the position is filled.

Hiring Process: This position is open until filled; applications will be reviewed as they come in, but first preference will be given to applications received by July 18. We hope to hire by August 15 and to start this position full-time by Sept 2nd.

The Loft is an equal opportunity employer.