TITLE: Director, Arts, Youth and Communities
DEPARTMENT: Partnerships and Programs
REPORTS TO: Executive Director of Partnerships and Programs
Are you passionate about making a meaningful impact on our uniquely diverse Pacific Northwest community, contributing to its equity, vibrancy, and recovery? Seattle-based Vale Group is looking to hire an Arts, Youth & Communities leader to strategically support its work advising the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation.
About Vale Group:
Vale Group (formerly Vulcan LLC.) is the service provider to Vulcan Real Estate and The Paul G. Allen Family Foundation.
Founded in 1986 by philanthropists Jody Allen and the late Paul G. Allen, co-founder of Microsoft Vale Group provides a diverse range of asset and project management support to the Paul G. Allen Estate and Trust and advises the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation on its portfolio of charitable work investing in wildlife conservation, ocean health, vibrant communities, and the arts.
Vale Group believes in diversity and recognizing all voices, and we are working to weave equity and inclusion into the fabric of everything we do. We are actively investigating and applying best practices in equity and inclusion to our recruiting, hiring, retention, and benefits programs.
Position Summary:
The Director of Arts, Youth & Communities will bring vision, creative problem-solving, and entrepreneurial experience to program strategy, development, implementation, and oversight of the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation’s regional arts and communities portfolio. The Director will bring a point of view while taking in feedback from the board and adjusting as needed in a learning posture.
The Arts, Youth, and Communities program envisions a world where communities are strengthened by a sense of belonging, youth are empowered to thrive, and arts and culture are celebrated and accessible to all. We hold the following shared beliefs:
- A thriving community is only possible when we all play our part.
- For a community to thrive, its members need to thrive.
- Arts and culture are essential to the human experience as a form of creative expression and a lens for shaping our understanding.
- Youth are the future as the current and eventual leaders who will strengthen and move our communities forward.
- Partnerships are core to our work – those at the front lines of impact are best suited to make the world better.
Programs will embrace a variety of genres and demographics founded on an understanding of the cultural landscape within Washington State and/or expanded geographies. The candidate should have solid experience in the giving strategies and best practices of other leading philanthropic entities that serve the Pacific Northwest communities. The Director of Arts, Youth & Communities reports to the Executive Director of Partnerships and Programs and will develop and manage a strategic grantmaking program subject to the Foundation leadership’s review and approval. S/he/they are also responsible for the hiring and supervision of program management and supervision of Measurement, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) staff.
This position actively tracks emerging trends in the arts and culture sector and across Northwest sectors that will unlock a new understanding of engagement and impact. The Arts, Youth & Communities Director will facilitate cross-program communication and ideation to understand opportunities within these areas of interest and increase awareness of applicable approaches.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities:
- Executive communications: Convey complex information and ideas clearly, concisely, and engagingly to executive leaders and board members. Provide thought leadership and partnership to the Executive Director of Partnerships and Programs and the Board on arts, youth, and community development areas. Navigate sensitive topics, finding common ground, all while upholding the integrity and values of the foundation.
- Programmatic strategy and management:
- Design and implement a programmatic strategy that 1) mobilizes and supports interested/engaged youth to act now and 2) unlocks and taps into a different understanding and brings new perspectives to strengthen our community’s shared identity.
- Design and launch portfolios of grantees in each area, leveraging an initiative approach to create cohorts of grantees tackling a common challenge or opportunity.
- Thought leadership:Maintain currency in multiple topic areas and provide regular updates on progress at the forefront of the sector to the Foundation’s leadership and advisory committees. Analyze current trends and develop forecasts. Build and maintain a network of expert contacts in relevant topic areas to help inform programmatic strategy, approach, and project pipeline.
- Generate new ideas and proposed approaches for building healthy and vibrant communities.
- Oversee due diligence of grant proposals and provide independent reviews of proposed approaches and projects.
- Team development:
- Lead the arts, youth, and community team in developing a point of view, a coherent approach to grantmaking, and a learning agenda for reviewing and adapting the strategy over time.
- Coach the team in creating tools, materials, and processes that support mutual grantee relationships, excellent Board communications, and effective adaptation and pivots where needed.
- Management responsibilities include interviewing, hiring, and training/developing employees; coaching; mentoring; planning, assigning, and directing work; managing and appraising performance; proactively identifying, addressing, and collaboratively resolving potential roadblocks/issues/concerns.
Knowledge, experience, skill, and ability
To be successful, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions. Top candidates possess the following knowledge and skills, which include but are not limited to:
- Philanthropic Expertise:
- Experience with living donors and family foundations
- Demonstrated expertise in making and managing grants and building reciprocal grantee relationships.
- Proven best practices in philanthropy, ability to find common ground between multiple stakeholders, with varied interests and "must-haves", and current in measurement, learning, and evaluation trends.
- Subject matter expertise:
- Deep experience with and knowledge of arts and culture, community and youth development, and philanthropy.
- Effective Communication:
- Communicates effectively and professionally with executive leadership and with a diverse range of people from different environments and sectors.
- Ability to draft, edit, and finalize high-caliber reports, proposals, strategic plans, and other essential communications.
- Demonstrated success in crafting and delivering compelling presentations and pitches that resonate with executive audiences and inspire action.
- Problem-solving and Adaptability:
- Intellectual curiosity, flexibility, and an entrepreneurial spirit, and has proven to be open and responsive to input and feedback.
- Works both independently and collaboratively as a team player and with grace and flexibility when faced with multiple time-sensitive priorities and a changing environment.
- Ethical and Compliance Understanding:
- Demonstrated honesty, trustworthiness, ethics, responsibility, integrity, and fulfillment of commitments
- Able to balance community needs and interests with the foundation and its priorities and interests
- Collaborative Leadership:
- Able to lead and facilitate, with strong interpersonal skills, inspiring trust, and able to move from ideas to action.
- Experience in fostering a culture of continuous learning and professional growth.
- Tools:
- Microsoft Office Suite
- CRM Grant Management Software (Fluxx preferred)
Education/experience/certifications
- Advanced degree from an accredited institution and at least 10 years of relevant experience advising on arts, youth, and community programs.
- Strong preference for candidates with experience working on arts, youth, and community programs within or on behalf of a nonprofit or philanthropic organization.
Special remarks regarding work environment, if applicable
- Travel estimated to be 10%
Vulcan is a hybrid work environment, with Tuesday being our “collaboration day.” We celebrate this in-person time with Vulcan-sponsored lunches and other opportunities to interact and learn from each other.
This role requires Tuesday-Thursday in the office, and Monday & Friday are remote days each week. The hybrid work environment is an organizational decision that benefits employees, may differ from job to job, and is subject to change as needed.
Compensation:
The compensation range for this role is $183,728.00 – USD 275,592.00 annually. The upper portion of the salary range is typically reserved for existing employees who demonstrate strong performance over time or candidates who exceed our experience and skill set expectations.
We personalize offers for each chosen future employee, carefully considering various factors when reviewing each candidate. These factors include experience, professional achievements, education, and individual backgrounds, along with internal equity, any of which could affect your compensation offer.
In addition to your base compensation, all employees are eligible to participate in our discretionary bonus program. We also offer medical, dental, vision, wellness, and 401k benefits. More information about our benefits can be found at or career center by clicking here: Career Center
We’re committed to inclusion and equal opportunity.
Vale Group LLC is an equal opportunity employer. Every qualified applicant will be considered for employment. We do not discriminate based on race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age, national origin, religion, marital status, sex, disability, political ideology, veteran status, or other protected class.
If you need accommodation during the application or hiring process, please contact Human Resources or your recruiter.
