The Village of Arts and Humanities is an iconic, 36-year arts and community development organization rooted in Philadelphia's Fairhill-Hartranft neighborhood. Our mission is to support artists and Black community residents to imagine, design, and build a more just and equitable society. The Village engages more than 1,500 community members annually through programs and projects that blend art and culture with social justice, youth leadership, and equitable neighborhood revitalization.
The Village is actively searching for an entrepreneurial, passionate, and experienced Executive Director to lead its multi-disciplinary team of locally and nationally recognized practitioners—artists, designers, entrepreneurs, cultural organizers, and community developers.
Job Summary
Reporting to the Board of Directors, the Executive Director will drive and refine the organization’s strategies and vision; oversee a $2.5M-3.5M annual budget and more than $10M in project-based and capital investments; support a team of 16 full- and part-time team members, and a body of more than 20 teaching and visiting artists and other experts per year; and serve as the face of one of the most respected and loved arts and community development organizations in the nation.
The Executive Director should expect to work on-site five days per week, with flexibility and opportunity for hybrid work as needed.
Strategic Vision and Leadership
- Provide strategic vision to The Village in service of its history and mission, and lead the organization into its next phase of development and impact.
- Drive community power building through a commitment to listening and learning and by serving as a trusted and accessible partner to the community.
- Ensure The Village’s vision and values are expressed in every aspect of the organization, including its culture, personnel, and programs.
- Provide inspirational leadership to staff by modeling compassion, creativity, and accountability and creating and rewarding opportunities for growth, collaboration, and co-authorship of Village programs and projects.
- Serve as a thought leader and advocate for The Village’s work both within and outside of the organization.
- Build and nurture strong relationships with all Board members, evidenced by open communication and responsiveness to issues affecting the Village’s strategic direction.
Development and External Affairs
- Seek diverse funding opportunities to sustain operations, deepen impact, and catalyze growth. Ensure the flow of funds permits The Village to make continuous progress towards the achievement of its mission and is allocated properly to support present needs and future opportunities.
- Provide strategic guidance on branding, messaging, and marketing efforts to raise awareness of The Village’s work and increase support from major donors, including but not limited to high-net-worth individuals and foundations.
- Cultivate and maintain positive relationships with all stakeholders, including but not limited to community leaders and young people, partner institutions, government agencies and elected officials, and new and existing individual funders.
- Meaningfully engage community residents of the Fairhill-Hartranft neighborhood and Black artists of Philly in the ongoing growth and stewardship of the organization.
Internal Systems and Operations
- Provide direction and vision to The Village team and organizational structure while ensuring all staff have clear roles and responsibilities.
- Continue to promote a culture rooted in compassion, innovation, and flexibility to support the team’s hard work and sustain healthy morale within a challenging environment.
- Embrace transparent and active communication and effective delegation to ensure staff is kept abreast of decisions made at the senior leadership level; promote teamwork, ensuring staff feels connected to the strategic vision.
- Ensure clarity and consistency throughout the organization's strategy, operational methods, and internal processes at the Board and staff level to support the continued development and management of a professional and efficient organization.
- Continue ongoing efforts to plan for, restore, grow, evolve, and sustain The Village’s sacred and iconic creative campus with its network of art parks, gardens, programmatic buildings, homes, and safe and beautiful gathering spaces that serve neighbors today and will for generations to come.
- Oversee the financial health of the organization by developing long and short-range financial plans, monitoring the budget, and ensuring that sound financial controls are in place; set financial priorities accurately to ensure the organization operates in a manner that supports the needs of programs, staff, and long-term stewardship of The Village’s creative campus.
Strategy and Collaboration
- Strategic and collaborative leader with high emotional intelligence, a commitment to personal and professional credibility and integrity, and the confidence to lead with empathy and inspire a team to rally around a shared vision, common purpose, and high-performance expectations.
- Experience building and leading highly effective teams with diverse, complementary skill sets and experiences.
Knowledge and Cultural Competency
- Experience working in the areas of art, culture, and social justice (and/or other areas related to The Village’s body of work, including, but not limited to, community development, youth development, neighborhood revitalization, and urban agriculture).
- Experience working in economically disadvantaged communities of color; cultural competency and ideological alignment with The Village’s values is a must.
Relationship Building and Effective Communication
- An empathetic, people-person with excellent interpersonal and communication skills; the ability to instill trust and build authentic relationships with a variety of stakeholders.
- Experience strengthening an internal infrastructure to support a mission.
- A charismatic and compelling communicator and storyteller.
Innovation and Learning
- Curiosity and respect for The Village's past and history of place and an interest in building upon or evolving existing programs and initiatives.
- A creative and innovative mindset, open-mindedness, and a desire to learn, the ability to be nimble and pivot when needed.
- A fundraiser with a track record of cultivating and soliciting grants, contracts, and gifts.
Problem-Solving
- A self-driven leader with the ability to set clear goals and expectations for team members and hold oneself and others accountable for results.
- Highly skilled at problem-solving and making sound, values-based decisions in a fast-paced, complex environment.
Proven Experience
- Fundraising - demonstrated success in cultivating productive relationships with foundations, agencies, and major donors resulting in grants, contracts, and gifts.
- Financial Management Acumen - firm understanding or experience in the financial stewardship of similarly-sized organizations and regulatory reporting requirements, e.g., Form 990 and audits.
- A minimum of ten (10) years of professional experience in senior management, director, or comparable role.
- Demonstrated experience embedding social justice values into programs, projects, policies, and other critical organizational efforts.
The Village of Arts and Humanities strives to offer employees a competitive compensation and benefits package that reflects its core values and commitment to its staff. The salary range for this leadership role is $125K - $150K plus a robust benefits package that includes health, vision, and dental insurance, a 401k Plan including an employer contribution, paid time off, and a people-centered work environment. This is a full-time position. This position requires residency in or near Philadelphia.
We strongly encourage all applicants to review our web presence to familiarize themselves thoroughly with The Village and its full range of programs before applying. Visit our website and Instagram.
To apply for the position: Email a one-page cover letter (required) and CV (required) to [email protected].
Equal Opportunity Statement
The Village provides equal employment opportunities to all team members and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, or genetics. In addition to federal law requirements, The Village complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training. Any form of workplace harassment, discrimination, or retaliation because of age (40 and older), race, color, national origin, ancestry, religion, sex (including gender identity and gender expression), pregnancy (including childbirth, lactation, and related medical conditions), physical or mental disability, genetic information (including testing and characteristics), veteran status, uniformed service member status, or any other status protected by federal, state, or local law is expressly prohibited.
We are committed to a diverse workforce. We value all team members’ talents and support an environment that is inclusive and respectful. We are strongly committed to this policy and believe in the concept and spirit of the law.
A Bit More about The Village
People travel from as far as Gambia and Taiwan to visit The Village's Ile Ife Park, the crown jewel of our 4.5-acre creative campus comprising art parks, murals, and sculptures created over 36 years by the hands and imaginations of artists and community members. These spaces, nestled within the residential fabric of our neighborhood, impart and energize lessons of self-determination, perseverance, and co-creation.
The Village is a safe haven for Black artists, civic practice artists, and artist-activists who dare to wrestle with the most urgent and intractable socio-economic challenges of our time. The Village’s dynamic web of trusted community relationships, memories, and histories provide a foundation for these individuals to learn and practice alongside those whose daily lives are most impacted by injustice.
Most importantly, The Village is an anchor for a half-century of Black families who have watched the fabric of their neighborhood unravel as a result of systematic disinvestment. We are a symbol of Staying Power in a city and world that are rapidly changing.