OPPORTUNITY: This is an exciting time to work at Oregon Ballet Theatre (OBT) – one of the nation’s leading ballet companies. We are in a position of strength and are well-positioned for the future, financially solid and debt free. After two rigorous national searches, OBT has appointed two visionary leaders to guide the company’s exciting next chapter: Artistic Director Dani Rowe and Executive Director Shane Jewell. The Director of Development will round out this senior leadership team, providing critical thought leadership and support as OBT launches into its exciting next chapter.
Artistic Director Dani Rowe comes to OBT after an expansive professional career as an acclaimed principal dancer with The Australian Ballet and Houston Ballet, and artist of Nederlands Dans Theater 1. She is an award-winning choreographer, having created renowned works for companies like San Francisco Ballet, New Zealand Ballet, Ballet Idaho, and more. Her rich career of performing, choreographing, and directing at the highest levels of classical and contemporary dance worlds has cultivated in her a curatorial aesthetic that is already revitalizing OBT with a dazzling mix of innovative and cutting-edge programming. Her vast network and deep relationships with top-level artistic collaborators will usher in a new era for OBT. The Director of Development will play a key role in leveraging the excitement of audience members as well as current and future donors and patrons.
Executive Director Shane Jewell has over twenty years of experience working in performing arts administration and production. Most recently, Mr. Jewell was the General Manager of Gibney Company in New York City, a newly formed contemporary dance company that performed in NYC and toured internationally, where he built the infrastructure and led strategic planning that led to substantial growth and expansion. Prior to that, he served as Executive Director of the Orlando Ballet, Executive Director of Oklahoma City Ballet, and Executive Director of OK Mozart International Music Festival. Shane has raised over thirty million dollars for the various nonprofits of his employ, successfully completing two capital campaigns and a multi-million-dollar sustainability campaign while maintaining and driving growth in operational contributed income. The Director of Development will work alongside Shane to build and execute a strategic development plan to increase the contributed income and launch an exciting new capital campaign.
In addition to our energizing new leadership and strategic plan, our growing Board is actively engaged in oversight and stewardship. Our 250 employees are resilient and energized. We are adding two new studios to facilitate growth. Programmatically, OBT is robust, and we are changing lives through dance. Our professional company of 27 dancers performs an annual season of five programs, featuring both classical and contemporary work. OBT2, our junior company, boasts an average of 20 dancers of exceptional talent. Our nationally renowned School trains hundreds of elite students from across the country. Our community education programs reach thousands of students in classrooms across the region. Through all our endeavors, we are committed to advancing equity and creating a culture of kindness.
Portland, Oregon is a cultural hub where the arts, sports, live music, and small businesses thrive, while also leading the way in sustainability with a robust mass transit system, bike friendly infrastructure and unique, walkable neighborhoods. The city is home to dozens of microbreweries, coffee shops, world-class restaurants, and is just a short drive to nationally renowned Willamette Valley wineries. Portland’s proximity to both the Pacific Ocean and Mt. Hood allows for easy access to nature’s playground. Acclaimed for its beauty, vitality and livability, the City of Roses has become a destination for young professionals, families, and world travelers alike, with no shortage of activities from outdoorsy adventures to cosmopolitan delights.
POSITION. The Director of Development leads OBT’s strategy to raise $2.4 million annually now and at least $4 million annually within five years – an attainable growth goal supported by data. The Director of Development is a member of the senior leadership team, participating in strategic decision-making, providing exemplary leadership, and serving as a critical thought partner to the Executive Director, Artistic Director, and the company’s Board of Directors. We seek to build an exceptional fundraising program that includes robust prospect relationship management, strategic institutional partnerships, growing a planned giving program, and effective pipeline management through a successful, data-driven annual giving program.
The Director of Development will oversee and mentor a team of three full time staff, including a Major Gifts Manager, Institutional Giving Manger, and Development Associate, as well as contracted event support, utilizing clearly defined goals, outcomes, and transparent reporting to measure team success. They will adeptly oversee development operations, providing exceptional guidance for best practices in gift processing, database management, prospect research, and stewardship, as well as fundraising and cultivation events to achieve defined outcomes.
The ideal candidate will be an articulate, professional representative of the organization with donors, stakeholders, and artists at OBT performances, events and beyond. The work related to this position directly supports OBT’s mission and reflects the organization’s core values and highest ethical standards.
REQUIREMENTS: Results-driven. Innovative. Energetic. Relational. Seven (7) or more years progressive fund development experience raising at least $2 million annually with a proven track record of major gift solicitation and prospect relationship management. Leadership experience planning and implementing annual operating, endowment, planned giving, or capital campaigns. Prior experience managing or supporting annual fundraising events. Exceptional interpersonal skills and a high degree of professionalism combined with the ability to influence, build consensus and productively engage with a wide range of stakeholders including staff, Board, patrons, and community leaders.
COMPENSATION: $100,000. – $125,000. annually DOE and full benefits, including employer-paid medical, dental, and vision insurance; life insurance; and 25 days off annually (15 days PTO and 10 holidays). Employees may also elect and self-fund the following benefits: 403(b) retirement plan; short-term and/or long-term disability insurance; flexible spending account for health-related expenses and/or childcare; and additional life insurance.
APPLY: Email cover letter and resume to [email protected]. Applications will be reviewed as they are received, and the position will remain open until filled. A full job description can be obtained at https://www.obt.org/about-obt/employment/development-director/.