Programs Director

People and programs are at the heart of The Neighborhood: An Urban Center for Jewish Life, a community and cultural organization gathering people together for inventive and unexpected Jewish arts, culture, and spirituality. We bring together Brooklyn energy with Jewish experience to spark meaning and joy. We are looking for the next person to join our small but growing team and manage and nurture our programs and community. The Neighborhood seeks a Programs Director to lead a dynamic calendar of pop up programs including performances, community gatherings, food events, conversations, artist talks, and Jewish holiday events at partner institutions and venues. The Programs Director will drive the overall program and grow our audience and portfolio of events. This role includes continuing the integration of Asylum Arts, a 700+ network of Jewish and Israeli artists, as a key arts pillar of The Neighborhood.

Some Things You’ll Do in this Role:

Programming

• With the Founding Director and program team, articulate a coherent vision with a clear set of priorities for the continued development of The Neighborhood’s programs, including the key focus areas of arts and culture, food, ritual and spirituality, and community building
• Provide coordination and oversight of all programming components
• Build strong relationships with key venues and external organizational partners
• Work collaboratively with program partners, artists, and speakers to plan and execute events
• Create and foster opportunities for local and international artists and creative talent to work with Jewish organizations in Brooklyn and nationally, including the Peleh Residency
• Develop and oversee internal and external program staffing, including volunteers and consultants
• Evaluate programs and adapt with a growth and learning mindset
• Supervise the Programs Manager, production consultants and graphic design consultant

Community Management

• Build relationships with the creative community in Brooklyn, including existing and potential speakers and presenters
• Work with Asylum Arts artists to maintain and build programs and opportunities to nurture and build existing and new relationships, both within the network and with The Neighborhood

Fundraising

• Support existing fundraising relationships for programming
• Coordinate with Founding Director on tracking and submitting grant reports and information, including gathering and tracking data on events
• Oversee programming budget
• Research and develop relationships with new potential donors, particularly with a local Brooklyn focus

Communications

• Develop strategy and oversee online presence including website and social media focusing on programs
• Oversee press outreach including press releases and listings
• Manage communication with artist alumni and participants

Requirements

The Programs Director has 7+ years of experience in direct programming in a non-profit or arts related field, and has experience in arts or non-profit administration, ideally within a cultural context. Their background ideally includes curation and event planning, fundraising, community development, and social media fluency. The candidate should have a bachelor’s degree or equivalent.

The successful candidate will bring their familiarity with Jewish culture and the arts in Brooklyn. They love creating programs that are engaging, unique, and that make participants want to come back for more, and understand how to measure program success and adapt approaches accordingly. They can ideate and shape the big picture program, create coherence between programs, and plan and execute on the small details. They are a people-person with the passion and skills to cultivate artists, community members, partners, funders/donors, and more. As such, the successful candidate will bring exceptional fluidity in interpersonal communications across cultures. Being highly organized, and a proactive and creative problem solver would also be assets for this position.

The Neighborhood is an exciting start-up, with a small staff and board, and the ideal candidate is excited to be part of our growth process and understands that every task counts at a non-profit organization and ladders up to manifest the bigger picture. We do not yet have a physical space, so this staff person will help build from the ground up.

This role is an in-person position, with an office space in Downtown Brooklyn. Some nights and weekends are required, with an understanding of the importance of work-life balance and flexibility around work hours.

The Neighborhood is building an organization and space that is welcoming and inclusive—for the Jewish community and our friends and neighbors. We believe that having a diverse staff is key to effectively building a pluralistic center for Jewish life with nuance and perspective. A more diverse group of people working behind the scenes makes us better at every stage of our growth and development. We strongly encourage people of all backgrounds, races, genders, and abilities to apply. Applicants must be authorized to work in the United States.

Benefits

As The Neighborhood is a start-up, medical benefits are available through a QSHERA, with a monthly benefits bonus provided. We offer 15 days vacation and 3 personal days, plus a generous holiday schedule (note that working The Neighborhood-hosted programs/events on some Jewish holidays should be expected), 7 paid sick days, and a modern working environment.