Executive Director (part-time exempt)

The Hyde Park Jazz Festival is a collaborative platform dedicated to supporting the presentation and ongoing development of jazz, particularly on the South Side of Chicago. We do this by creating opportunities for a diverse community of listeners to engage with the music and its creators, and by working with artists, organizational partners, neighbors, and networks to celebrate the rich tradition of jazz and to support the development of new work and ideas.

In late 2006, Hyde Park neighborhood cultural leaders convened with the community group, the Hyde Park Jazz Society, to create an annual event that would bring new audiences into the many arts and cultural venues in Hyde Park and to celebrate jazz’s great legacy and bright future on Chicago’s South Side. The University of Chicago’s Office of Civic Engagement stepped up to assist this community-driven effort. The inaugural Hyde Park Jazz Festival was held in September 2007, and drew nearly 5,000 jazz fans for 12 hours of free performances in museums, art galleries, community spaces, and architecturally significant venues throughout the neighborhood. In 2013, the Festival became an independent 501c3; the Festival originated in the community and remains steadfastly committed to its grassroots history as it grows.

Now in its 19th year, the Hyde Park Jazz Festival has established itself as a major cultural event and music festival in Chicago. The Festival has expanded significantly and now includes more than 35 programs over 2 days in more than a dozen unique venues, presenting Chicago and the nation’s most exceptional musicians across age and “styles” to crowds of nearly 15,000 community members and guests. Since 2014, the Festival has commissioned 12 major new works by artists of color, supported numerous special projects by Chicago artists, and increased the number of national artists presented in the neighborhood.

In 2018 the Festival launched two new programs expanding its impact: the Young Producers Program, a summer-long event production fellowship for BIPOC young adults; and Back Alley Jazz (BAJ), a resident driven collaboration in South Shore to reimagine informal jazz jams in south side alleyways. In 2022 the Festival launched the Artist Corps, paying musicians to curate concerts on the South/West Side. Each program continue today. The Festival is made possible with the help of 200+ dedicated volunteers and presenting partners, and through the generous contributions of supporters.

Role and Responsibilities:

Reporting to the Board of Directors, the Executive Director of the Hyde Park Jazz Festival works collaboratively with the Festival Artistic Director, Team, and Board of Directors to facilitate the ongoing capacity of the organization to thrive in its mission. The primary area of focus of the position is directing and implementing fundraising and communication strategy. Along with the Artistic Director, the Executive Director will serve as the public face of the organization for our varied stakeholders, including the Hyde Park and surrounding community, jazz community members, donors, partners, grant makers, the University of Chicago, sponsors, and the broader arts community.

The Hyde Park Jazz Festival does not have full-time staff. Aside from the ED, the core team includes the artistic director (pt); operations and finance director(pt); engagement and artist programs director(pt); volunteer manager(contract); and communications manager(contract). The Festival works with a production company for elements of the outdoor Festival venue on the Midway Plaisance.

The ED should be passionate about the performing arts and a team-oriented leader who is flexible and adaptable, who encourages a warm and creative environment that fosters communication, cooperation, and openness, and who respects staff expertise and allows staff to thrive.

This part-time position is episodic in its time requirements with an average of 17 hours a week. There are periods of time when the time required is less and periods when it is more. The ED candidate should have some capacity for flexibility and exceptional time management skills.

Responsibilities of the Executive Director include but are not limited to:

× Oversee the administrative direction for two-day annual festival of 35+ performances and 10+ venues and various neighborhood summer programs

× Direct and develop fundraising efforts: write and manage grants, reporting, and funder relations

× Maintain and develop community, sponsorship, philanthropic, university, and business relationships

× Direct communication, public relations, and marketing strategy development and implementation

× Oversee and manage board relations: communications, oversight, policy development, committee work, meetings, planning, documentation; executive committee relations/communications

× Along with the Board, oversee strategic planning, board development, and organizational sustainability efforts

× Oversee technology development/needs/platforms with support of Director of Engagement

× Oversee the hiring and management of the Festival administrative and production team

× Manage internship and, along with the AD, the Young Producers programs

× With the support of the Finance Director, oversee and manage budget, financial/bookkeeping/accounting and planning; organizational audits and filings

× Represent Festival in the Chicago arts community and beyond: participate in city planning/initiatives etc.

Qualifications

× 5+ years of responsibility in an arts or cultural nonprofit, with 3+ in a leadership position with clear accomplishments (i.e. financial growth, org. advancement, programmatic vitality, etc.)

× A proven track record in fundraising with individuals and foundations, including grant writing

× A proven track record in building or managing communication strategy and implementation

× A combination of education, training and experience equivalent to a master’s degree

× Budgeting, staffing and personnel management experience

× A working knowledge of the performing arts

× Ability to exhibit courage and clarity when communicating about controversial and complex issues, both internally and externally

× Willingness to be open and consultative in interactions with staff, board and all constituencies

× The ED should exhibit strong cultural competency and the ability to work with individuals across cultural, generational, and socio-economic backgrounds

× Outstanding communication, interpersonal skills, and relationship-building skills with an ability to prioritize, negotiate, and work with a variety of internal and external stakeholders and produce compelling written and digital materials

× A reputation for the highest levels of integrity and credibility, and the ability to represent HPJF in an exemplary manner.

Compensation

The position offers a salary of $40k-$45k, depending on candidate qualifications. Benefits include 2 weeks of vacation and professional development opportunities as possible.

Start Date July 1st, 2025

Procedure for Application

The Application Deadline is March 16, 2025. Interested and qualified candidates are encouraged to submit a cover letter, resumé, and the names of four professional references: all three items should be submitted as a single pdf. Your cover letter should be no more than two pages long: it should describe why this post and organization are attractive to you, and what about you and your work would make you a strong leader of the Hyde Park Jazz Festival. Materials should have the applicant’s name as part of the pdf file name and must be submitted to hpjf.ed.search@gmail.com.

Once all applicant materials have been submitted online, applicants will receive confirmation of their submission via the email address provided in their application. For clarification on any of this information, please contact us at hpjf.ed.search@gmail.com.

DO YOU THINK THIS MIGHT BE YOU?

If you see yourself in this job description but don’t feel like you meet every single criterion, we encourage you to apply anyway! Research shows that individuals from historically marginalized groups, particularly women, trans, non-binary folks, and BIPOC, tend to self-select out of opportunities at higher rates—don’t count yourself out. We take a holistic approach to all of our hiring practices and want to hire those who best align with our mission and goals. Please reach out with any questions to the email address hpjf.ed.search@gmail.com.

For more information on the Hyde Park Jazz Festival, please visit www.hydeparkjazzfestival.org