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Cultural Arts Manager, Carlsbad, CA

Posted September 7, 2016

ORGANIZATION

Founded in 1986 as part of the goal to advance Carlsbad as a thriving, diverse, and creative city, the City of Carlsbad Cultural Arts Office aspires to make arts and culture an integral and inspiring part of everyday life in Carlsbad, California. Supporting a core value in Carlsbad’s community vision, the Cultural Arts Office emphasizes the arts by promoting a multitude of events and productions year-round, offering cutting-edge venues to host world-class performances, and celebrating Carlsbad’s cultural heritage with dedicated facilities and programs.

The Cultural Arts Office creates and implements this community vision through a spectrum of artistic offerings, including the installation of public art throughout the city, the presentation of hundreds of cultural events that take place in the recently upgraded Ruby G. Schulman Auditorium and other venues throughout the city, and the curation of the William D. Cannon Art Gallery located at the newly renovated Dove Library. The City of Carlsbad is deeply committed to public art as evidenced by a one percent allocation from all public facility capital projects constructed in the city that is dedicated to the acquisition of public art. The Cultural Arts Office administers a Community Arts Grant Program that funds projects spanning visual, media, literary, and performing arts delivered in Carlsbad by nonprofit organizations, schools, and school-related organizations. More than 20 grants are made annually with a focus on performances, exhibitions, residencies, or lectures for schools and the general public. The Cultural Arts Office also supports the Carlsbad Arts Commission, consisting of seven members, which advises the City Council on implementation of the arts element of Carlsbad’s General Plan.

The Cultural Arts Office falls under the auspices of Carlsbad’s extensive Library & Cultural Arts Department and the Cultural Arts Manager reports to the Library & Cultural Arts Director. The department partners closely with a diverse array of constituents including, but not limited to, citizens of Carlsbad, city departments, the Carlsbad Friends of the Arts, the Carlsbad Library & Arts Foundation, both resident and non-resident artists, and many arts organizations. The annual programming budget for the Cultural Arts Office is $529,000 in fiscal year 2017 with an additional $600,000 for personnel in the Cultural Arts Office.

COMMUNITY

The City of Carlsbad is ideally situated in north San Diego County where a great climate, beautiful beaches and lagoons, and abundant natural open space combine with world-class resorts, family attractions, well‐planned neighborhoods, excellent schools, and a charming village atmosphere to create the ideal California experience. Covering nearly 40 square miles, the City of Carlsbad is currently home to approximately 110,000 residents. Thanks to an award-winning growth management plan, the city’s infrastructure and services keep pace with development and promote an excellent quality of life. Three lagoons, 50 miles of hiking trails, and nearly seven miles of coastline support an active, healthy lifestyle in Carlsbad. Named as The Digital Capital of California in 2013 by Google and as one of The Best Places to Live in 2016 by Men’s Journal, Carlsbad draws both potential residents looking for a high-quality, well-run city, but also affords recruitment for top talent from throughout the country. The city’s diverse economy is centered around action sports, manufacturing, life sciences, information and communication technology, clean technology, and hospitality and tourism. Known for its financial stability, the city maintains an AAA credit rating and has a general fund reserve balance exceeding $90 million. The city partners with surrounding cities on the award-winning “Innovate 78″ economic development program and works closely with the state of California on the management of its beaches and lagoons. The only north San Diego County city with an approved Habitat Management Plan, Carlsbad works hand in hand with state and federal resource agencies to protect critical wildlife corridors and sensitive species. The operating budget for fiscal year 2017 is $253.4 million and the Capital Improvement Project (CIP) for the year exceeds $64 million.

POSITION

The position of Cultural Arts Manager presents an exciting and rewarding opportunity to play an active role in expanding and shaping the City of Carlsbad’s arts and culture program and impacting the community experience. The current extensive program is a source of city pride and encompasses the performing arts, visual arts, and arts education for children and families. A comprehensive arts and culture planning process, funded and planned for the 2016-17 year, demonstrates the continuing commitment of the community to the arts and will provide a blueprint for expanding the reach of arts and culture in the Carlsbad area. Working closely with other city departments and the community, the Cultural Arts Manager will have the opportunity to bring together the disciplines of the arts, education, and the area’s heritage to create a lasting impact in the community. 

Reporting to the Library & Cultural Arts Director, the Cultural Arts Manager is responsible for the comprehensive arts and culture program that includes exhibitions in the William D. Cannon Art Gallery, programming in the newly renovated 216-seat Ruby G. Schulman Auditorium as well as in the community, arts education for children and families, TGIF Concerts in the Park, and the public art program. The Cultural Arts Manager will lead a team of three full-time managers and an additional three full-time equivalents in part-time staff with responsibilities for exhibitions, art education programs, performing arts, and grant making.

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILTIES

City-Wide Arts and Culture Program

  • Serve as the premier arts and cultural ambassador for the City of Carlsbad
  • Articulate the vision for the cultural arts program to all stakeholders.
  • Plan, implement, manage, and evaluate the city-wide cultural arts program, including all visual, performing, and literary arts.
  • Interpret the arts and culture plan and collaborate with the city, arts partners, and other agencies to present high-quality cultural programming that addresses community interests and priorities.
  • Maximize use of the renovated Dove Library complex and develop new cultural offerings for the community.
  • Advance the priorities of the recently developed Public Art Vision Plan to plan and install acclaimed public art that reflects the values of the city.
  • Stimulate and maintain interest in the arts through advocacy and involvement with key stakeholders.
  • Provide oversight of the arts grant making process to maximize community benefit and expand cultural offerings in the City of Carlsbad.
  • Provide exemplary customer service to stakeholders, residents, and visitors to the Carlsbad community.

Department Planning and Operational Effectiveness

  • Establish goals, objectives, and priorities to improve the quality and ensure the high performance of arts and culture programs.
  • Serve as a leader within and on behalf of the department in successful planning and implementation of programs and services.
  • Guide, mentor, partner with, and manage staff, including conducting regular performance evaluations.

Community Engagement

  • Foster community dialogue and participation in a comprehensive arts and culture planning process.
  • Engage community representatives through the Arts Commission, support organizations, stakeholders, and partnerships in creating a shared vision for arts and culture in Carlsbad.

TRAITS AND CHARACTERISTICS

The successful Cultural Arts Manager will be a highly visible, proactive, and collaborative leader who will embrace the role as the premier ambassador of arts and culture in Carlsbad and have a track record of building successful programs and services. This individual will be an advocate for the arts, have unquestionable integrity, and demonstrate proactive collaboration among city departments, members of the community, and other arts organizations. The successful candidate will possess exceptional interpersonal skills, particularly listening, and be able to coalesce multiple opinions and views around a common goal. The Cultural Arts Manager must be able to build strong, productive relationships that bridge the city and the community. The ability to be flexible and adapt to the needs and interests of the community are critical. The successful candidate will have a passion for the visual and performing arts and create, guide, and articulate a compelling vision for the future of the arts in the City of Carlsbad within the broader strategic framework guiding the Library & Cultural Arts Department.

Other key competencies include:

  • Personal Accountability and Teamwork – Inspires others, builds trust, and demonstrates loyalty while acknowledging one’s own responsibility to be accountable for personal actions and professional decisions. Encourages positive and creative relationships across departments, working effectively and productively with others.
  • Customer Focus and Interpersonal Skills – Maintains a commitment to the satisfaction of all stakeholders by anticipating customer needs, responding with grace and diplomacy, and developing appropriate solutions. Communicates effectively and proactively with others, engaging individuals with genuine warmth, courtesy, respect, and consideration.
  • Leadership – Organizes and motivates other people to accomplish goals while creating a sense of order, direction, and active participation among a variety of stakeholders.

QUALIFICATIONS

The successful candidate will hold a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution and possess five to seven years of prior experience in developing and administering a comparable arts program. A master’s degree is preferred. Candidates must have the ability to effectively interface and collaborate with other city departments and senior staff. Demonstrated success in building productive relationships with outside stakeholders such as community leaders and advisory organizations is necessary. Exceptional written, oral, and interpersonal skills are critical. Experience in securing and administering grants and the planning, implementation, and evaluation of arts programs are preferred. Candidates should be well-versed in the regulatory aspects of a municipal government. Knowledge of city regulations and budgeting is helpful.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

The City of Carlsbad offers an attractive compensation package that includes cafeteria-style health benefits, executive leave, CalPERS retirement benefits, vacation, holidays, deferred compensation program, and more.

APPLICATIONS AND INQUIRIES

Please submit a letter and resume, electronic submissions are preferred, with a summary of demonstrable results to:

Ms. Pamela A. Pantos, Vice President
Arts Consulting Group
292 Newbury Street, Suite 315
Boston, MA 02115-2801
Tel: (888) 234.4236 Ext. 204
Fax: (888) 284.6651
Email: [email protected]

The City of Carlsbad is an equal opportunity employer.

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