Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council

July 24, 2012

As of September 7, GPAC is no longer accepting applications for this position. Check our Careers page for additional opportunities in the future!

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Is this the right job for me?

We're looking for someone who is a bit geeky, who knows (and loves to discuss) the big issues in the field, who can write like a pro, and who is comfortable building relationships with elected officials.

If you've been boring your friends and relatives at the dinner table with words like "cultural policy", "nonprofit capitalization", or "economic impact", we have a home for you. If you've ever said something like, "According to AEP IV, investing in EITC could have a big ROI," then this might be your dream job.

Overview

The Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council seeks a Manager of Research and Advocacy who will be responsible for conducting and sharing arts research as well as managing advocacy-related initiatives and communications.

Research

The Manager of Research and Advocacy is responsible for understanding, analyzing, and coordinating research that helps GPAC and its constituents to (1) advance the field and (2) develop/support an advocacy agenda. Specific tasks include:

• Management of research projects on the local arts and culture sector, arts and culture audiences, and the communities and region impacted by arts and culture including defining research questions/topics/timelines and developing research RFPs.
• Communicating the results of research projects to internal and external constituents through a variety of avenues (research reports, convenings, trainings, conference presentations, web resources, etc.).
• Writing, editing, and quality control for research reports/presentations.
• Serving as the coordinator for local participation in statewide or national initiatives (Local Arts Index, Arts & Economic Prosperity Reports, etc.).
• Coordinating the local Pittsburgh Arts Research Committee made up of a variety of stakeholders from the arts, funding, education, and research communities.
• Compiling and sharing research and other data related to the local, regional, statewide, and national arts and culture industry.

Advocacy

In coordination with GPAC's CEO, the Manager of Research and Advocacy is responsible for managing GPAC's advocacy programs and communications. Responsibilities include:

• Track local, regional and national legislative and policy issues and develop strategies to keep board, staff and community informed.
  • Collect and maintain up-to-date data on key policy and advocacy issues (EITC, State Funding, etc.)
  • Develop issue-oriented advocacy content for communication vehicles such as emails, websites, social media, etc.
• Work closely with the GPAC CEO to:
  • Build and maintain relationships with elected officials and their staffs in key state and federal agencies, including in-person meetings, updating database information, appointment scheduling, written correspondence, etc.
  • Pay close attention to advocacy priorities and their fulfillment. Regularly review priorities and update or modify them based on changing community needs as identified by board, staff and community members.
  • Build and maintain strategic partnerships with local, state and national agencies (Citizen's for the Arts, GPCA, Americans for the Arts, etc.).
• Together with the Manager of Grants and Professional Development, host the annual PA Partners in the Arts Awards ceremony, in which legislators hand out grant checks to grantees.
• Coordinate group trips and special events such as bus trips to Harrisburg and national Arts Advocacy Day.
• Coordinate regular meetings of the GPAC board Advocacy Committee.
• Supply technical expertise to arts organizations as needed.

General Duties

Develop strategies to keep community members engaged in advocacy and research efforts. Manage an annual budget. Prepare reports on progress for the CEO, Advocacy Committee, and GPAC Board of Directors, and others. Work with the Deputy Director on major funder proposals and reports for research and advocacy efforts. Assist with special projects, provide support to all GPAC activities, and perform other duties as needed.

There may be potential for supplemental adjunct teaching work in cultural policy through the Carnegie Mellon University Masters of Arts Management (MAM) program.

Qualifications

The ideal candidate for this role has a blend of the following:

• Education and experience: Bachelor's degree plus at least three years of related experience preferred. Masters degree ideal.
• Knowledge and understanding: broad knowledge of arts issues and trends across the field, understanding of quantitative and qualitative methodologies as well as summative and formative research models, knowledge of data sources such as the Cultural Data Project.
• Strong written/oral communication skills: prior demonstrated research and report generation from which action, policy or system change was an outcome; comfortable with public speaking and meeting facilitation; and ability to write impeccably in a variety of styles.
• Excellent administrative and project management skills, particularly in an environment with competing demands and overlapping projects: ability to work independently, take initiative, establish and accomplish priorities when faced with multiple tasks, work with and without deadlines, pay close attention to details and logistics.
• Interpersonal skills: ability to work effectively with a wide array of constituencies and personalities, commitment and flexibility at all times.
• Advanced computer skills - MS Office, as well as common web 2.0 tools, basic graphic design sense helpful.
• Strong work ethic and work history that would evidence commitment to GPAC's mission. Genuine passion for arts and culture.

How to Apply

This position is a full-time salaried position; occasional weekends and evenings are necessary. The Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council is an equal opportunity employer and encourages all qualified persons of any race, ethnicity, gender, ability and age to apply. Salary dependent on qualifications. Benefits include health insurance, with dental and eye benefits; life & disability insurance; paid vacation; paid personal days; paid sick leave; and a 403B employee-contribution retirement plan. Background check required. Position open until filled. Please send a cover letter, résumé, and contact information for three references to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .