Looking to hire an arts leader?
Let Arts Progress help you identify qualified candidates, navigate the interview process smoothly, and successfully manage the transition process.
We’ll support you the whole way
1. Meet with board or search committee to understand the context surrounding this hire – is it planned or unplanned? Is there a crisis around finances, personnel, or programs? How has the opening been handled internally and externally? What’s the timeline, and is there an interim in place?
2. Assess the organization to see what’s needed in this position- hard skills, but also experience, connections, attitudes, ambitions
3. Create a job description with clear outline of position responsibilities, organizational mission and staffing structure, workplace culture including where and when work takes place, hiring timeline and process, and full compensation details
4. Connect with all groups that will be involved with the process (staff, board, community constituents), so they know how and when their input will be considered
5. Get the description into the hands of people who might be eligible, using a combination of national job sites, industry-specific job sites, and personal outreach
6. Develop an application and interview process, including drafting interview questions, that enables applicants to present their most honest selves, allowing for the best match between candidate and organization
7. Manage interview process, including schedules and any necessary travel arrangements
8. Manage all candidate communication, answering questions as they come up
9. Conduct all necessary reference and background checks.
10. Help the committee discern the best-suited candidates, and from within that list, close the deal with one of them
11. Ensure that declined candidates are treated respectfully, leaving them with a positive impression of the organization
12. Help the search committee deal with unexpected outcomes pre-hire – for example, budgeted salary or benefits are insufficient
13. Successfully bring the new hire into the org and support their transition and growth.
14. Help the search committee deal with unexpected outcomes post-hire – for example, departing leader reveals weakness below that was being masked, or other staff members who leave (potentially including internal candidates who were not hired)
How we work
We are remarkably accessible to our clients, by whatever means of communication they prefer – email and text/phone are great, or we have fluency in Slack, Basecamp and the like. The work can be done remotely, with in-person meetings also an option.
We’re deliberately small – you’ll have a single contact for the search, providing you continuity and simplicity. In addition, this means we’re not doing a lot of simultaneous searches, which increases our focus on your search, and reduces conflict of interest.
We’ve spent years ourselves working in the performing arts field, so we’re well-versed in what a nonprofit arts organization needs, and we’re well-networked with current and rising talent across the country.
We’re also less expensive than the big search firms. Without the overhead of fancy conference rooms and admin assistants, your money goes toward the search itself. Most of our searches are under $25,000. But for that money, you’ll get a top-quality search that draws from professional connections across the country.
Throughout the process, we’ll look out for the needs of staff, board and the organization as a whole. As for the candidates, we understand that each applicant is entering a short-term relationship with your organization, and we’ll ensure that those relationships reflect your values from start to finish.