Executive Director Arts Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Reports to: Board of Directors, as a co-equal partner to the Producing Artistic Director, (PAD) with dual accountability to the board
Salary: $95,000 – 105,000/ annually
Benefits: Medical, Dental, Vision, PTO (see benefits for full detail)
Hours: Full-time, Exempt, 40 hours, Monday - Friday flexible scheduling with regular weekend or evening events (as needed).
Location: Portland, OR. Hybrid: must be comfortable with frequent or daily commute within the Portland metro area, with programming reach across Oregon and Southwest Washington.

About Us
Oregon Children's Theatre (OCT) creates welcoming, imaginative spaces for all children across Oregon and Southwest Washington. Through exceptional theatrical and educational programming, OCT inspires curiosity, resilience, and connection. OCT envisions a future where every child has meaningful access to the arts, helps shape vibrant communities, and experiences true belonging. For over 35 years, OCT has produced professional theatre for young audiences and delivered in-school and community education programming throughout the region.

OCT's work is guided by six core values: collaboration, inclusion and equity, excellence, centering youth, curiosity, authenticity, and honesty.

Organizational Context
Oregon Children's Theatre is in an active rebuilding phase. In Spring 2025, due to budget constraints, OCT’s board of directors made the decision to pause operations so that we could be intentional about our next steps as an organization. Since then, we have raised nearly $1 million and have been exploring new partnerships with other youth-serving organizations. As we move forward with renewed fundraising momentum, a clear vision for the future, and an engaged board, we seek an Executive Director to help?drive our strategic plan forward and support OCT through this next phase of growth and sustainability. We need to continue laying the groundwork for our internal operating systems, staffing infrastructure, and role clarity as we execute on the strategic vision.

As we work to execute and achieve our new strategic vision, we are seeking an operational executive (Executive Director) to partner with our Producing Artistic Director to provide a firm base for sustained growth and success. OCT is returning to a co-leadership model in which the Executive Director and Producing Artistic Director serve as equal partners, each reporting to the Board of Directors, and each bringing distinct but interdependent strengths to the organization. The Executive Director provides business, financial, and operational leadership; the Producing Artistic Director defines artistic and programmatic vision. Both roles will be supervised by and report to the Board of Directors. This structure requires an Executive Director who is skilled at genuine partnership, comfortable with shared authority, and able to build a strong, trusting working relationship with the Producing Artistic Director, staff, board and community from day one.

About You
You are an experienced nonprofit executive who thrives in collaborative leadership environments and does not need sole authority to lead effectively. You bring deep experience in fundraising and donor cultivation, including renewing relationships that have gone dormant and converting one-time gifts into lasting, diversified support. You have direct experience in youth-serving, education, or arts organizations, and you understand what it means to lead in service of children and families.

You are a steady, direct communicator who builds staff stability through clarity, consistency, and follow through, especially with a small, deeply committed team. You bring an entrepreneurial spirit and working knowledge across many functional areas, comfortable rolling up your sleeves to fill a gap, take on an unfamiliar task, or handle whatever the organization needs in a given moment, and quick to recognize what needs attention before it becomes a bigger problem. You bring strong business and financial acumen, including budgeting and oversight of complex funding streams, and you are confident partnering with a board to establish clear roles and boundaries. You are collaborative, confident, and skilled at aligning financial and operational realities to co-create a vision to bring theater experiences to youth and families.

Position Summary
The Executive Director serves as the business and financial leadership partner to the Producing Artistic Director at Oregon Children's Theatre, with both roles reporting independently to the Board of Directors. The Executive Director provides administrative leadership in support of the mission and in collaboration with the Producing Artistic Director’s artistic vision, ensuring a financially stable and operationally effective environment in which OCT's programming, artists, and staff can thrive. 

The Executive Director oversees development, marketing, finance and administration, and operational staff, while the Producing Artistic Director oversees education programming and production staff. The two leaders are expected to work in close, ongoing partnership, particularly where financial and fundraising decisions intersect with programmatic and artistic choices.

Key Duties & Responsibilities

Organizational Operations & Co-Leadership

• Oversee the daily operations and decision-making for all internal operations, policies, and structure to ensure organizational compliance with all applicable state /federal regulations (i.e., taxes, registrations, insurance)

• Establish and maintain a clear, collaborative division of responsibilities with the Producing Artistic Director, ensuring day-to-day operations run smoothly alongside artistic and programmatic work

• Provide leadership for OCT's communications and technological systems to ensure the organization has the tools it needs to be effective
  

• Foster a culture of clear communication, effective delegation, teamwork, and mutual support across the organization

• Oversee recruiting and hiring for administrative, development, marketing, and finance roles

• Ensure OCT's employment policies are current and consistently followed
  

Fundraising & Public Relations

• Serve as the organization's Development Director until OCT reaches $1M or more in annual contributed income from donors, grants, sponsorships, etc.

• Provide leadership and support to OCT's Producing Artistic Director, Development staff, and Board of Directors to set and reach fundraising goals

• Carry a portfolio of major donors and renew relationships with lapsed or dormant supporters

• Provide leadership for OCT's marketing and public relations efforts, defining strategies and tactics for organizational branding and promotions, in coordination with the Director of Marketing on season and production-specific messaging

• Serve as a key representative of OCT in the community, including cultivation of donors, partners, and civic relationships
  

Board Governance & Strategic Visioning

• Partner with OCT's staff and board in developing and executing strategic and operational action plans in line with the 2026-2029 strategic plan.

• Provide consulting advice and support to the Board of Directors to ensure members can effectively carry out their responsibilities

• Serve as a key point of accountability to the board for the organization's financial and operational health, alongside the Producing Artistic Director's accountability for artistic and programmatic health
  

Financial Management

• Oversee the development of OCT's annual operating and capital budgets, in partnership with the Producing Artistic Director on season and program-related budget components

• Regularly monitor sales and sales projections for season productions and educational programs
  

• Provide analysis and routine reporting on income and expenses to ensure OCT meets budget goals, or that variances are understood and communicated

• Make recommendations to guide financial decisions, in consultation with the Producing Artistic Director where those decisions affect programming

• Manage OCT's contracting with external partners, including venue agreements, insurance agreements and leases

Minimum Qualifications

• 6+ years of senior nonprofit executive leadership experience, including direct responsibility for organizational operations, finances, and fundraising

• 4+ years demonstrated success in fundraising, including carrying and closing major gifts, renewing lapsed donor relationships, and leading diversified revenue strategies

• Strong financial and business management experience, including budgeting and oversight of complex funding streams

• Proven experience working with nonprofit boards and strengthening governance practices

• Track record of leading organizations through periods of transition

• Experience working with or serving youth, families, or education-focused populations
  

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience operating within a shared or dual leadership structure, with clear role boundaries and a collaborative, non-hierarchical partnership

• Experience in a youth-serving, arts education, or performing arts/theatre nonprofit

• Familiarity with Portland and Southwest Washington's nonprofit, arts, and education landscape

• Advanced degree in a related field
  

Benefits

• 100% Medical, dental, and vision insurance 

• Paid time off

• Sick leave
  

How to Apply

Nonprofit Professionals Now (NPN) is pleased to work with Oregon Children's Theatre to fill the role of Executive Director. All applications must contain a resume and cover letter. Once materials are submitted, NPN staff will review them as part of the hiring process.

Application Deadline: September 21, 2026