Executive Director

Company Overview

It took almost 40 years to establish the Kay Meek Arts Centre, but the dream became reality with the opening of the Centre in 2004, thanks to the vision, passion, and financial generosity of long-time arts supporter Kay Meek. Since the beginning, the Kay Meek Arts Centre has served as an important community venue and rental facility on the North Shore of the Metro Vancouver region, supporting year-round events with professionalism and a state-of-the-art facility.

 

Its two main theatre spaces include the 500-seat proscenium Grosvenor Theatre and the 150-seat black box McEwen Theatre. The curated professional performing arts season began in 2006 and has grown considerably over the years. The Centre has a blossoming subscription season with a theatre series, three music series for different genres and styles, regular film screenings, and presentations of dance and special events. Pre- pandemic, the two theatres welcomed more about 60,000 attendees to 92 Kay Meek presentations and another 270 rental events. Since emerging from the pandemic, patrons have begun to return to the theatre and are enthusiastic about the 2023 - 2024 season. 

 

As the only independent non-profit presenting venue on the North Shore of the Metro Vancouver region, the Kay Meek Arts Centre has grown from a quiet community facility to what it is today, a vibrant cultural hub with exceptional community rental facilities and a high-profile professional arts season.

 

Four years ago the Centre launched and completed a successful $4 million fundraising campaign to support renovation to upgrade the accessibility and amenities of the building, with a new elevator, accessible washrooms, and two new programming spaces - one purpose-built dance studio in the back of house, and a multipurpose room off the lobby for workshops, pre-show chats, and small performances.

 

The Kay Meek Arts Centre has been described as a true gem of the North Shore communities. The Kay Meek Arts Centre has a committed and active Board of Directors of 11, led by Chair, Andy Krawczyk, and a staff of 9.

THE KAY MEEK ARTS CENTRE’S VALUES 

We create a home for great arts experiences, gathering our community in an inspiring and inclusive environment, and providing access to cultural expression in its many forms.

 

The organization is guided by four core values:

 WELCOMING - We offer an inviting, inspiring, and inclusive space where all are welcome. We are a home for creative expression, connection, and celebration.

ENGAGING - We are a proactive source of engagement and collaboration with community partners across the North Shore. Our relationships extend beyond our walls.

LEARNING - We facilitate life-long learning and strive for continuous improvement in our organization. We encourage curiosity and exploration, and we seek out diverse new ideas.

LEADING - We set high standards for ourselves, and we aspire to best-in-class performance. Among our peers, we lead by example, and we share what we learn.

 

Job Description

KAY MEEK ARTS CENTRE is seeking a creative, and energetic individual to serve as its next Executive Director. Reporting to the Board of Directors, the Executive Director will be responsible for developing and implementing the strategic direction for all annual programming and management of the Kay Meek Arts Centre. The Executive Director will be a leader in the West Vancouver and Metro Vancouver arts community with a strong desire to engage with other performing arts centres and artists across Canada and Internationally. The ideal candidate will have a drive to build public and private sector support to deliver on strategic priorities and embrace collaboration with the Kay Meek team to maximize earned and contributed revenue.

 

As the leader of the Kay Meek Arts Centre, the Executive Director will play an active role in planning the organization’s overall advancement. Supporting and partnering with presenters, arts organizations, artists, staff, board, volunteers, and the West Vancouver School District, the Executive Director will operationalize the strategic plan while building a thriving, creative and diverse culture serving the West Vancouver and North Shore communities. The Executive Director will conceptualize and implement a plan to continue to grow Kay Meek’s artistic and programming objectives while leading and motivating a highly effective team in devising and realizing successful strategies as the company moves into a post pandemic environment. The Executive Director will oversee the completion of the $500,000 Encore Capital Campaign, help develop a strategy to secure a new mainstage sponsorship partner and collaborate with the Board in the development of an endowment fund.

 

This is an exciting and unique opportunity for a creative professional who can bring together their vision, experience, and passion for a wide range of artistic endeavors. The Executive Director will want to invest themselves in the success and growth of the Kay Meek Arts Centre and will find personal fulfillment in being part of the future.

 

Executive Director Roles and Responsibilities

Reporting to the Kay Meek Arts Centre’s Board of Directors, the Executive Director is the guiding artistic and management leader and is responsible for:

Leadership and Programming

• Provides visionary and inspirational leadership to the development and delivery of the four core series, and additional programs and offerings.
• Delivers distinctive creative offerings that ensure a strong artistic identity and excite a broad range of audiences.
•  Embraces leadership of the Kay Meek Arts Centre, implementing the vision, mission, values, and strategic direction developed with and approved by the Board of Directors.
•  Aligns with staff in developing and implementing audience development initiatives, ensuring strong links between programming decisions and audience development based on the Kay Meek Centre’s strategic plan and market analysis.
•  Takes responsibility for all Human Resources processes and policies including ensuring that Kay Meek is effectively structured and staffed; and is responsible for ensuring a healthy culture with a highly motivated, engaged and collaborative team.
•  Plans, organizes, and administers all Kay Meek Centre activities and operations in collaboration with programmers, staff, and volunteers, including the contracting and scheduling of non-rental events.
• Oversees the development of the annual operating budget, fund development, and the organization’s financial operations.
•  Establishes and maintains operating policies and procedures, standards of service and performance, and develops clear lines of authority and communication.

Collaborative Team Leadership

• Fosters the ongoing development and empowerment of the Kay Meek team.
• Articulates and promotes an artistic vision for the Kay Meek Arts Centre.
• Supports continuous improvement and team building that encourages an effective and rewarding organizational culture for the staff.
• Provides collaborative leadership to the team, ensuring they have the tools and skills necessary for the development and implementation of their respective goals and objectives.
• Keeps the office team updated with emerging priorities and assists them in modifying plans and practices as required.
• Develops and implements human resource policies including performance management, performance reviews, coaching and mentoring plus all other policies relevant to personnel employed or contracted by the Kay Meek Arts Centre. 

Talent Development, Youth Programs and Outreach

• Leads a well-designed program of activities and educational opportunities that build on past success of Youth initiatives, including the summer Youth Conservatory. 
• Partners closely with school and educational stakeholders to implement sustainable and practical programs and outreach.
• Maintains positive and productive partnership with School District 45 administration and arts teachers.

External Communications, Partnerships and Relationships

• Seeks out and leverages relationships and resources to establish and build on partnerships which drive organizational success.
• Maintains key relationships with existing funding partners, develops new relationships for the Kay Meek Arts Centre, and assists in identifying alternative funding opportunities.
• With the team, crafts innovative and attractive funding proposals to meet the needs of both the donors and the Kay Meek Arts Centre.
• Collaborates with senior administrative staff of the School Board and the District of West Vancouver and its facilities and programs as it shares the facility with the West Vancouver School Board.
• Partners with West Vancouver District Municipal Government to achieve shared goals.
• Supports staff in their relationships with donors in generating donations to the Kay Meek Arts Centre.
• Builds strong community relationships, leading to the generation of new donors and sponsors.
• Ensures the development and implementation of a communications plan that reflects the Kay Meek Arts Centre’s mandate, goals, and objectives.
• Acts as a key spokesperson (with the Board Chair) on behalf of the Kay Meek Arts Centre. Represents the West Vancouver Arts Centre Trust to the public, arts community and the media through leadership and participation in community activities. 

Board Relations

• Develops and communicates key matters to be addressed with the Board of Directors at regular Board meetings.
• Develops the annual Strategic Planning Process and in collaboration with the Board of Directors, develops the organization’s strategic plan and goals. Develops and implements business and operational plans based on the strategic direction.

• Nurtures the involvement of the Board in donor development and is skillful in harnessing and directing that support.
• Ensures accurate and timely reporting on finances, financial and operational performance and related administrative matters between the Kay Meek Centre’s administration and the Board.
•           Collaborates in identification and recruitment of prospects for Board membership.
•          Partners with Board committees to develop and implement their respective goals and objectives.

 Finance and Administration

• Ensures that the Kay Meek Arts Centre follows accepted financial practices, and that the organization always operates within the limitations of a Board approved budget.
•   Leads the budget planning and execution process, including establishing key benchmarks to align objectives and resource planning with overall strategic objectives.

Traits and Characteristics

Collaborative, proactive, dynamic, self-motivated, detail and people-oriented, the Executive Director will have exceptional artistic, management, social and verbal communication skills and value frequent interaction and collaboration with others. The Executive Director will be an experienced and entrepreneurial professional with the vision to actively pursue Kay Meek’s goals with creativity and determination and will have a high degree of personal accountability - with a commitment to exceeding expectations. This individual will balance tasks and projects with a sense of urgency and possess superlative interpersonal and communication skills that articulate compelling verbal and written messages for support. A self- sufficient and self-managed professional with a highly organized strategic approach, the Executive Director will have the ability to achieve organizational objectives with artists, staff, board members, volunteers, donors, and prospective supporters. This individual will bring a passion for Kay Meek’s vision, mission, and values, with the ability to bring those to reality, and a commitment to positively impact the organization’s long-term success.

 

Key Traits and Characteristics of the role include:

§   Leadership – Organizing and influencing people to believe in a vision while creating a sense of purpose and direction.

§   Teamwork and Interpersonal Skills – Cooperating with others to meet objectives and the ability to effectively communicate to build rapport while relating to many different people.

§   Futuristic Thinking - Imagining, envisioning, projecting and/or creating what has not yet been actualized.

§   Decision Making & Resiliency – Analyzing all aspects of a situation to make consistently sound and timely decisions with the ability to quickly recover from adversity.§  

§ External Stakeholder Focus – The dexterity to anticipate, and exceed stakeholder expectations.

§   Creativity & Innovation – Creating innovative approaches, programming, process, technologies and/or systems to achieve the desired result.

§   Flexibility, Time, and Priority Management – The acuity to prioritize and complete tasks to deliver desired outcomes within allotted time frames while readily modifying, responding and adapting to change with minimal resistance.

§   Employee Development/Coaching – Facilitating, supporting, and contributing to the professional growth of others.

Qualifications and Experience

A bachelor’s degree or higher level of education is an asset.  Qualified candidates should have at least 7 years of progressive experience at a leadership level, including a strong understanding of diverse musical genres with increasing responsibility in leadership roles in a performing arts centre, arts and culture organization, education, or the non-profit sector. Superior written/verbal communication skills and experience collaborating with high-level, respected volunteers are required. Candidates must possess expertise in and willingness to mentor and develop team members to create a high performing team.

 

The Kay Meek Arts Centre offers an annual salary of $110,000 - $120,000 commensurate with experience. Additional benefits include, annual vacation, participation in a 100% Kay Meek contributed health plan with the BC Alliance for Arts and Culture which includes life and disability insurance, and extended healthcare.