Managing Director, Urban Ink

Company Overview

OUR MISSION

Urban Ink uplifts Indigenous and diverse voices through storytelling and performance.

OUR STORY

For over 20 years, Urban Ink, and its circle of artists have broken barriers, through stimulating story, performance, and media. Located in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside,

Urban Ink produces Indigenous and diverse stories for national mainstream stages, with high artistic excellence. We are interdisciplinary, melding theatre, music, dance, and film into new hybrid storytelling forms. Our programming highlights stories that create unity and inspire social change, share cultural knowledge, and encourage collective healing. We prioritize the hiring of Indigenous and culturally diverse individuals, offering competitive wages and concrete work experience. 

The artistic vision behind our work is simple. We believe in work that is led by Indigenous and culturally diverse artists, that provides a platform for voices and stories that have been historically silenced. We believe there is a gap in the size and scale of Indigenous led theatre in Canada, where the work has been featured primarily in studio spaces. Our goal is to continue to position IBPOC work on the mainstages of this country, creating a national shift in how the mainstream community understands its history and relationship with Indigenous and culturally diverse peoples. 

Job Description

Urban Ink Production Society is looking for a Managing Director to continue to build on the company’s artistic renown and organizational development. 

Entering its 22nd season, Urban Ink’s mission is to uplift Indigenous and diverse voices through live performance. Urban Ink is known nationally for its extraordinary large scale theatre productions and national and provincial tours, in addition to recent short and feature films. Urban Ink is a company that is growing and expanding and is poised for an exciting future.

Urban Ink’s next Managing Director will be a proven leader with a genuine love for the performing arts who is passionately engaged in supporting the work of Indigenous and diverse artists. Collaborative, strategic and a great communicator, they will be motivated to continue to build revenues and relationships. 

 Reporting to the Board of Directors, the Managing Director, in partnership with Artistic Director Corey Payette, will ensure that Urban Ink’s artistic and financial success remains ongoing and sustainable.

The successful candidate will have demonstrated success within a performing arts organization, with at least five years’ leadership and governance experience. Desirable skills and experience include the following:

Supporting Artistic Vision:

      The expertise to ensure ample capacity and resources to enable the company to fulfill its mission and mandate;

      The ability to work in coordination and collaboration with the Artistic Director.

Financial Leadership and Resource Development:

      The ability to develop and oversee the Employer’s annual operating budget and project budgets;

      The drive to work collaboratively with Urban Ink’s Board of Directors to achieve agreed outcomes;

      The experience to develop and manage the Urban Ink’s relationships with Funders, Donors and other stakeholders.

Organizational Leadership:

      The ability to oversee operations, human resource management, long term strategic planning, board liaison, oversight of revenue generation;

      The experience to lead and support a small team of dedicated administration and production staff.

Cultural Competency:

      The ability to bring cultural humility to the workplace;

      A commitment to the principles of truth and reconciliation with Indigenous peoples;

      A culturally agile mindset that is driven by diversity, equity and inclusion considerations.

Other Skills:

      Possession of well-rounded organizational and fiscal leadership skills;

      An appreciation for and understanding of a non-profit arts organization; 

      Be highly organized, a great communicator and have a great sense of humour.