Exploring the Arts (ETA) believes in the transformative power of the arts. Founded by Tony Bennett and Susan Benedetto in 1999, our mission is to transform the lives of young people through arts education. By collaborating with Title 1 public schools, teaching artists, and arts and cultural organizational partners, ETA strives to achieve creative equity for today’s youth by working within an ecosystem of creative, nurturing adults to provide equitable access to high quality, sequential arts programs and opportunities to middle and high school students and alumni in New York City and LA County.

ETA intentionally seeks out school communities in both cities where there is an opportunity to support growth in their arts offerings, and where there is vision and commitment to the arts even in the face of historic under-resourcing. Student programs forge college and career pathways for youth who have traditionally faced structural barriers to opportunities in the arts. 

Using a holistic approach, ETA aims to help schools attain their vision for sustainable, rigorous, and sequential in-school arts programs while offering critical out-of-school-time arts opportunities for select students that build their social emotional competencies through the arts. Through the entry-point program, our 4-Year Plan, ETA staff coaches school leadership to create an individualized road map to build, refine or enhance their arts programs. Students at each Partner High School are eligible to apply for the Arts Internship Program, providing 1:1 mentorship opportunities in all art forms and, in New York City, the Lang Arts Scholars Program, which provides three years of arts training, college preparedness, and career readiness to talented students who demonstrate need. ETA is the local program partner of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts’ Turnaround Arts initiative. Through this partnership, TA: NYC, ETA works with four Bronx middle schools to strengthen their music programs, establish sustainable arts integration initiatives, and build a viable pipeline to arts-focused high schools throughout the City, with special focus on neighboring ETA Partner High Schools.

For more information about ETA please visit www.exploringthearts.org

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Rooted in a Positive Youth Development framework, ETA’s Arts Internship Program (AIP) mission is to offer support to students who face structural barriers with paid work experiences and mentorship opportunities in the arts that empowers their self identity and builds valuable skills to propel them through their future endeavors.

AIP achieves this mission by placing students from ETA Partner Schools as paid interns in two-year mentorships (their 11th and 12th grade years, and the summer in between) with professionals (mentors) working at arts and cultural organizations. Students receive arts training, participate in arts management projects, attend shows, and practice setting and achieving realistic goals with the support of caring, trusted adults. Student participants deepen their arts learning, hone transferable skills applicable to college and career, begin to build their professional networks, and identify potential careers that include viable pathways in the arts. Most importantly, they gain a stronger sense of direction, self-knowledge, and possibility for their futures.

Current arts partners in the program include, among others: BRIC, Bronx River Art Center, Groundswell, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, National Jazz Museum in Harlem, Orchestra of St. Luke’s, the Paul Taylor Dance School, and Pregones/Puerto Rican Traveling Theater. 

The PROGRAM MANAGER, in collaboration with another NYC Program Manager, co-leads all aspects of the Arts Internship Program in NYC, and individually manages the daily administration of a current portfolio of 10-12 placements (i.e. 10-12, 11th grade students placed at arts and cultural partner sites across the city; as those students continue as 12th graders in the program next year and we welcome a new cohort of 11th graders, the portfolio will double in size).

Primary duties include:

• Manage all aspects of the portfolio of placements, including:
  • Develop and sustain collegial relationships with the portfolio’s roster of ETA Partner Schools and arts partners.
  • Support a roster of youth participants through regular communication, site visits (virtual and in-person), and troubleshooting challenges (attendance, transportation, etc.).
  • Manage relationships so that all stakeholders are well-supported, the cohort develops a strong affinity and vibrant culture, and students and mentors see each other and ETA as valuable resources.
  • Steward program budget and expenditures, including both internal finance processes, processing invoices, and ensuring timely deposit of all participants’ stipend checks.
  • Collect program information, pictures and documentation to support ETA social media and grant writing efforts.
  • Manage program data in Salesforce, ETA’s cloud-based database system, keep all files up-to-date in organization Google drive, and implement all program evaluation tools throughout the year.
• Collaborate with other AIP Program Managers (NYC and LA) and other program staff to:
  • Execute an equitable, supportive student recruitment and application process, including creating and revising the online application forms, providing guidance and promotional support to school staff, helping troubleshoot challenges with schools, and reviewing applications and selecting students for placements.
  • Plan and facilitate mentor workshops and student cohort meetings, workshops, panels and field trips in service of program objectives. This can include orientation and wrap-up meetings, college and career prep sessions with collaborating partners and guests, trips to see live performances and/or art, and mentor trainings.
  • Ensure that social and emotional learning (SEL) principles and strategies are integrated into every facet of the program. Staff will be supported with professional development opportunities in SEL and teen mental health.
  • Gather, synthesize, analyze and report on program data (quantitative and qualitative) and contribute to year-end reporting on the program’s outcomes and opportunities for continued improvement.
  • Build robust engagement opportunities and foster ongoing relationships with program alumni in their lives after high school, identifying strategic points of connection and continued program opportunities.
  • Refine systems and protocols for ongoing program management (i.e. attendance, site visits, etc.).
• Develop new partner relationships with arts organizations, businesses and contacts in higher education in New York City and beyond. This may include new partner sites for the placement roster and/or collaborators for student workshops and panels.
• Participate in staff-wide strategy discussions on all student programs and identifying opportunities for continued programmatic improvements.

Important: Candidates should have reasonable flexibility in their schedules, particularly during the school year (September-June). While the majority of job duties are conducted during the standard work day, some site visits and program activities will take place in the evenings or on weekends, including supporting other ETA programs’ events in addition to AIP. Exempt staff may use flex/discretionary time during standard business hours, to balance these extra hours worked in the evening and/or on weekends. 

QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree preferred or equivalent work experience. 
• Minimum 3 years of prior professional experience in the field of arts education, youth development, teaching (classroom or teaching artist), or arts administration. 
• Enthusiasm about the arts and the larger arts and culture sector across NYC.
• Experience as an artist or arts practitioner a plus but not required.
• Prior experience working with or mentoring adolescent youth.
• Demonstrated effectiveness at collaborating with peer partners and building strong partnerships. High level of emotional intelligence. 
• Familiarity with and willingness to continue developing knowledge and practice of social and emotional learning concepts in youth development settings.
• Championing the principles of diversity, equity and inclusion as they apply to youth development settings, and striving to ensure that programming embodies these values.
• Understands, values, and reciprocates effective, clear, and timely communication.
• Skilled with managing competing demands, calendars, and determining priorities.
• Excellent administrative skills and highest attention to detail.
• Fluent in Google Suite (especially Docs, Sheets and Slides); familiarity with Salesforce, Jotform, Canva and/or Form Assembly a plus but not required.
• ETA requires all employees to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 unless a medical or religious exemption is approved. Being fully vaccinated means that an individual is at least two weeks past their final dose of an FDA or WHO authorized COVID-19 vaccine regimen. As a condition of employment, newly hired employees will be required to provide proof of their COVID-19 vaccination.

PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS

• Belief that high quality arts instruction should be an integral part of every student’s high school education, and that all students deserve equitable access to college and conservatory.
• Desire to hold oneself accountable for results and be transparent about successes and challenges. 
• Humility and respect for the hard work of school professionals, artists, partners, parents and students. Respectfully managing relationships, communication and deadlines in a way that reflects an understanding that both parties’ time, priorities and needs are important.
• Highest integrity. Sense of responsibility and stewardship for all funds provided to operate Exploring the Arts. 
• Eagerness to pitch in and help beyond one’s immediate responsibilities on an as-needed basis.  

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS

Compensation for ETA Managers is in the range of $58,500 – $79,500/year. The candidate’s starting salary will be within this range and is commensurate with their experience.

ETA’s benefits package includes:

• Generous PTO: ten vacation days (which increases with longevity at the organization), six sick days per year and four additional floating days for personal use. In addition, ETA observes 12 national holidays, closes between Christmas and New Year’s Day, and observes summer Fridays.
• Comprehensive Coverage: Employer-paid health and dental insurance, long-term disability plan, life insurance, subsidized transportation, and an employee-contributory 401k savings plan. 
• Work-Life Balance: ETA is currently a hybrid work-place. The NYC Programs team currently reports to the office in Astoria once each week (Tuesdays) and attends in-person school and partner visits as needed.

Send resume and cover letter to careers@exploringthearts.org with the subject line “Program Manager, Arts Internship Program NYC”; No phone calls, please.