General Manager

Company: Arts Hacker
Location: New York
Posted on: May 3, 2025

Job Description:

POSITION: General ManagerCLASSIFICATION: Full-TimeSTATUS: ExemptREPORTS TO: Managing Director, Operations & AdvancementSUPERVISES: Seasonal human resources coordinator (if engaged) and various consultantsCOMPENSATION: $1,500-1,750 per weekENGAGEMENT LENGTH: This is a short-term role (May-September), with the potential for ongoing permanent full-time or part-time placement based on business needs.LOCATION: Position requires relocating to Williamstown, MA from June to August, during which housing is provided.HIRING TIMELINE: Applications to be accepted until the position is filled with a priority application deadline of April 30. Application review and interviews will be conducted on a rolling basis. Start date is ASAP but no later than June 2.The Opportunity:For 70 summers in the Berkshire mountains, Williamstown Theatre Festival has attracted a mosaic of emerging and established artists to shape the theatre landscape at home and abroad. Williamstown is more than its hundreds of productions and stars-it's a coming together of people and place, talent and town, star power and craft (and so much more). It is total alchemy.It's also due for a change. Just as creative industries continually transform the world through innovative thinking, we're on a mission to transform theatre-making and theatre-going.Over the next five years, we will reinvent our festival model as an expansive expression of theatre. One that connects nature, belonging, culture, industry, and community-through strategic partnerships, year-round global programming, and new creative development opportunities.Williamstown's General Manager will be a crucial participant in catalyzing this evolution. Together with co-Managing Directors Raphael Picciarelli and Kit Ingui, alongside a dedicated staff and board, we will break barriers between artist and audience and reawaken the company's legacy as a vanguard of American theatre and culture.Job Summary:The Williamstown Theatre Festival is seeking a collaborative General Manager to partner on leading the administrative and producing efforts of a 70+ year old nonprofit organization in a period of exciting growth and transformation.Reporting to the Managing Director, Operations & Advancement, this position is responsible for the contract management process, human resources oversight, and general operations of the company. This role works in deep collaboration with colleagues across the organization to ensure the producing operations of the company are executed in a manner reflective of the Festival's mission, vision and values.Duties include:

• Contract Management ProcessDirect the contracting process in support of the producing processGenerate new efforts and enhance existing ones to operationalize contracting processesServe as the staff expert on applicable union agreementsNegotiate and facilitate contracting for:
• WTF productions & play development activity
• Licensing agreements, including commissioning, world premiere, and standard professional performance agreements
• Co-production agreements with other non-profit theatre companies
• Enhancement and other agreements with commercial producers
• Director & designer agreements
• Actor and other artist agreements
• Presented projects
• Space rentals
• Other agreements as needed
• Human Resources FunctionManage and oversee human resources functionsServe as primary staff contact for external human resources firmSupervise seasonal human resources coordinator, if engagedMaintain employee handbook and develop other documents as necessary to communicate benefits, policies, and proceduresWith Assistant Managing Director, manage recruitment and engagement process for annual, seasonal, and temporary employeesWith Finance Director, manage employee benefits election processWith Assistant Managing Director, schedule and support staff trainingsMediate employee grievancesManage procedures for employee discipline and probationSupervise employment termination process
• General OperationsManage general operations of the companyAssist in managing owned and long-term leased propertiesManage insurance coverage and claimsOversee capital improvementsOversee IT needsSupport the Managing Directors in strategic/long-term planning
• Team Building and Internal CommunicationExercise a leadership role internally and externallyActively collaborate with senior-level staff on programming and season planningWork in close partnership with the Finance Director and Assistant Managing Director to ensure clear and effective recruiting, onboarding and offboarding processesSupport various board committees as requested by the MDsEffectively delegate, actively initiate, and personally complete projectsReport regularly to the MDs, senior staff, and Board on progress towards goalsEmbrace other team building and internal communication responsibilities as neededKey Traits and Characteristics:As the organization enters a new chapter, the General Manager will provide focused, detail-oriented, strategic leadership that is grounded in collaboration, rigor, curiosity, and joy. They will exhibit a learner's mindset, with a healthy disregard for the status quo, a penchant for experimentation, and a relentless curiosity. They will be an organized project manager with a robust understanding of organizational culture and change management. They will effectively communicate, both internally and externally, with a directness that aligns stakeholders and achieves desired outcomes. They will appreciate the value of building journeys for all of our stakeholders and centering experience design across all of our efforts.Other expectations include:Embrace the Festival's commitment to being a space for all by actively participating in and encouraging behaviors among staff members that exemplify respect; interrupting microaggressions and other behaviors that hinder our efforts to create an inclusive and diverse workplace; and demonstrating a degree of cultural competency that encourages healthy relationships with all company members.An essential function of this job is in-person work in Williamstown, MA for the months of June, July, and August.Preferred Qualifications:5+ years of advanced arts management experience, preferably with a company that has undergone transformation (significant change) and/or growth. Education beyond undergraduate degree may count towards experience.Excellent written and verbal communication skillsExcellent interpersonal skills; ability to collaborate with a variety of stakeholdersPrevious experience fostering a cooperative work environment and positively influencing others to perform their jobs effectivelyAbility to think strategically, generate new ideas, handle multiple projects simultaneously, set priorities, and execute goals and objectivesHigh aptitude for relationship cultivation and negotiationProficiency in Slack and G Suite software (Gmail, Google Drive, Google Docs, Google Sheets, etc)Ability to learn new technologiesAbility to manage multiple projects at onceExperience interacting with artists in a close capacityAbility to manage confidential information and use discretion when handling specific tasksTO APPLY:Please submit a resume and cover letter through our employment portal (Paylocity) outlining how your background and experience sets you up for success in this position and what you would hope to bring to this role. We appreciate the value of myriad life and work experiences, and we recognize that many paths might adequately prepare someone for this role. We encourage anyone who believes they would be a good fit to apply.About Williamstown Theatre FestivalWilliamstown Theatre Festival has brought emerging and professional theater artists together for 70 years to create a thrilling summer festival of world premiere work alongside fresh, new revivals. New plays and musicals commissioned, developed, and produced at the Festival fill theaters around the world. In recent years, WTF has been represented on Broadway, Off-Broadway, and regionally by The Sound Inside, The Rose Tattoo, Grand Horizons, Seared, Selling Kabul, Unknown Soldier, and Lempicka, among others. Cost of Living, which premiered at WTF, received the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Learn more at wtfestival.org.Working and Living in WilliamstownWilliamstown Theatre Festival's season takes place on the beautiful campus of Williams College in Williamstown, MA with backdrops of the Berkshire, Green, and Taconic mountain ranges. Williamstown, MA (estimated pop. 7,813) is located in Berkshire County (estimated pop. 128,657) in Western Massachusetts and is an hour's drive from Albany, NY and 30 minutes from Pittsfield, MA.The Williams College campus and the 62' Center for Theatre & Dance are within walking distance of Spring Street, which has several restaurants with dine-in and takeout options, a coffee shop, an ice cream shop, a movie theater, and several stores. The nearest grocery store is a 10-minute drive from campus and not within walking distance. Having a personal vehicle does provide more flexibility in grocery-shopping and expands dining and activities options. For those who bring vehicles, parking is free at designated locations on Williams campus with a parking pass. For a list of all the things to do and see in Williamstown and the Northern Berkshires, visit DestinationWilliamstown.org.All staff are provided housing free of charge on campus at Williams College. Housing is dorm-style with private bedrooms and shared common areas, including bathroom and kitchen. Williams College housing is not air-conditioned. Weather ranges from evenings on the cooler side but can also be quite warm with temperatures in the 90s with high humidity.We acknowledge that Williamstown Theatre Festival is a Predominantly White Institution (PWI) located in a county that is 91% white, according to the US Census Bureau. We are actively engaged in the work of becoming a more equitable, diverse, inclusive, accessible, anti-racist, and anti-oppressive institution that not only welcomes BIPOC artists and staff but nurtures an environment that allows everyone to thrive. More specific actions on these efforts can be found in our Progress Report on our website: https://wtfestival.org/work-learn/.Williamstown Theatre Festival is committed to telling diverse stories and to fostering an inclusive environment both onstage and off. We are committed to providing an environment of mutual respect where equal employment opportunities are available to all applicants and teammates. We believe that opportunity, access, resources, and rewards should be available to and for the benefit of all. Therefore, WTF is an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants shall be afforded equal employment opportunities without discrimination because of race, color, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, age, sex/gender (including pregnancy and gender identity), disability, military status, veteran status, marital status, familial status, ancestry, genetics, or any other class or characteristic protected by federal, state or local law. Candidates from populations underrepresented in the theatre field are strongly encouraged to apply.
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