Head of Community

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Reporting to NEW INC’s Director, the Head of Community is a senior member of the NEW INC team responsible for managing NEW INC’s Production Coordinator, overseeing our member community of 100 people, managing our 150+ person mentor program, acting as a liaison to our 650+ alumni and extended networks, and overseeing our annual open call process. This is a community-focused position with a strong emphasis on developing outreach strategy to recruit new members and mentors annually as well as the day-to-day operational activity required to execute programs of this level of complexity due to the large number of people participating in our program. Our members will rely on you as an ally during their time in our program, supporting them in their learning and growth as they work towards a more sustainable creative practice. Through your efforts, our far-reaching member community will feel supported and informed, and will leave NEW INC better prepared to sustain a resilient creative practice.

Our ideal candidate is a people person, capable of juggling multiple priorities, a caring team player, a caring manager, detail-oriented, and excellent at follow-through. The NEW INC team is small, and as a member of our team, you will be responsible for both dreaming big and also executing at the micro level. A team of peers will be your thought-partners in executing on your program, but the Community arm of our work is your domain.

This is a full time position with regular working hours of 40 hours per week, Monday to Friday, 10:00 am – 6:00 pm. Occasional evening and weekend work may be required for special events. This position is a union-represented position subject to terms of the Museum’s agreement with Local 2110, UAW, and is eligible for the New Museum’s employee benefits programs.

Responsibilities:

Responsible for developing NEW INC’s community engagement strategy that ensures member success. This includes being aware of the members and their individual projects, where they are in their entrepreneurial and creative journey, what their needs are, and making recommendations to the team for complementary program support. A core value of NEW INC is equity, and it is essential that our member community feels a true sense of agency, inclusion, and belonging in our program.
Develop and lead our annual Open Call and onboarding process. Our Open Call takes place each year from February- March. You will be responsible for rallying the NEW INC team around a cross-team project roadmap, and ensuring our success in realizing our Open Call goals. In any given year, and with the support of NEW INC’s Production Coordinator, Open Call activities include but are not limited to:
Conceptualizing and implementing a strategic communications plan for outreaching new applicants
Commissioning requisite open call communications materials and graphic assets
Distributing open call communications via public and private channels in coordination with NEW INC’s Marketing Assistant
Liaising with DEA and NEW INC’s Marketing Assistant to oversee marketing and programming direction for open call related events including Open House
Developing and publishing an effective and clear member application
Leading the team in an application review process with both internal and external reviewers
Developing and facilitating an applicant interview strategy and managing the Production Coordinator in creating an interview calendar
Tracking and reporting Open Call data collection based on applicant information and member onboarding forms
Being a key part of the decision making team selecting the final cohort
Develop and lead our annual Mentor recruitment and onboarding process, which includes:
Devising recruitment goals and communications strategy
Creating an application and vetting process for Mentors
Maintaining all inbound and outbound communications with prospective Mentors and extended professional community
Planning onboarding activities such as mentor onboarding and mentor-mentee matchmaking
Overseeing all details to do with setting mentors up for success at the start of their engagement
Develop and execute mentor contracts and MOUs, working with NEW INC’s Director, Deputy Director, and Program Manager to ensure that mentor program is in alignment with professional development program goals, and overall NEW INC program goals.
Oversee all data collection, reporting and synthesis as it relates to our Member and Alumni community, and liaise with New Museum Leadership, Development, Department of External Affairs, and the NEW INC Director when necessary to share that data through appropriate channels. The Head of Community is responsible for ensuring our members complete surveys, and collecting, analyzing, storing and sharing data as needed with the Director and museum leadership team.
Manage and distribute member access to NEW INC resources such as equipment rentals, locker assignments, and providing support on digital access to conference rooms, and other bookable resources.
Oversee and manage our Mentor Program. Collect, track, maintain, and streamline member and mentor information in NEW INCs backend software platforms (GSuite, Mailchimp, Calendly, Squarespace, YAMM, etc.). With the support of our Production Coordinator, this includes but is not limited to activities such as ongoing mentor communication, managing our office hours mentorship program (scheduling, matching, communicating, greeting, facilitating), selecting our annual Mentor-in-Residence cohort, overseeing ongoing mentor-mentee relationships, checking in with mentors, organizing mentor and mentor-member events, ensuring mentor representation at relevant events and participation in professional development activities, delivering annual program review survey, ensuring survey completion, and collecting, analyzing and distributing survey results.
Work with NEW INC’s Director to lead the member community in living our NEW INC values. As the lead steward of our Community Program, it is essential that the Head of Community at NEW INC is engaged in historical and evolving thinking around creating a more just and liberated society, specifically as it relates to cultural practice, gender identity, disabled and BIPOC communities. The Head of Community should be prepared to put that thinking into practice as it relates to the NEW INC community.
Develop and oversee a calendar of effective community programming. NEW INC is a people-first program, so we make sure our members have valuable social touch points throughout the year. The Head of Community is responsible for bi-monthly workshares, quarterly field trips, one Holiday Party, and one End of Year Party annually (twelve programs in total), and developing other community programs as appropriate.
Continuously seek ways to improve our workflow, so as to make it more manageable and efficient. This requires operational and systems thinking, and the ability to create repeatable tools and formats.
Responsible for the full oversight of accurate financial records to do with all community and Open Call event related expenses and payments, monthly membership payment tracking, and other expenses to do with Community Program.
Supervise the Production Coordinator including training, managing, and providing daily support.

Qualifications and Skills:

Has 6-8 years of relevant professional experience in community operations or management as a program designer and/or administrator
Experience developing and running open calls in creative communities preferable.
Feels comfortable doing outreach to prospective and mission-aligned partners to build relationships, expand our audiences, and spread the word about our offerings
Excellent communication skills, and are an experienced copywriter/editor
Experience with virtual and hybrid event production
Fluency in Zoom, Mailchimp, Squarespace, and G Suite is essential
Familiarity with Asana (or comparable project management software) is highly desirable
Exceptional organizational skills, with the ability to manage multiple projects while simultaneously interfacing with our member community
Previous experience working with a comparable community of creative practitioners and understands what needs or challenges these practitioners might have
A curious learner who is eager to find and share new models and connect the dots between people and ideas
Comfortable and confident in taking autonomous ownership over tasks within your purview and are always anticipating the next move, striving to improve systems and processes at every turn.

Benefits

We offer a full comprehensive benefits package that includes Medical, Dental, Vision, Employee Assistance Program (EAP), Flexible Spending Account (FSA), Health Reimbursement Program through the Difference Card, Commuter Benefits Program through the Difference Card, Voluntary Short Term Disability Plan and Long-Term Disability, Life Insurance, Retirement Plan, and other voluntary benefits.

Paid Time and Holidays Off

We offer full-time employees 15 days of paid time off, 8 sick days off and 13 holidays off as applicable through the fiscal year.

Equal Opportunity Employer

The New Museum of Contemporary Art believes that all persons are entitled to Equal Employment Opportunity, and we do not discriminate against our staff members or applicants for employment because of race, creed, color, religion, national origin, gender identity and expression, sex, age, disability, marital status, political affiliation, sexual orientation, genetic information, or veteran or citizenship status provided they are qualified and meet the requirements for the job. The New Museum provides Reasonable Accommodation to candidates with Disabilities. As per New York State Guidelines, all candidates hired must be vaccinated with the COVID vaccine.