Job Opportunity: Executive Director, The Blue Door Theatre

Location: Spokane, WA

Employment Level: Contract, Part-time (20 hours per week)

Salary: $31,200

About Blue Door Theatre

The Blue Door Theatre (BDT), a nonprofit theater company, has been recognized as the premier Inland Northwest Theatre for performance and teaching of improvisational theatre, bringing laughs to the greater Spokane area since 1996. The BDT is located at the historic downtown Benewah Milk Bottle, where it runs a year-round schedule of performances, classes, workshops, and corporate training programs. The Blue Door Theatre includes the Spokane School of Improv, the Yes, And Art Gallery, and the BOOST Center for Organizational Excellence. More information is available at www.bluedoortheatre.org or www.spokaneschoolofimprov.org.

​

BDT provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, marital status, amnesty, or status as a covered veteran, in accordance with applicable federal, state, and local laws.

Job Description

The Executive Director

The Blue Door Theatre is looking for an Executive Director: someone who says "yes, and" to big ideas and then makes them happen. We need someone who excels in management and is  no afraid to take on large projects.

​

Here's what your work will look like:

• Run the show (offstage). You'll lead day-to-day operations in collaboration with the Board of Directors. You’ll build and fine-tune the systems that keep the BDT humming. You'll also manage our wonderful volunteers and contractors including instructors, camp leaders, building operators etc. We need to keep our operation running smoothly and effectively to stay operational.

• Be a great scene partner. You'll work hand in hand with our Artistic Director to find the sweet spot where creative risk-taking and healthy finances create institutional stability.

• Work with Everyone. Between you, the board, the artistic director, and the volunteer leads, our goal is to work together to create a long-range plan to grow and make BDT a well-known name across the PNW and improv world.

• Mind the money. Here at the BDT our revenue comes in two parts. Earned income (shows, classes, and camps), and also donations. It will be your job to prepare and monitor an annual balanced budget to ensure that the BDT meets or exceeds the revenue goals.

• Champion the cause. As our chief fundraiser, you'll write and manage grants, cultivate donors, and make the ask. Our organization can’t run without donations and we need someone who can take on the large task of finding funds and donors to keep our doors open. You’ll provide grant/proposal related support services to staff/volunteers, as well as grant management for all awards received.

• Fill the seats. Working with volunteer leads, you'll help with marketing, sales and promotional events that bring in audiences and students alike.

• Be our voice in the community. With the Artistic Director and Board, you'll represent the BDT in the media, at public events, and through partnerships with local and regional organizations.

• Stay connected to the Board. You'll report to the Board of Directors and join our regular (monthly) Board meetings.

Candidate Profile 

The ideal candidate:

• You've got a track record of strong leadership, including two-plus years of managing volunteers and/or theatre operations. 

• You've worked in the nonprofit sector and understand what it takes to make a mission successful.

• You're an experienced supervisor who loves mentoring. We want a culture of collaboration and everyone to feel welcome and part of the team.

• You're comfortable working independently and have initiative to get the job done.

• Willing to commit to BDT's mission and have the skills necessary to create a viable operating plan. You need financial discipline, transparency, and the ability to form true partnership with the BDT’s stakeholders.

• You have the ability to strategize, prioritize, and respond timely to new opportunities.

• You're a skilled financial manager who can hit goals, manage expenses, and maintain a positive year-end result regardless of outside forces.

• You're a clear communicator (written and spoken) and a great collaborator who knows when to lead and when to follow. You not only need to communicate within the organization but outside as well with the press and public.

• You’re a successful fundraiser and not afraid to go out and ask for funds.

• You have a demonstrable history of working on behalf of-- issues of equity, justice, diversity and inclusion.

• You have a passion for improv and know how theatres operate.

• Performing arts experience is a plus, but not a must.

​

Send a cover letter and resume to Jim Mohr at jim_mohr@bluedoortheatre.org by November 14 at 5:00 PM.  If you have any questions, you may contact Jim at the email listed or call 509-747-7045. Jim serves as the current volunteer Executive Director and is not applying for the position. He is happy to talk about the position.