Associate Director, Digital Innovation Initiative

The Digital Innovation Initiative of The Music Center is at the forefront of creating cultural experiences that seamlessly blend technology with the arts. By integrating emerging, immersive, and participatory technologies, they are crafting experiences that are both meaningful and inspiring for the people of Los Angeles. As thought leaders, they are actively shaping the future of culture in Los Angeles at the intersection of the arts and emerging technology.

The Music Center's TMC Arts division is looking for an Associate Director to join its Digital Innovation Initiative (DII) team. In this role, the selected candidate will be responsible for providing support in designing and researching innovative programming models for TMC Arts. The DII aims to develop creative and interactive digital experiences for its audience, and the Associate Director will play a crucial role in achieving this goal. The ideal candidate will have a proven aptitude to lead complex events/programs/projects working with large and diverse program and production teams.

TMC Arts, provides year-round programming that share engagement as the driving curatorial value---providing artistic experiences that are relevant to Los Angeles’ diverse communities and aligned with its fundamental civic responsibility as stewards of public funding and public space.

The Music Center is L.A.'s premiere performing arts destination, convening artists, communities, and ideas with the goal of deepening the cultural lives of every resident in Los Angeles County.

Position Summary:

Reporting to the Senior Director of Digital Innovation, the Associate Director is responsible for project management of DII programs, including Plaza Augmented, Town Hall Social, TMC Immersive, and various collaborations with internal and external partners.

Responsibilities:

• Under general direction of the Senior Director, the Associate Director will design policies, procedures, and strategies to meet program objectives
• Liaise with external partners, such as artists, culture makers, designers, creative technologists, studios, and cultural/community organizations to execute the vision of the DII programs
• Liaise internal partners, such as the Producing, Marketing and Communications, and Advancement department. This position is not responsible for the production of projects within the program but works collaboratively with the Production/Producing department to execute a project
• Effectively communicate with internal and external stakeholders to maintain a smooth workflow
• Determine feasibility of programs
• Assist in the evaluation and selection process of program curation
• Assist in the research and development process of DII's business model, by helping to prototype and launch new offerings (i.e. digital asset sales, virtual platform development, etc.)
• Oversees program operations and leads and coordinates all the activities of program teams and partners
• Oversee and direct staff as needed, and troubleshoot issues that may arise
• Liaise with the Evaluation & Learning department to execute data collection and measurement strategies
• Develops budgets and manages costs for all DII activities
• In collaboration with Advancement, manage the grant proposal process as needed
• Work with General Manager to generate contracts for all engagements where a contract is required
• Negotiate and execute artist and presentation and or co-production contracts
• Collect required information and forms to fully execute the contract
• Ensure the contract is executed as outlined
• Execute logistics of programming details
• Monitor progress of program projects from start to finish
• Meet programming timelines and deliverables
• Work with marketing and communications staff to communicate expectations and descriptions of the public experience of projects
• Review any potential conflicts, overlaps, or places for collaboration with other programs being presented by TMC Arts or resident companies
• Act as point of contact for internal departments and external vendors during planning process, day of event, and days following the events
• Manage costs for all associated DII activities
• Provide data and other information for all TMC related meetings including Board meetings, in support of further development of DII programs
• Develop and maintain effective and on-going internal and external relationships (including vendors, volunteers and the public) and serves as a primary point-of-contact for the department. Keeps the Senior Director informed of work progress and potential problems as well as innovative solutions to address problems
• Work early mornings, nights, weekends, and holidays as needed
• Performs other duties as required as designated by the Senior Director

Qualifications:

• BA/BS in art, media and creative technology or related field
• Bachelor's Degree or equivalent educational/professional experience
• A minimum of 5-7 years of programming/project management/booking/community partnership/curation experience across a variety of disciplines including but not limited to diverse styles of music, dance, visual arts, etc.
• 5+ years of experience in the creative technology sectors of arts and entertainment, including XR, gaming, performance capture or similar.
• In-depth knowledge of the existing media and technology arts field, highly desired
• Ability to develop and foster strong relationships with stakeholders (e.g. artists, community spaces, curators, peer organizations/programs, creative technologists, technology vendors, etc.)
• Demonstrated track record of setting out programming vision and delivering successfully on that vision
• Minimum 3 years of supervision experience of part-time and contingent workforce
• Demonstrated experience with event project management, event design thinking, event timelines, event roles and responsibilities, etc.
• Meticulous record-keeping and budgeting skills
• Experience working in organizations with a community-based/engagement, diversity/equity/inclusion-based, and/or access-focused, public-serving vision, highly desired
• Experience navigating large institutions, with highly matrixed reporting structures and communication environments
• Media/arts professional with strong project leadership
• Previous programming roles in arts nonprofits and/or digital media, preferably roles emphasizing increasing access to underserved desired
• Superior command of the program development process, including extensive demonstrated experience with project management of projects in the creative industries (media, performance, etc.)
• Experience negotiating and executing artist and presentation and or co-production contracts
• Experience working in diverse performance/presentation environments (both traditional and non-traditional including outdoors)
• Adaptable multi-faceted programmer, pushing beyond established areas of artistic expertise to seek new and diverse content
• Ability to manage wide-ranging and complex simultaneous projects is crucial
• Ability to excel in a highly collaborative and interdependent environment that requires multi-tasking
• Pro-active and self-directed strong work ethic
• Proficiency in technology and technology-based communications, and full proficiency in computer use: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook, is required
• Able to lift and move at least 40 pounds unassisted
• Must have a reliable source of transportation
• Spanish language skills desired

Vaccination Policy: The Music Center requires its employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19, subject to certain exemptions as required by law. New hires working at The Music Center must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, receiving either the primary 2-dose or 1-dose vaccine. At the Music Center, fully vaccinated is defined as 14 days after receiving the second dose of the 2-dose vaccine (Pfizer or Moderna) or 14 days after receiving the 1-dose vaccine (J&J). Please contact The Music Center’s Human Resources Department for a copy of the vaccination policy.

Salary: The salary range for this position is $90,000 - $100,000 a year. This is a full-time, exempt position. Compensation package includes medical, dental and vision health plans, welfare insurance benefits, a 401(k) plan with employer contribution, and paid vacation and sick days. Compensation package includes medical, dental and vision plans, group term life insurance, flexible spending accounts, vacation and sick accruals, and 401(k) plan with employer match.

The weekly administrative schedule is 35 hours per week, approximately 9 am – 5 pm Monday to Friday, with adjustments to accommodate special events and activities. Currently, The Music Center practices a hybrid (remote with scheduled onsite team days) weekly schedule and work onsite/in person for live events, which may require on-site support. This scenario may change and is also subject to the responsibilities of the position.

Please submit a cover letter and resume. Incomplete submissions will not be considered.

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