Managing Director - Boston City Singers

Join Us in Shaping the Next Chapter

Boston City Singers just celebrated its 30th anniversary, and we are seeking an exceptional Managing Director to partner with our Founding Artistic Director in leading one of Boston's most respected youth arts organizations into its next era of growth and impact.

This is a unique opportunity for an accomplished nonprofit leader who thrives at the intersection of strategy, operations, fundraising, and organizational leadership. The Managing Director will serve as the organization's senior administrative leader, ensuring that Boston City Singers has the operational excellence, financial strength, and organizational capacity to fulfill its mission for decades to come.

If you are energized by building systems, inspiring teams, cultivating philanthropic partnerships, and translating vision into action, we invite you to consider joining our community.

About Boston City Singers

Founded in 1995 in Boston's Dorchester neighborhood, Boston City Singers is an El Sistema-inspired youth music organization that transforms lives through exceptional choral education.

Serving singers from age four through high school across Dorchester, Jamaica Plain, and North Cambridge, we provide rigorous musical instruction while nurturing confidence, leadership, belonging, and social responsibility.

Our commitment to excellence, access, and inclusion has created a vibrant community where every young person is encouraged to discover their voice—both as a musician and as a leader.

Position Summary

The Managing Director is a senior organizational leader responsible for ensuring that Boston City Singers’ artistic, educational, administrative, and financial operations work together effectively to advance the organization’s mission. Working in close partnership with the Founding Artistic Director and Program Manager, the Managing Director translates the organization’s vision into strong execution—overseeing the annual artistic season, partnerships, performances, tours, recruitment, teaching artist placements, fundraising, financial management, communications, and day-to-day operations.

This is an ideal opportunity for a highly capable, collaborative leader who thrives at the intersection of strategy and execution. The successful candidate will bring strong organizational judgment, relationship-building skills, financial and operational acumen, and a deep appreciation for the transformative power of music education. They will be equally comfortable developing a long-term partnership strategy, reviewing a budget, leading a planning meeting with teaching artists, coordinating a complex international tour, and making sure the details of a concert come together beautifully.

What You'll Lead

Program & Artistic Leadership

• In collaboration with the Founding Artistic Director, plan, shape, and manage the annual artistic season, ensuring that programming reflects Boston City Singers’ mission, artistic standards, educational goals, and commitment to access and inclusion.
• Forge, cultivate, and sustain artistic partnerships and institutional collaborations that expand opportunities for Boston City Singers’ members and strengthen the organization’s artistic profile.
• Oversee artistic collaborations from conception through execution, ensuring that partners, staff, teaching artists, and singers have the communication, resources, and support needed for successful outcomes.
• Oversee the planning and execution of concerts, performances, special events, and other artistic programs, coordinating artistic, operational, logistical, and communications needs.
• In collaboration with the Program Manager, coordinate singer recruitment and enrollment efforts, working with teaching artists and staff to build strong pipelines of students and ensure that Boston City Singers reaches and serves the communities at the heart of its mission.
• In collaboration with our Tour Company, oversee all aspects of domestic and international tours and performance travel, including itineraries, transportation, accommodations, schedules, budgets, communications, risk management, permissions, and coordination with families, staff, teaching artists, and external partners.
• Manage the logistics and communications associated with teaching artist site placements, ensuring strong coordination among teaching artists, partner schools/sites, families, and Boston City Singers staff.
• Coordinate and facilitate artistic planning meetings with teaching artists, ensuring alignment around curriculum, repertoire, performance preparation, student development, scheduling, and organizational priorities.
• Work closely with the Founding Artistic Director and teaching artists to ensure that artistic and educational priorities are effectively translated into day-to-day programming and student experiences.
• Develop and maintain systems, calendars, timelines, and communication practices that enable the organization to successfully manage a complex artistic and educational season.
• Evaluate programmatic and artistic workflows and identify opportunities to strengthen quality, efficiency, communication, and the overall experience of singers, families, teaching artists, and partners.

Organizational Leadership

• Serve as the organization's senior administrative leader and strategic thought partner to the Founding Artistic Director.
• Implement organizational priorities and strategic initiatives.
• Foster a collaborative, inclusive, and mission-driven organizational culture.
• Identify opportunities to improve organizational effectiveness, efficiency, and long-term sustainability.
• Develop systems that enable staff to do their best work.

Development & External Relations

Lead the organization's fundraising strategy, including:

• Individual giving
• Major gifts
• Institutional fundraising
• Corporate partnerships
• Special events
• Annual appeals

You will:

• Cultivate and steward donor relationships.
• Identify and pursue new philanthropic opportunities.
• Write and oversee compelling grant proposals and reports.
• Expand Boston City Singers' visibility throughout Greater Boston.
• Strengthen community partnerships that advance our mission.

Financial & Operational Leadership

• Lead the annual budgeting process in partnership with the Treasurer, Finance Committee, and Founding Artistic Director.
• Monitor financial performance and organizational sustainability.
• Prepare financial and operational reports for the Board.
• Oversee administrative policies, systems, and compliance.
• Ensure sound operational practices across finance, human resources, technology, and administration.
• Manage financial aid processes.
• Oversee key administrative requirements including regulatory filings and background screening.

Board Partnership

Working closely with the Board of Directors, you will:

• Prepare board materials and meeting agendas.
• Support board committees.
• Provide timely financial and programmatic reporting.
• Assist with strategic planning.
• Help maximize board engagement, governance, and fundraising participation.

Who You Are

You are an experienced nonprofit leader who combines strategic thinking with operational excellence.

You enjoy building organizations, developing relationships, and helping mission-driven teams succeed.

You bring:

• Significant nonprofit leadership or executive management experience.
• Demonstrated success in fundraising and donor cultivation.
• Strong financial management and budgeting skills.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication abilities.
• Experience supporting or partnering with boards of directors.
• Outstanding organizational and project management skills.
• The ability to balance strategic priorities with day-to-day execution.
• A commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging.
• A collaborative leadership style rooted in integrity, transparency, and curiosity.

What Success Looks Like

Within your first year you will:

• Strengthen organizational systems and workflows.
• Expand fundraising capacity and philanthropic partnerships.
• Build strong relationships with board members, donors, staff, and community partners.
• Support implementation of strategic priorities as Boston City Singers enters its fourth decade.
• Help position the organization for long-term financial sustainability and continued artistic excellence.

Why Join Boston City Singers?

You'll join an organization with:

• Over 30 years of community impact.
• A nationally respected artistic program.
• A passionate and dedicated staff.
• A deeply engaged Board of Directors.
• A mission that transforms young lives through music.

Most importantly, you'll have the opportunity to help shape the future of an organization whose impact extends far beyond the concert stage.

Salary Range: $85,000-$110,000, commensurate with experience.

Boston City Singers offers a competitive benefits package.

English - fluent