Associate Director, Strategic Planning

About BRIC:

BRIC is a leading arts and media institution anchored in the Downtown Brooklyn Arts District whose work spans contemporary visual, music, and performing arts, media, media education, and civic engagement action. For over forty years, BRIC has shaped Brooklyn’s cultural and media landscape by presenting and incubating artists, creators, students, and media makers. As a creative catalyst for their community, BRIC ignites learning in people of all ages and centralizes diverse voices that take risks and drive culture forward. BRIC builds Brooklyn’s creative future.

About the Associate Director, Strategic Planning Role:

BRIC seeks an Associate Director of Strategic Planning to support the development and execution of key initiatives across BRIC departments. Reporting to the Chief Program Officer (CPO), the Associate Director of Strategic Planning will work with program leaders to move key projects from ideation to achievement with a special focus on initiatives identified in BRIC’s Strategic Plan. The Associate Director of Strategic Planning will support administrative, operational, and curatorial work for exhibitions, artist opportunity initiatives, public programs, and other projects to ensure the smooth functioning of the department, its exhibitions, and programs.

What You’ll Do in the Role:

The Associate Director of Strategic Planning will be responsible for the following in addition to any other project as assigned by their manager, the Chief Program Officer:

Project Management:

• Summarize and present relevant third-party research, informing and advising the CPO on pertinent trend analysis to inform strategic decision-making.
• Develop presentations and reports on institutional and strategic issues.
• Facilitate long and short-term working groups needed to execute projects identified by the CPO. This may include curatorial, workforce development, disability arts, educational, and external stakeholder collaboratives.
• Oversee the execution of strategic projects, tracking progress and measuring success against key performance indicators (KPIs).
• Work with CPO and Administrative Assistant to create and update program and exhibition calendars (Stoop, cafe, artist studio, ballroom, swing space, gallery, project room, and hallway exhibitions) and maintain installation schedules and production timelines.
• Analyze financial and operational data to identify growth opportunities and areas for improvement.
• Work across departments (Community Impact, Contemporary Art, Adult & Youth Education, BRIC TV, Brooklyn Free Speech, and Celebrate Brooklyn) to foster a culture of strategic thinking and continuous improvement.

Special Projects in Education and Curation:

• Lead the development and execution of an inclusive and innovative curatorial collaborative program that fosters collaboration across disciplines, institutions, and communities. Oversee the conceptualization, planning, and implementation of the curatorial collaborative, ensuring alignment with the institution’s mission and commitment to diversity, accessibility, and engagement.
• Build and maintain partnerships with artists, scholars, institutions, and community organizations to foster a network of contributors and collaborators.
• Develop strategies to increase audience engagement and accessibility, including educational programs, digital initiatives, and interpretive materials.
• Work with development teams to identify funding opportunities, write grant proposals, and secure sponsorships to support curatorial initiatives.
• Lead cross-functional teams in the planning and execution of curatorial projects, ensuring timely and efficient delivery.
• Assist with the administration of two large annual open-calls (BRIClab Contemporary Art and Video Art) and prepare applications for panel review; arrange and participate in meetings.
• Manage applications, assist in the selection finalists, conduct interviews, plan residency timeline, act as liaison to artists in residence, organize and participate in studio visits, and coordinate administrative and operational needs of their residencies, including contracts, move in/move out, orientation, exhibitions, events and programs, assigning mentors.
• Event support, preparation, and attendance at spring Open Studios event and various special projects.

Operations

• Supervise seasonal interns, fellows, and assigned staff.
• In collaboration with Marketing staff, maintain and report on visitor attendance statistics; set up and maintain visitor registration systems.
• Manage public program and event logistics including drafting event production sheets; overseeing event logistics; acting as liaison to tech crew and artists; coordinating DEIA support, providing basic hospitality to presenters; providing hospitality for openings, receptions, and other public events.
• Curatorial research projects and writing, editing, and proofreading of artist biographies and exhibition and residency text as needed.
• Schedule and attend studio visits with artists.
• Package, ship, and help log program merchandise and catalog sales.

Administration:

• Manage and process routine and special payment requests for artists, program presenters, vendors, etc. Manage departmental petty cash and credit card accounting, and maintain project budget expense tracking.
• Create and update exhibition calendars (gallery, project room, and hallway exhibitions) and maintain installation schedules and production timelines.
• Prepare and share marketing press lists, create and send marketing invitations for events and programming.
• Other administrative duties include planning, coordinating and organizing meetings and events; taking meeting notes; maintaining extensive records and documents; and drafting correspondence and other documents.

You’ll Bring these Skills and Strengths to the Role:

• Mission & Values Alignment: A passion for BRIC’s support of the arts in Brooklyn and a deep commitment to building community, igniting learning and making change through the arts and creativity.
• Experience & Qualifications:
  • Bachelor's Degree or equivalent required, Masters Degree or equivalent preferred
  • At least 5-7 years of directly related professional experience
  • Strategic thinker
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills
  • Demonstrated experience working with diverse communities
  • Demonstrated experience with equity and inclusion practices, especially in relation to race, gender, disability, and social justice practices
  • Demonstrated experience facilitating groups and leading collaboration
  • Knowledge of community engagement, social-practice arts, and community/cultural organizing principles and practices.
  • Knowledge of Brooklyn and NYC arts community, especially community-based organizations
• Communication: An emotionally intelligent, values, and results-driven team player who can collaborate across departments and at all levels of the organization. An excellent communicator who prioritizes service to stakeholders.
• Commitment to Equity & Inclusion: Brings experience operationalizing equity within this role.

Other Things to Know:

• Compensation: The annual salary range for this position is $65K - $80K.
• Status and location: This is a full-time, non-exempt role based in our Brooklyn office.
• Benefits: BRIC has a comprehensive benefits package, including: paid time off, 403B retirement plan, pre-tax transit cards, medical flexible spending plans and more. BRIC currently pays 100% of the premium for employee medical, dental
• and vision coverage starting on the first of the month after 2 months of
• employment.
• Mission & Values: BRIC is committed to building Brooklyn's creative future. We advance opportunities for visual artists, performers, and media makers. We present bold work that reflects diverse audiences and speaks to the world. We ignite learning in people of all ages. We unite Brooklyn through art and creativity to build community and make change.

How to Apply:

All applicants must submit a resume together with a cover letter outlining the ways in which their skills and experience align with our specific needs via our online application portal found here on our website. Candidates of color and from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds are highly encouraged to apply.

BRIC is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, age, religion, creed, disability, military and veteran status, genetic information or any other factor which cannot be used as a basis for an employment decision.