Development & Operations Co-Director

“We Always Swing”® Jazz Series Development and Operations Co-Director

To apply, please send resume and cover letter to: info@WeAlwaysSwing.org

We will be accepting candidates until Nov. 6, 2026.

First round of interviews will take place before Thanksgiving, with the second round of interviews happening by December 11, 2026. Local applicants will interview in person. Candidates living outside of Boone County may interview over Zoom.

Ideally, we would like the new Development and Operations Co-Director to begin working early in 2027 (date is negotiable).

The “We Always Swing”® Jazz Series, one of Columbia, Missouri’s, long-standing non-profit arts endeavors, seeks a Development & Operations Co-Director to focus on fundraising and administrative matters, and share in co-leading the organization with the Artistic and Education Co-Director.

Position Description

The Development & Operations Co-Director works in tandem with the Artistic & Education Co-Director, whose Jazz Series tenure began during the 2010/2011 season. Each Co-Director works independently, overseeing differentiated and defined responsibilities, but also taking on some overlapping tasks. Cooperation, mutual respect, and clear communication between Co-Directors is essential.

The Development & Operations Co-Director is one of two executive-level positions. The selected candidate will serve as the organization’s main fundraiser and director of its business operations. The position requires practicality, preciseness, and creative, imaginative, and innovative thinking. The main goal of this position is to seek financial support for each Jazz Series “mission” (i.e., concerts, educational offerings, and community-wide endeavors), as well as obtaining support for the organization as a whole. To quote Jazz Series founder and outgoing Executive & Artistic Director Jon W. Poses, “We are only limited by our lack of creativity.”

Co-Directors report to the Jazz Series Board of Directors. The Board is composed of volunteer, jazz-loving concertgoers, educators, and musicians. The Board is solely responsible for hiring and terminating Co-Directors. The Board oversees policy. Co-Directors oversee daily operations and are responsible for hiring and terminating additional staff. Co-Directors consult with each other before adding or eliminating any position(s).

Salary and Benefits

• • Full-time position (salaried, exempt)
  • Compensation: $80,000/year gross.
  • Benefits:
  • Relaxed in-office work environment, with some flexibility on hours and occasional hybrid work
  • 10 paid vacation days
  • 12 paid holidays
  • 5 paid sick days
  • Health insurance subsidy
  • 3% matching contribution (Or dollar-for-dollar match up to 3% of compensation) under a SIMPLE IRA plan.
  • 90-day onboarding with current Development & Operations Co-Director
  • Relocation stipend negotiable for out-of-state hires

RESPONSIBILITIES: DEVELOPMENT & OPERATIONS CO-DIRECTOR

• • Financial Duties
  • Cultivate new donors for both yearly giving and for the “We Always Swing”® Jazz Foundation Fund
  • Cultivate new sponsors
  • Research, identify and apply for grants
  • Complete all required grant/foundation reports with the possible exception of those secured by Artistic & Education Co-Director
  • Demonstrate a commitment to maintain current donor and sponsor relationships
  • Administrative Duties
  • Ensure Jazz Series is in good standing with all Federal, State, and Local governments and agencies
  • Work with and be responsible to Finance Manager to ensure organization keeps up with requirements as they pertain to insurance, banking, credit card processing, government agency registration, corporate registration, and state sales tax/tax-exempt status
  • Ensure existing business relationships are in the best interests of the Jazz Series, both financially and ethically
  • Responsible for and taking the lead on all non-artistic related budget line-item entries and purchases, doing so in consort with Finance Manager
  • Work closely with Artistic & Education Co-Director to finalize artistic-related line-item budget entries
  • Event & Concert Duties
  • Coordinate with Artistic & Education Co-Director in advance of concerts/events
  • Be prepared to oversee back of house including:
    • Serve as artist liaison – communicate with artists/artists representative before, leading up to, during and after the show.
  • Make sure artists’ ground transportation arrangements are well-planned and communicated to artists and Jazz Series staff Assist with artist hospitality – either as primary person or in conjunction with contracted hospitality staff and/or caterer
  • Assist with front of house at the discretion of the Artistic & Education Co-Director
  • Shared Co-Director Duties:
  • Plan and attend board meetings – create agenda and send in advance to the Board
  • Build budget for board approval with each Co-Director taking the lead on germane line items
  • Assist with sale of tickets as needed
  • Attend all subscription and other concerts/events
  • Assist with concerts and other events
  • Raise funds

WHAT MAKES A SUCCESSFUL CANDIDATE:

• • Preferably FIVE [5] years of experience and demonstrated success in a nonprofit setting, including:
  • Grant writing, grant management
  • Obtaining corporate sponsorships
  • Fundraising and membership programs with individual donors
  • Engaging community in fundraising
  • Budgeting and finance administration
  • Personal Skillset, Characteristics and Approach:
  • Has a deep passion for the arts
  • Knowledge of jazz is advantageous but not required
  • Knowledge of event planning and presentation, especially LIVE public events is a plus
  • Is creative, spontaneous, and calm in crises or unexpected developments
  • Is a problem solver
  • Has computer skills using email, internet, and Microsoft Office and/or G Suite
  • Knowledge of graphic design a plus
  • Is detail-oriented and organized
  • Maintains a sense of humor
  • Sees themselves as a good fit with the Jazz Series and its Co-Director model.

OUR PLEDGE:

The Jazz Series strives to have a diverse staff that represent our community. We particularly encourage people of color, people with disability experience, and people connected to communities with limited economic opportunity to apply. The Jazz Series values inclusion, diversity, and equity, and does not discriminate based on race, color, religion, gender, age, national origin, ancestry, sexual orientation, or disability.

About The “We Always Swing”® Jazz Series:

Founded July 1, 1995, the Jazz Series has evolved from a small, home-grown local project with a $31,000 annual budget, into a community mainstay with a $450,000 annual budget. The Jazz Series is now recognized and well-respected nationally as one of the country’s finer all-jazz, concert-producing and educational organizations. More than three decades since launching, the independently run Jazz Series remains steadfast in its mission: To Present, Promote, Preserve and Celebrate the great global art form known as Jazz.

Currently celebrating Season #32, the Jazz Series fulfills its four-pronged mission by producing an annual 10- to 13-concert subscription series, with each performance attracting some of the world’s finest musicians. The Jazz Series has offered Columbia and the Central Missouri Region the opportunity to attend more than 400 major concerts, cumulatively featuring some 2,000 internationally known jazz artists.

In addition to concert presentation, the Jazz Series offers a myriad of educational activities involving grades K-12, produced in partnership with the Columbia Public School District, as well as educational activities that reach aspiring musicians in association with the University of Missouri School of Music’s Jazz Studies Department. The Jazz Series staff works closely with the area’s many talented jazz musicians to enhance performance opportunities for them, which results in offering Columbia citizens a plethora of free and nominally priced admissions to events.

The Jazz Series’ easily accessible, approximately 1,000 square foot downtown store front, is home to its small full- and part-time staff, a box office, and The Von Freeman Memorial Library, which houses 10,000 recordings and related literature.

About Columbia, MO:

Columbia, Missouri, offers an exceptional quality of life that combines small-town community spirit with vibrant, big-city culture. As the home of three universities and colleges, the city benefits from a dynamic atmosphere and highly educated populace. Columbia boasts deep community support for the arts, anchoring non-profits like the "We Always Swing" Jazz Series and nationally known cultural events such as the True/False Film Festival and Unbound Book Festival. From the Katy Trail State Park to the Missouri River, there are no shortages of outdoor adventure. Additionally, the 219,000 residents of the greater Columbia area enjoy high safety, low crime, and an attractive cost of living. Overall expenses are approximately 10% below the national average making Columbia one of the nation's most desirable places to live.

Relaxed in-office work environment, with some flexibility on hours and occasional hybrid work

10 paid vacation days

12 paid holidays

5 paid sick days

Health insurance subsidy

3% matching contribution (Or dollar-for-dollar match up to 3% of compensation) under a SIMPLE IRA plan.

90-day onboarding with current Development & Operations Co-Director

Relocation stipend negotiable for out-of-state hires