Job Description

Reports to: Executive Director
Position Type: Exempt, Full-Time, On-site or Hybrid (not remote)

About the New England Foundation for the Arts

The New England Foundation for the Arts (NEFA) is a 501(c)3 social impact organization that builds, sustains, and fights for arts and culture through grantmaking, partnerships, and advocacy in New England, the nation, and beyond.

As an organization, NEFA believes the freedoms to create, access, express, and share arts and culture are human rights and essential to a just society and thriving communities. As an employer, we are dedicated to dismantling the systemic inequities, barriers, and actions that have excluded individuals and communities from professional opportunities.

NEFA is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and is invested in creating an equitable and inclusive working environment and organizational culture. We are committed to hiring individuals who share and support our values, and who reflect the diversity of the communities we serve. NEFA does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, age, veteran status, or any other classes or characteristics protected by law.

About the Position

The Chief Impact Officer (CIO) is a dynamic, analytical, and collaborative leader responsible for driving the strategic design, implementation, and evaluation of NEFAs portfolio of programs, and developing a compelling and comprehensive storytelling strategy about the impact of NEFAs work.

As a member of NEFAs Executive Team, the CIO reports to the Executive Director (ED) and partners with the Chief Operating Officer (COO). As a team, they are collectively responsible for developing, stewarding, and deploying the resources that power the organizations work and service to the field. The executive team is charged with designing and implementing policies and plans that enhance NEFAs ability to weather change, navigate short and long-term risk, and contribute to building the sustainability of the arts and culture sector in shifting financial, social, and political landscapes.

The ideal candidate is a systems thinker and equity-focused leader who will bring a deep understanding of arts programming, grantmaking, research methods, data-driven decision-making, collaborative design, and communications strategy. As the organizations primary architect for evaluation and assessment, the Chief Impact Officer will play a critical role ensuring NEFAs programs are aligned with the strategic plan, A Mission Forged in Collaboration, that they remain relevant in the current arts and culture landscape, are intentionally informed by constituents needs, and deliver impactful outcomes.

The Chief Impact Officer supervises staff and work across programs, including grantmaking and services, advocacy and communications; identifying themes and trends, creating opportunities for connection, and fostering and enhancing collaboration across teams and the organization. Externally, the Chief Impact Officer will identify and leverage public opportunities to enhance the visibility of NEFAs impact and promote its leadership in the field. They will be committed to building and strengthening external relationships with constituents, peers, and networks to further inform, connect and expand NEFAs work.

This is a new position that will evolve over time.

Essential Functions % of Time

Organizational Leadership & Management 30%

• Serve as a core member of NEFAs Executive Team and Leadership Committee, working as an inclusive and collaborative leader, informing and contributing to decisions regarding strategy, capacity, and culture, setting organizational priorities and benchmarks, and assessing and evaluating outcomes.
• Work in close collaboration with the ED, COO, staff and board members on continued implementation of NEFAs strategic plan, refining the organizations evaluation strategy and tools, and supporting teams with ongoing planning and assessment processes.
• Support the ED, COO, and Director of Finance during the annual budgeting process, providing high-level insight into annual program and communications planning, financial needs, and identifying opportunities for deeper investment.
• Work with staff to streamline and establish meeting strategies that create intentional space and opportunities for exchange and learning across teams to promote and reinforce the value of cross-org collaboration.
• Develop and maintain strategic relationships with leaders in the national arts, nonprofit, advocacy, and funding fields to keep in touch with current thinking, developments and opportunities for NEFA.
• Cultivate relationships with NEFA constituents, peers, advisors, funders, and other stakeholders; identify and engage opportunities to develop and strengthen partnerships and explore conversations with potential collaborators with a focus on improving field stability and enhancing organizational impact.
• Participate in NEFA Board of Directors and board committee meetings; apprise the board and stakeholders on program strategy, activities, and impact.

Program Strategy and Evaluation 30%

• Lead programmatic strategy in alignment with NEFAs mission, vision, values, and priorities as a social impact organization.
• Drive evidence-based program design and evolution; use data, research, and constituent input to identify fieldwide needs and strategic opportunities where NEFA is well positioned to serve; assess capacity and resources to take on new initiatives; generate ideas for new directions and feasible approaches.
• Partner with the ED to co-design and implement a dynamic, adaptable program evaluation system; work with program leaders to articulate annual and long-term program goals; define and set benchmarks to articulate impact and define success.
• Facilitate efforts to assess program processes, finding opportunities to streamline workflows or build consistency, and ensure continued legal and funder compliance.
• Partner with the COO and Senior Director of Technology and Data to ensure NEFAs technical systems are effectively supporting NEFAs programmatic work and ambitions; explore new tools and methodology for program delivery; include Technology and Data team in program planning, research, and evaluation efforts.
• Synthesize and write about program learning to assist internal program planning efforts, inform funder proposals and relationship building, and external storytelling.
• Convene all program staff regularly to facilitate cross-program dialogue and learning.

Impact Storytelling & Communications 25%

• Lead and partner with the communications team to develop compelling and effective storytelling strategies, narrative content, campaigns, reports, and messaging that promote and elevate program successes and convey the impact of NEFAs organizational work.
• Support communications staff with setting and maintaining the organizations brand, visual identity, written positioning, and social media strategy, ensuring NEFAs public profile and relations are aligned with the organizations mission, vision, values, and strategic priorities.
• Partner with the ED, communications and program staff to assess and contribute to efforts to enhance and appropriately scale NEFAs portfolio of advocacy efforts and activity in alignment with the organizations strategic direction.
• Support, and strengthen collaboration between communications and program staff, aligning planning timelines, creating space for brainstorming and exchange, and mapping implementation strategies.
• Support communications staff to design innovative messaging and implementation strategies that leverage a variety of tools, formats, and platforms to enhance and expand NEFAs reach.
• Collaborate with Senior Development Director to leverage program storytelling as content for funding proposals and reports; contribute to efforts to identify and cultivate prospective funders and donors; update program staff and gather input on funder cultivation and stewardship strategies.

Supervision and Staff Leadership 15%

• Provide leadership, decision-making, and general guidance to direct reports in all areas; support direct reports set goals and objectives for their departments and teams.
• Motivate and equip direct reports with tools that support delivering annual goals and objectives, setting and monitoring clear performance metrics, providing ongoing feedback and annual reviews, and implementing performance action plans as needed.
• Mentor staff and encourage and promote professional development and growth opportunities.
• Regularly represent the organization at conferences, meetings, performances, and other events and strategic opportunities; report on learning and outcomes.
• Participate in organization-wide convenings and events, planning sessions, and working groups.

Scope

Does this position supervise others? Yes. 5-6 Director-level staff, each of whom supervise teams of 1-2 FTEs.

Internal/External Contacts

Cultivate and maintain positive relationships with all members of the NEFA staff. Collaborate with fellow members of the Executive Team and Leadership Committee on all organizational opportunities and concerns. Supervise lead staff in programs and communications and build and maintain positive relationships with their individual team members. The CIO will work with all NEFA staff in some capacity, but will partner closely with the Senior Development Director, Senior Technology & Data Director, and Director of Finance frequently on specific efforts. Work with a variety of external stakeholders and constituents including]]> <

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