Overview
About the Organization
Pakachoag Music School of Greater Worcester (Pakachoag) is dedicated to nurturing musical journeys that cultivate the imagination, inspire creativity, and develop artistry – for students of every age and cultural background. Pakachoag’s vision for its school, community, and the world is that everyone, no matter their age, background or circumstance, has equal access to a vibrant, creative life.
In response to cutbacks in funding for public school music programs, Pakachoag was founded in 1982 with programming that included music lessons and early childhood and musical theater programming. For over 40 years, Pakachoag has maintained its commitment to excellence in music education and has grown to be a school revered by students, families, alumni, faculty and the community.
Rated one of the top 75 cities in the country for a high quality of life, Worcester, Massachusetts is a vibrant, multicultural city and an increasingly desirable place for living and working. Pakachoag’s main office is situated in the beautiful and historic All Saints Church, near Worcester’s evolving downtown theater district in one direction and a diverse neighborhood of middle and low-income families – including White, Hispanic, African-American and refugee families from all parts of the world – in another. This location strategically offers opportunities to reach and engage both with city and suburban families.
Pakachoag believes that music is for everyone and offers programs to all ages – literally from birth into retirement. In addition to its main offices in Worcester, Pakachoag offers music education programs in Auburn, Shrewsbury, Sterling, Sturbridge, West Boylston and online for individual and shared learning experiences. Pakachoag is renowned for its Performance Programs that focus both the personal and technical growth of performers, and its Suzuki Violin and Cello Programs that are not offered at any other community music school in Worcester County.
In addition to its executive director, Pakachoag has a highly-valued and passionate full time Program Director and has recently onboarded an enthusiastic part time office manager. The organization also has a supportive and growing board of 10 and a dedicated professional faculty of 40. Pakachoag has an operating budget of approximately $500k.
Executive Transition
After more than 30 years of successful leadership, including growing the school’s budget more than tenfold, almost tripling the size of the faculty, and orchestrating a complicated facility move, Executive Director Sarah Smongeski has announced her upcoming retirement.
Responsibilities
The Opportunity
Pakachoag Music School of Greater Worcester is offering the opportunity for a mission-driven leader to lead a well-respected organization with highly effective programming through its next phase of growth.
Reporting to the Board of Directors, the Executive Director provides overall leadership, fundraising strategy, operations management, program oversight, and administration of the organization. The Executive Director serves as point of contact with key relationships, including students, caregivers, faculty members, community partners and funders.
Immediate key priorities identified for the executive director include:
Fundraising and Resource Development
The next Executive Director will design a successful and diversified fundraising strategy to ensure financial health, as well as the continuation of Pakachoag’s robust scholarship program. They will continue to pursue grant opportunities and will prioritize identification and cultivation of relationships with individual donors, foundations, and corporations. They will identify and pursue new and creative revenue strategies. They will work with the board to reinstate a development committee.
Strategic Planning and Organizational Sustainability
Pakachoag offers a wide array of highly effective, quality programming. The next Executive Director has the opportunity to evaluate current offerings and make strategic changes based on organizational strengths, community needs and financial impacts to the organization.
Community Outreach and Partnership / Collaboration Development
As the public face of the organization, the Executive Director will develop and manage a wide variety of community relationships, with students, care givers, faculty members, donors, educational institutions, and partner organizations in the Worcester community. They will lead a strategic marketing and public relations effort to increase the school’s visibility and impact.
Organizational Management
A key opportunity and high priority for the next Executive Director is to assess and streamline current operations, policies and practices to maximize efficiencies. They will bolster the current school culture and working environment that is highly professional, inviting and warm. They will serve as an inspirational leader and effective manager to staff and faculty members.
Board Development
The next Executive Director will actively recruit new board members to develop a diverse, engaged and effective Board of Directors. They will provide timely and accurate organizational information to the Board and will make recommendations to the Board to ensure sound financial management and organizational sustainability.
In addition to ensuring a successful executive transition, Pakachoag’s recent three-year strategic plan identified the following organizational priorities:
- Growing enrollment to create more equitable access to the arts and ensure the organization’s sustainability.
- Continuing to institutionalize the organization’s on-going commitment to growing and maintaining diversity of students, volunteers, and faculty.
- Maintaining an ongoing commitment to quality and excellence in programming.
- Ensuring financial sustainability through program and enrollment growth, board giving, donor cultivation, and grants.
Qualifications
The Ideal Candidate
This position requires an energetic, determined and highly relational leader with a passion for community music education and program development.
Other skills, experience, and personal attributes sought include:
- Operations assessment and implementation
- Proven fundraiser
- Board development and management
- Staff and faculty management, including recruitment, retention, coaching, and support
- Effective and engaging public face for the organization
- Ability to be highly organized and understand granular operations while seeing the big picture
- Effective communicator and listener
- Highly collaborative relationship builder with a wide variety of audiences and constituents
- Flexible, nimble and able to approach change with a sense of humor
A cultivated musician or experience with community arts education is a plus.
If you don’t think you meet all of the qualifications but do think you’d be a great match for us, please consider applying and sharing more in your cover letter. We’d love to talk with you to see what skills you can bring to our team.
How to apply
This search is being conducted by TSNE and Consultant Mimi Brunelle. Interested candidates should submit materials via the application link provided on this posting.
Electronic submissions sent through this link are preferred. All submissions will be acknowledged and are confidential within TSNE and the Pakachoag search committee.
Candidates should include a resume and a cover letter that describes how their qualifications and experience match the needs and mission of Pakachoag. The search will remain open and applications will be accepted until the right candidate is identified.
The Executive Director role is full-time and requires a regular presence during school hours that can include evenings and weekends. Salary is commensurate with relevant experience, within the framework of the organization’s annual operating budget, and in the approximate range of $80,000 – 95,000 annually.
Pakachoag Music School does not and shall not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion (creed), gender, gender identity or gender expression, age, national origin (ancestry), disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or military status, in any of its activities, programs, or operations. These activities include, but are not limited to, hiring and firing of staff, selection of volunteers and vendors, and provision of services. We are committed to providing an inclusive and welcoming environment for all members of our staff, faculty, students, volunteers, and vendors.