Arts Council of Indianapolis

Director of Marketing and Communications Job Description

The Arts Council of Indianapolis is an independent nonprofit dedicated to fostering meaningful and
equitable engagement in the arts by nurturing a culture where artists and arts organizations thrive. As
the arts advocacy and service agency for Indianapolis, the Arts Council is responsible for promoting
Indy’s arts and culture sector by growing our reputation, creative economy, audience, and community
engagement in ways that sustain a A Full Creative Life for All. The Arts Council is increasing its focus on marketing and communications to meet the evolving needs of Indy’s dynamic arts and cultural
community and support the city’s inclusive growth, workforce, and economic development priorities.

To advance its mission, the Arts Council allocates public funding to arts and cultural organizations
through the City of Indianapolis Annual Grants Program; administers artist fellowships including the
Creative Renewal Arts Fellowship, the Robert D. Beckmann, Jr. Emerging Artist Fellowship, and the
DeHaan Artist of Distinction Award; provides programs, services, and technical assistance for artists, arts organizations, businesses, and community partners; manages the city’s public art program including the Public Art for Neighborhoods initiative; supports arts education in partnership with Indianapolis Public Schools; hosts Start with Art – one of the largest annual business and arts events in the nation; and owns/operates the Indianapolis Artsgarden, Gallery 924, and IndyArtsGuide.org. The Arts Council is based downtown at 924 N. Pennsylvania and is co-located with Gallery 924 and The Cabaret theatre.

Reporting to the president and CEO, the Director of Marketing and Communications plays an integral role on the Arts Council’s leadership team, clearly and consistently articulating the organization’s mission, vision, values, culture, and impact across all internal and external communications platforms and programs. The Director promotes the consumer-facing “Indy Arts” brand – building the reputation of inclusive engagement in central Indiana’s arts scene; the B2B Arts Council brand – developing and implementing strategies to strengthen the collective marketing capacity and capability of Indy’s arts organizations and artists; and enhancing the Arts Council’s value proposition with key stakeholders, including collaboration with corporations, community, and civic partners.

Major Areas of Responsibility
The ideal candidate will be an energetic, creative thought leader and team-player who demonstrates
inspired positive leadership, a relentless commitment to equity and collaboration, an authentic love of
all things Indy, active participation in Indy arts and culture, transparency, integrity, curiosity, and a
growth mindset, and a drive for excellence and innovation. As the Director guiding the day-to-day
operations of marketing and communications, this role will:

• Lead the creation and execution of annual strategic marketing, communications, and advocacy
  plans and campaigns and related budgets for Indy’s arts and culture sector as well as for specific ACI programs/services (including all activities at the Indianapolis Artsgarden and Gallery 924).
• Lead brand development and management for Indy’s arts and culture sector and ACI including
  strategic positioning, key messaging platform, and design standards.
• Develop and manage earned and paid media strategies and a comprehensive digital strategy
  including website and social media (for collaborative sector campaigns and ACI institutional).
• Collaborate with leadership team, arts, and civic partners to develop and manage an enterprise
  content calendar and channel strategy, including content for ACI’s website, social media, email campaigns, newsletters, and events. Includes leading content marketing program, CRM/SEO, marketing automation, campaigns, and related performance analytics.
• Manage and grow Indy Arts and ACI’s online community engagement, including key influencer strategy.
• Write and edit articles, news releases, digital content, newsletters, speeches, presentations, videos, collateral materials, and content to support grant applications/reports.
• Manage ACI’s publication strategy, including briefs, newsletters, impact, and annual reports.
• Define and develop ACI marketing shared services program to provide support and services to arts partners.
• Develop assets and programs to equip and empower Arts Council staff, board, arts partners, artists, and key stakeholders to be ambassadors for Indy arts.
• Support board, staff, and key stakeholder communications.
• Develop and support key community initiatives and partnerships, including corporate and business relationships that support engagement and fundraising priorities.
• Lead development of and manage ACI corporate sponsorship strategy and activation, including evaluation of sponsorship benefits and ROI, fulfillment, and CRM integration.
• Lead mission impact and marketing measurement, analytics, and reporting, including audience and economic impact research. Also includes monitoring, reporting and analysis of earned media coverage, social media engagement, campaigns, and other key performance metrics. Lead brand experience/strategy for ACI convenings and special events, including Start with Art.
• Lead the Arts Marketers group of arts marketing professionals.
• Develop and manage the Arts Council speakers’ bureau.
• Manage media and presentation training for staff, board, and partners as appropriate.
• Manage crisis communication planning in partnership with president and CEO.
• Supervise marketing communications team and storytelling interns.
• Some travel required to attend key events and conferences.

Qualifications:

• Min. 7-10+ years of experience, including marketing and communications leadership roles
• Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Communications, Journalism or a related field (knowledge of
  arts or social impact marketing and/or experience in client service/agency work is a plus)
• Mission-driven with deep commitment to Arts Council’s purpose
• Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal skills
• Strong design aesthetic and ability to work with agencies, artists, and designers
• Demonstrated skills and experience in branding, data analytics, CRM, and content marketing
• Must be flexible, adaptable and able to work in a fast-paced environment
• Must be service-oriented, working as an “in-house agency” providing expertise and consulting services across the enterprise
• Must have strong organizational skills and demonstrated project management experience
• Problem-solver with commitment to drive toward solutions
• Team player who enjoys collaborating to accomplish a dynamic set of priorities
• Experienced with tech platforms including GSuite, Salesforce, PowerPoint, Excel, Word,
  MailChimp, HootSuite, Zoom, Adobe Creative Suite, and others

Qualified applicants should send or email a letter, resume, and salary requirements to:

Julie Goodman
President and CEO
Arts Council of Indianapolis
924 N. Pennsylvania St., Indianapolis, IN 46204
jgoodman@indyarts.org

The Arts Council is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Applications will be accepted through Jan. 31, 2020.