Creative Jobs Collective Impact Initiative (CJCII) Strategist

Title: Creative Jobs Collective Impact Initiative (CJCII) Strategist
Status / Classification: Exempt
Department: Policy & Advocacy
Compensation: $80,000 – $85,000 anuually
Benefits: Health, vision, dental, CalSavers option, co-share working space, and gym membership
Status: Full time, 40/hours week
Location: Hybrid (remote with regular in-person activity required)
Reports to: CEO
Start Date: September/October 2024

About Arts for LA

Arts for LA (AFLA) activates artists and organizations and leads communities to advocate for an equitable, healthy, and creative Los Angeles region through the arts. 

Position Overview

Arts for LA is seeking a passionate and entrepreneurial creative strategist. The Creative Jobs Collective Impact Initiative (CJCII) Strategist will be a visionary, dynamic leader who can drive the implementation of the initiative and maximize Arts for LA’s role as the Backbone organization of a collective impact effort. More specifically, the strategist will design and execute an annualized operational plan for CJCII to achieve its three goals by 2030:

• Create parity between the regional population demographics and creative workforce representation;
• A sector-wide median entry-level wage ($26/hr as determined by MIT’s living wage calculator), and;
• 10,000 creative sector job placements centering youth and adults from historically underrepresented communities.

This will include the successful implementation of four primary workstreams (Nonprofit Resources, For-Profit Systems Change, Pathways & Pipelines, Equitable and Robust Arts Education Workforce), and key milestones, the execution of internal and external functions, communications, stakeholder engagement, and data functions. 

Responsibilities

The CJCII Strategist will manage partners and systems and be accountable for nurturing the efficiency and effectiveness of both, providing high-level strategic thinking and facilitation. Key responsibilities include:

Leadership:

• Provide visionary, adaptive leadership, modeling CJCII’s guiding values at all times and fostering a culture that reflects them;
• Establish, facilitate, and execute effective and open communication with staff, particularly related to internal decisions and strategy;

• Build and maintain relationships with Steering Committee, Implementation Body, and Workgroups; 
• Provide regular reports on progress against goals and indicators;
• Facilitate meetings with the CJCII Steering Committee and Implementation Body and act as a neutral arbiter in helping to resolve disputes or disagreements;
• Facilitate public events related to the initiative, including World Cafes, campaign dinners, and press events;
• Help identify and recruit additional cross-sector stakeholders to participate in the CJCII and serve as an on-record spokesperson for the initiative.

Fund development:

• Identify potential funding sources to support CJCII goals and priorities:
  • Oversee work of the grant writer.
  • Work with implementing agencies to provide information to support their grant applications.
  • Oversee CJCII grant reporting to funders as required.
• Track all CJCII funding, including funds from partner organizations;

Coalition Building:

• Coordinate with other projects and coalitions in the field to maintain a full understanding of the current landscape of local and regional activities, and integrate their work into Steering Committee and Workgroup processes. 

Communications:

• Facilitate communication between CJCII partners and local prevention and treatment agencies by hosting regular conference calls, in-person meetings, or coordinating regular email updates to ensure alignment of activity; 
• Create or manage creation of yearly summary reports of progress for Steering Committee, Implementation Body, and external audiences;

Systems Management:

• Oversee the development and implementation of a shared measurement system that will track common outcomes and indicators across the initiative and use results to inform learning and continuous improvement;
• Select, contract with, and oversee work of consultants as appropriate;
• Monitor and report on operational issues, opportunities, and achievements within agreed formats and timelines;
• Identify improvements in use of data-driven decision-making and ensure that data is collected, integrated, and communicated effectively across the organization.

Supervisory Responsibility

Initially, the CJCII Strategist will have one direct report — the CEO of Arts for LA — but the current organizational chart is subject to change as the team is likely to evolve over time. The CJCII Strategist will ultimately be responsible for recruiting and contracting top talent, building and managing a highly functioning team, work in conjunction with the Director of Policy & Advocacy, Campaigns Manager, and Communications Manager, and report to the CJCII Steering Committee.

Requisite Qualifications

This is an outstanding opportunity to play a critical role in expanding creative jobs in Los Angeles. The successful candidate will be able to demonstrate:

• Live and/or work in Los Angeles County
• At least 5-10 years of relevant work experience, including at least 3 years managing teams in a fast-paced and high-growth nonprofit, social enterprise, or business start-up environment
• At least five years of fundraising experience and demonstrated success in cultivating fundraiser relationships
• The executive presence to inspire confidence and passion in both internal and external audiences; 
• Advanced strategy and planning skills, including an ability to think strategically on both organizational and systemic levels over multi-year horizons
• Strong data acumen and ability to oversee complex shared-measurement systems
• Strong facilitation and presentation skills before multiple types of audiences
• Experience with complex project management and stakeholder management
• Existing relationships with, or ability to build relationships with, a cross-sectoral range of stakeholders in the local or regional area, including senior executives 
• A track record of leading, inspiring, and developing high performance teams
• Outstanding communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build authentic relationships with a diverse set of high profile stakeholders
• Comfort with ambiguity and ability to thrive in a fluid, entrepreneurial environment; willingness to “roll up one’s sleeves” and extend beyond formal responsibilities based on the needs of the work

Education requirements: Advanced degree in business, education, policy, or related field. Experience in a start-up environment preferred.

Compensation: Compensation for the position is competitive and commensurate with experience $80,000 – $85,000, depending on experience. Benefits include health, vision, dental, paid time off, retirement opt-in, and a coworking space membership (currently located in Downtown Los Angeles).

How to apply: Submit resume, cover letter, and list of contact information for three references to operations@artsforla.org with the subject line: “CJCII Strategist” no later than August 30, 2024.

AFLA is an equal employment opportunity employer and we strongly encourage diverse candidates to apply. AFLA does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religious creed, sex (including pregnancy), gender, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, age, medical condition including genetic characteristics, mental or physical disability, veteran status, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, (including transgender status), weight, height, linguistic characteristics (such as accent and limited English proficiency, were not substantially job-related), citizenship status, or any other basis prohibited by law. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.