Theater Alliance Deputy Director Washington, DC · Full time Company website

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Mission: Theater Alliance creates bold, socially conscious work that is rooted in justice, powered by local artists, and built to ensure our community is central to everything we do.

Vision: Theater Alliance serves our community through innovative, diverse work – live performance, civic engagement, and creative expression. We make theater that inspires action, brings people together, and empowers humanity. We make thought-provoking theater that leaves you with more questions than you came with. An alliance by design, we anchor a multidisciplinary space and a new model for the arts: creating infrastructure, sharing resources, and growing a thriving ecosystem. With justice at the core of our operations, we amplify underrepresented voices, welcome all, and invest in the people who make the work possible. We believe the arts are a central tenet of a flourishing society.

Values: Solidarity, Excellence, Justice, Authenticity.

Position Summary

The Deputy Director is Theater Alliance's senior operational and advancement leader, the person who runs the internal organization so the Executive Artistic Director can lead externally, and who owns the advancement infrastructure that grows Theater Alliance's community of donors, audiences, and civic partners.

This is a dual-scope role. On the operational side, the Deputy Director manages cross-departmental accountability, staffs the EAD, owns board governance, and ensures the organization is aligned, moving, and well-run. Serves as the EAD's primary internal partner so the EAD can focus on artistic leadership and external relationships. On the advancement side, the Deputy Director leads marketing and communications infrastructure -  supervising the Advancement & Strategic Growth Manager and the Hospitality & Engagement Manager, and ensuring Theater Alliance's story is being told and its donor relationships are being built.

This is the right role for someone who is equally comfortable in a board meeting and a team meeting, who can think strategically and execute operationally, and who is energized by the challenge of building organizational capacity at a pivotal moment. Theater Alliance is opening a permanent home, doubling its staff, and entering a major growth phase. The Deputy Director joins at exactly the right moment.

Theater Alliance is a service organization. The Deputy Director understands that every system built, every donor stewarded, every staff member supported exists to serve artists and community — and brings that ethic to everything they do.

Responsibilities:

Organizational Operations & Systems

• Own internal organizational communications: staff meeting agendas, all-hands updates, and cross-departmental coordination
• Own Monday.com as the organizational project management platform: maintain workflows, onboard staff, and ensure the system is being used consistently
• Take and distribute notes at all staff meetings, turning them into clear action items
• Coordinate organizational calendar in collaboration with the team
• Support the development and maintenance of organizational policies, procedures, and the employee handbook

EAD Support & Executive Coordination

• Manage the EAD's organizational priorities: track action items, follow-up, and deadlines 
• Prepare the EAD for meetings, events, and external engagements: briefing materials, talking points, and logistical coordination
• Handle EAD correspondence and communications as directed — strong writing, proofreading, and command of Theater Alliance's voice are essential; AI tools may support but never replace judgment, humanity, and authentic organizational voice
• Remove blockers for staff - if the EAD is holding something up, surface it and solve it
• Own Google Drive organization: keep files current, consistently named, archived, and structured so anyone can find what they need without asking

Advancement Leadership

• Own Theater Alliance's marketing and communications strategy: brand, messaging, audience development, and organizational storytelling across all channels
• Set the creative and strategic direction for all marketing campaigns, season launches, and public communications in close collaboration with the EAD and Associate AD
• Responsible for ticket and earned revenue goals
• Oversee press and media relations: cultivate journalist relationships, coordinate press releases, and build Theater Alliance's visibility locally, regionally, and nationally
• Design and manage the fundraising infrastructure that supports the EAD's frontline donor work: systems, calendars, tracking, and follow-through
• Supervise the Advancement & Strategic Growth Manager on donor engagement strategy, major donor stewardship, development events, and grant management
• Supervise the Hospitality & Engagement Manager on patron experience, box office, third space activation, and marketing execution
• Build and track audience development metrics: first-time attendee conversion, patron retention, demographic data, and earned revenue growth
• Build regular feedback loops — surveys, post-show input, community listening — that inform programming, hospitality, and outreach

Board Support & Governance

• Staff all board meetings: prepare agendas, logistics, minutes, and follow-up
• Maintain board records, contact information, and governance documentation
• Track board action items and follow-up on behalf of the EAD
• Support board committee meetings: scheduling, materials, and logistics

Hub Partner & External Coordination

• Support partner communications on behalf of the EAD: coordinate scheduling, logistics, and follow-up
• Attend partner meetings as directed; take notes and track action items
• Support special projects and organizational initiatives as assigned by the EAD

Cross-Functional & Organizational Responsibilities

• Show up as a welcoming, knowledgeable, and energizing presence for everyone who interacts with TA; theater is a service industry and every member of the team is a representative of the organization
• Participate actively in staff meetings, organizational planning, company events, opening nights, and all-hands gatherings
• Contribute to organizational culture, process improvement, and institutional knowledge-building
• Perform other duties as assigned

Qualifications

We value demonstrated ability and relevant experience over credentials.

• Demonstrated experience in nonprofit management, arts administration, or a closely related field — with exposure to both operational and advancement functions
• Strong organizational and project management skills: ability to track multiple priorities, manage deadlines, and follow through without heavy direction
• Experience in marketing, communications, or development 
• Experience supervising staff or managing a team
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including discretion and sound judgment with sensitive organizational information
• Proficiency with project management tools — Monday.com, Google Workspace, or comparable
• Commitment to Theater Alliance's justice-driven, community-rooted mission and values
• A genuine team orientation and spirit of partnership — with internal colleagues, partners, and external stakeholders
• Commitment to the idea that theater is a service industry, and that the work we do exists to serve our community, our artists, and the world around us
• Experience in a performing arts or multidisciplinary arts organization
• Familiarity with board governance and nonprofit organizational management
• Experience with EvolvArts, Salesforce, or a comparable CRM
• Knowledge of the DC philanthropic and arts funding landscape
• Interest in organizational leadership and executive arts administration

Classification: Full-Time, Exempt. We consider this role to be full-time, noting that the position will fluctuate between periods of intense in-person participation and periods of largely remote engagement, flowing with the cadence of a producing arts organization. 30% of this role is floating and cross-functional, available for organizational needs as assigned.

Compensation: $48,000 – $52,000/year 

Compensation framework and philosophy available to all applicants, including our transparency policies, our  2:1 pay ratio cap, our living wage goal commitment, and our holistic compensation package.

Benefits: Health, Vision, & Dental

Location:  Washington, DC — hybrid role, with in-person, on-site requirements

Unlimited PTO: Theater Alliance offers unlimited paid time off, available from the first day of employment, subject to approval and in coordination with organizational needs and production schedules.

Theater Alliance is an equal opportunity employer. In accordance with anti-discrimination law, it is the purpose of this policy to effectuate these principles and mandates. Theater Alliance prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type and affords equal employment opportunities to employees and applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, age, national origin, disability status, genetic information, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. Theater Alliance conforms to the spirit as well as to the letter of all applicable laws and regulations.