REPORTS TO: Board of Directors
WEBSITE: www.oakvillegalleries.com
ABOUT OAKVILLE: www.oakville.ca

THE ORGANIZATION

As one of Canada’s leading contemporary art museums, Oakville Galleries is driven by a belief in the singular power of art and artists to deepen our understanding of ourselves and our communities and move us toward a better world. Oakville Galleries engages communities through-out Oakville, and wider audiences generally, with an outstanding track record of presenting the work of early and mid-career artists from across Canada and around the world. Oakville Galleries’ award-winning exhibition and educational programming is rooted in commitments to the visionary, the forward-thinking, and the responsive.

Currently in two locations – one alongside a public library in downtown Oakville, and the other is a heritage building in a lakeside park. Oakville Galleries is located in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA) with a population of more than 7-million people. A strategic priority for the organization will be to launch a major capital campaign to relocate its two separate operations into a new space in downtown Oakville. This dynamic facility will support diversity, indigeneity, equity and inclusion through contemporary art exhibitions, education, and public programming.

THE POSITION

Executive Director, Oakville Galleries

Oakville Galleries is inviting applications for the position of Executive Director to lead the institution into an exciting new era by transforming Oakville Galleries into a large, dynamic, interactive and inclusive art institution for a diverse audience showcasing bold, innovative and leading-edge contemporary art. The successful applicant will assume responsibility for the strategic and financial direction, and overall management of the organization. The successful applicant will bring a vision for community engagement, inclusivity, and a desire to amplify the voices of contemporary artists in order to foster knowledge creation and new ways of understanding.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Strategic Leadership

• Accountable for Oakville Galleries’ strategic direction, work closely with staff and Board to ensure the institution’s vision, values, and policy statements are developed ambitiously and embodied compellingly.
• Develop the Galleries’ institutional and artistic identity through oversight of all curatorial, communications, and development activities.
• Define the Galleries’ audiences clearly and expansively, develop and implement appropriate strategies for engaging with and growing diverse audiences
• To realize the Galleries’ strategic goals through comprehensive and effective business planning.
• Work collaboratively with the Town of Oakville on its plans for a refreshed cultural hub.

Capital Development

• Oversee the development of the Galleries’ capital plans in close partnership with the Board, manage feasibility work, develop operational plans, and assemble and execute on an appropriate capital fundraising strategy in alignment with the organization’s relocation goals.
• Lead Oakville Galleries’ relocation project, serving as a persuasive and effective champion for the organization’s operational and capital expansion with all current and potential stakeholders.

Fundraising

• Develop and execute a multifaceted income generation and fundraising strategy that builds community, civic support, and trust, along with financial security.
• Lead annual fundraising campaigns. Be active in fundraising activities through various external relations initiatives and strategic stakeholder engagements. Investigate and develop new methods for raising revenue.
• Nurture and cultivate contacts with funding agencies, donors, sponsors, and members, both individual and corporate.

Finance & Administration

• Develop and recommend to the Board an annual operating budget that appropriately balances public sector support with private sector contributions.
• Manage all income and expenditures, implementing suitable financial controls and providing effective monitoring and reporting throughout the year.
• Manage audits for the granting bodies and AGM.

Talent Management

• Recruit, manage, support, and retain a tight-knit team of arts professionals, appropriately engaging staff in the organization’s long-term goals and delegating responsibilities and authority efficiently and effectively.
• Recommend to the Board the appropriate organizational structure, HR policies, and salary schedules to carry out the Galleries’ operations effectively and within its resources.
• Develop a culture that encourages inclusivity, promotes respect and teamwork, builds loyalty and trust, drives engagement, and maximizes employee potential.

Advocacy

• Ensure and assert Oakville Galleries’ robust role in the cultural landscape, cultivating appropriate context and visibility for the organization at regional, national, and international levels.
• Develop collaborative relationships, both within the local community and among institutional peers in national and international arts contexts.
• Serve as the Galleries’ primary representative to civic leaders, government agencies, arts communities, and local audiences.

CANDIDATE QUALIFICATIONS

• A minimum of 5 years’ leadership experience at a contemporary art institution.
• A visionary leader who can re-imagine the role of an art gallery relevant to its community.
• Brings an ability to set clear strategic goals and support them through business planning.
• Strong knowledge of and ability to lead a digital transformation of a visual art museum.
• Prior experience with a capital campaign is an asset.
• Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills, with a demonstrated capacity for engaging, persuading, and inspiring a broad variety of audiences, stakeholders, and partners.
• A passion for contemporary art and familiarity with artists working across a range of disciplines and contexts.
• A history of dynamic strategic thinking and entrepreneurial approaches to organizational development.
• Ability to develop and maintain strong relationships with national and international artists, partners, donors and funders.
• Experience effectively developing and managing a budget, with an ability to make difficult choices where necessary.
• Experience or ability to work effectively with and report to a board.
• A proven ability to lead, motivate, and develop a committed team of staff.
• A commitment to equity, Indigeneity, diversity, and inclusion.
• Familiarity with artists working across a range of disciplines and contexts.
• A minimum of a bachelor’s degree in art history, business, or experiential equivalent.

COMPENSATION

Oakville Galleries offers a salary for this position ranging from $150,000 to $160,000, commensurate with experience. The compensation package also includes a comprehensive benefits package.

HOW TO APPLY

Please submit a CV and letter of intent that summarizes your interest in this position in PDF format to [email protected].

Application deadline: Friday, September 24th, 2022

Oakville Galleries is committed to building and maintaining an inclusive work environment that reflects the diversity of the audiences we serve. We encourage applications from all qualified candidates, including from racialized persons/persons of colour, Indigenous persons, persons with disabilities and members of the LGBTQ2S+.

Oakville Galleries acknowledges that the land on which it operates is the Treaty Lands and Territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit.