Hiring Organization Information
Position Information
OUR MISSION
TeenTix builds a bright future for our region by empowering young people to take an active role in shaping their arts community as audience members, critics, influencers, advocates, patrons, and leaders.
WHO WE ARE
TeenTix is a longstanding cultural anchor within Seattle - born from a collective vision that youth participation and leadership in the arts are central to the future of our communities. Founded in 2004 by Seattle Center, TeenTix began creating partnerships beyond the Center in 2006 and established its own independent not-for-profit organization with 501c3 status in 2017. In 2021, we launched the Los Angeles TeenTix chapter, the first outside of Washington State. TeenTix is now a 20-year-old institution working to ensure teens are prioritized in the arts and cultural sector. To date, TeenTix has engaged more than 170,000 teens in more than 200,000 arts and cultural experiences at 150+ Arts and Community Partners.
TeenTix creates access to free and $5 tickets for teens to attend local arts events and performances, and offers access to workforce development positions and mentorship opportunities for teens interested in careers in arts and culture. Over the past eight years, we fortified our core Pass Program and New Guard teen leadership council, drove the revitalization of the TeenTix Press Corps, and catalyzed the creation of the TeenTix Arts Podcast (TAP), Mentorship for Teen Artists of Color (M-TAC), and the new Youth Career Development Program.
Regional TeenTix partners include 150 organizations spanning King, Kitsap, Pierce, Snohomish, Thurston, and Whatcom counties, ranging from Tacoma Art Museum, Pork Filled Players, Seattle Symphony, Seattle Art Museum, Jet City Improv, Edmonds Center for the Arts, Seattle Opera, Wing Luke Museum, Oly Theater, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Tacoma Arts Live, 5th Avenue Theatre, A Contemporary Theatre (ACT), and more. Our full partner list is available here.
Why We Do It
We envision a future where:
- A healthy community whose diverse civic leaders value, support, and participate in a thriving arts sector,
- Classrooms engage regularly with the arts and cultural experiences in their communities,
- Young people are welcomed into governance and advisory roles within the arts and cultural organizations they regularly attend, and
- Arts and cultural organizations foster their next generation of arts leaders through internships, youth programming, and community service.
Simply put, in the words of a TeenTix member, “art makes humans better.”
CORE PILLARS
We Value Arts Access
We see young people as the key to cultivating and preserving our region’s culture and, therefore, serve as the connector between the youth of our region to the arts events produced by our Arts Partners. We are a resource for young people in our communities coming into their own autonomy.
We Value Youth Empowerment
Our work and mission shine when our next generation of artists, advocates, leaders, and patrons feel like they’re important contributors within their communities and the greater arts and cultural sector. Teens are experts on what makes a program accessible to them; they are at the forefront of the change we want to see. At TeenTix we empower them to lead the way. Similarly, we value equitable compensation practices and pay teens for their contributions to our Newsroom Blog, Teen Arts Podcast, New Guard, and program gallery showings.
Our Commitment to Anti-Racism
TeenTix is an anti-racist organization (currently operating on the historic land of the Duwamish people) that is actively working to identify, name, and correct institutionalized racism and constructs of white supremacy within our own organization, and to help our partnered arts and culture organizations do the same.
We encourage all applications to review our full mission, vision, and values statement located on our website.
THE TEENTIX CULTURE
TeenTix is deeply committed to helping our employees achieve their career goals, maintain a good quality of life, and create an environment that allows for a personal relationship with art and community. TeenTix prioritizes collaboration, staff involvement in decision-making, and mutual accountability. The work is inspiring, fun, challenging, and rewarding. As the central office of a community-wide effort to engage young people with the arts, TeenTix enjoys amazing access to a wide variety of arts organizations, experiences, and colleagues.
TeenTix is poised to focus on organizational growth and sustainability as we enter our third decade, following the growth of programs and evolution of our impact model in the last several years. We seek our visionary next Executive Director to strategize and implement TeenTix’s programs, services, and impact, in collaboration with staff, teens, Alumni Advisory Council, and our Board of Directors. This role will work with a current professional staff of four administrative, leadership and development staff members, a rotating group of youth workforce development staff, teen program participants, an Alumni Advisory Council, and an engaged Board of Directors to strengthen existing relationships and programs while expanding the organization's capabilities to achieve our mission and goals.
The Executive Director leads the staff to determine a hybrid schedule that best supports our operations and activities, with a balance between in-person work and events directly supporting young people, and remote work. The majority of work will take place during business hours during the week, but occasional evening and weekend time will be required, depending on the needs of these programs and events.
The Executive Director reports directly to the Board of Directors, who actively supports the Executive Director and works to create the foundation for them to lead, experience, and sustain this unique and positive environment. The Board participates in fundraising and partner network development efforts, and provides expertise and direct contributions in “working” board committees focused on technology, expansion, development, finance, and governance.
ESSENTIAL RESPONSIBILITIES
Leadership, Organizational Strategy, and Staff Management
- Drives programmatic direction, impact strategy, and growth initiatives.
- Leads annual planning in collaboration with teens, board, and staff, and ensures the availability of resources needed to achieve the annual plan.
- Sets, manages, and monitors organizational goals and evaluation metrics.
- Ensures operational integrity of the organization through systems creation and management, observing nonprofit best practices and compliance, and monitoring evolving resource needs.
- Manages and provides HR support to staff by ensuring employment best practices are followed, managing benefits, and leading internal culture.
- Collaborates with Board President and Committee Chairs to develop Board and Committee meeting agendas and participates in meetings with Board, Committees, Alumni Advisory Council, and teens (as needed).
Fundraising
- Supports the Director of Philanthropy in setting and accomplishing annual revenue goals, ensuring alignment of the fundraising plan with organizational needs and financial strategy
- Anchors major donor and funder relationship-building, with strategic direction from the Director of Philanthropy and support from the Board of Directors.
- Oversees messaging of initiatives and programs for the purpose of grants and requests for grant funding in partnership with the Director of Philanthropy, program staff, and grantwriters. Ensures assessments and reporting due to grantors are done correctly and in a timely fashion.
Finance
- Leads the organization’s financial strategy, including building and managing the annual budget (expected to be around $500,000 in 2025), monitoring cash flow, and expense tracking.
- Oversees monthly and quarterly reconciliation with finance and fundraising teams.
- Synthesizes and reports financial performance to the Board and Finance Committee regularly, providing recommendations and direction as needed.
- In partnership with the bookkeeper ensures compliance measures are observed including timely filing of all employment taxes and annual form 990.
Technology and Data Collection
- Oversees technology and data tracking efforts with the Board Tech Committee that impact regular operations such as program output, data collection, surveys and assessment for grant and funder reporting.
Community Engagement and Expansion
- Builds strong relationships with our Arts and Community Partners, expanding TeenTix’s growing regional and national network.
- Serve as the primary leadership “face” of TeenTix by representing the organization in community and industry gatherings, meetings, and groups as appropriate.
- Oversee the ongoing expansion of the programmatic model outside of Washington, including advising the current TeenTix LA chapter and a pilot project in Kansas City, MO.
COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS
The annual salary for the Executive Director role is $90,000. As part of our commitment to equity, initial salaries are non-negotiable; salaries are adjusted annually based on cost-of-living increases and performance merit. This is a full time, exempt, 40 hour per week position with a flexible schedule. TeenTix will support professional development opportunities for your areas of interest and growth, including but not limited to ongoing education, conferences, speaking engagements, and training.
- Medical, vision and dental benefits.
- $50 transportation monthly stipend.
- Occasional free access to arts and cultural events, depending on availability.
- 15 paid days of vacation
- 14 paid holidays
- 12 days (96 hours) of PTO used for non-vacation or holiday time including bereavement leave, care-taker needs, mental health days, religious holidays (not included in other paid holidays), personal days, and sick time.
You are encouraged to apply if your skills and interests align with our mission, even if your experience doesn't precisely match the list of qualifications below.
- A proven track record with at least four years of leadership experience in nonprofits, ideally in youth or arts sectors, or a combination of education and experience that meets the job's essential requirements.
- A wholehearted belief in the value of the teen voice, and enthusiasm for working with and spending concentrated time with young people.
- Understanding of nonprofit organizational and governance structure, annual budgeting and program execution, and sustainable growth strategies.
- Strong interpersonal communication skills that allow you to adapt to working with a wide range of teens, staff, donors, partners, and other collaborators - including people from a variety of cultural backgrounds and those who embody intersectional identities.
- Supervisory experience and an empathetic collaboration and management style, including experience nurturing and managing relationships with staff, teens, partners, and supporters.
- Experience participating in fundraising, with an emphasis on donor relations and engagement.
- Financial management experience.
- Stellar written and oral communication skills.
- Ability to collaborate or work autonomously in a detailed, organized fashion
- Ability to get along with young people in an office environment, including support and mentorship of those in our programs and on our team.
- Entrepreneurial spirit, high-risk tolerance, and a growth mindset.
- Familiarity with anti-racist frameworks and enthusiasm for supporting equitable access to art for all young people, especially for teens who have been excluded from arts participation, such as teens of color, LGBTQIA, low-income, English as a second language, and with unstable housing.