POSITION: Community Engagement Specialist

DEPARTMENT: Education & Community Engagement (ECE)

CLASSIFICATION: Full Time / Salaried / Exempt

SUPERVISOR: Chief Administrative Officer of ECE

Overview

Founded in 1947 by Nina Vance, the Alley Theatre is a pioneer of regional theatre, and one of the leading nonprofit theatre companies in the United States. The Alley has been awarded the prestigious Regional Theatre Tony Award® and the Texas Medal of Arts Award. The Alley has transferred productions to Broadway, Off-Broadway, major European Festivals, and to 40 American cities. Unique among regional theatres, the Alley is committed to maintaining a Resident Acting Company and providing them with work year-round. Nationally recognized directors, actors, playwrights, and designers from across the country have regularly joined the Resident Acting Company.

Rob Melrose, Artistic Director at the Alley, took over as artistic leader of the organization in 2019. His vision for the future of the Alley is both thrilling and ambitious. His strategic goals include upholding the Alley’s artistic excellence, keeping longtime Alley Theatre devotees eager to return each season, and creating productions and cultivating new audiences. Rob Melrose, Managing Director Dean Gladden and the Alley’s leadership team are committed to fostering an environment where everyone is encouraged to bring their authentic selves.

STATEMENT OF JOB

Housed in Education and Community Engagement (ECE) and working cross-departmentally, the Community Engagement Specialist is an important role in the Alley’s community engagement, access, and emerging audience efforts. This person will work closely with the Community Engagement team to establish and build collaborative relationships, expand access for and artistic engagement with all of Houston’s community

organizations, agencies, and schools in order to support, develop and implement strategies to ensure Alley’s programs are delivered with sensitivity and commitment to inclusion. The Community Engagement Specialist assesses community needs; reduces barriers for emerging audiences; makes program recommendations to enhance inclusivity of the Alley. With a focus on creating enduring reciprocal relationships, this position will focus on the local community’s needs to create permeable give and take relationships with leaders and members, as well as non-profits and community-based organizations serving those communities.

The Community Engagement Specialist should be passionate about furthering community awareness of and participation in theatre arts and the impact of theatre arts education, particularly as they relate to the Alley’s mission. They will use strong communication skills to further the Alley’s equal access efforts in public and private meetings, promotional skills to effectively share the organization’s mission, and interpersonal skills to build trusting and effective partnerships that support mutuality and equitable use of Houston’s cultural capital to benefit the entire community.

Job Duties

Developing and nurturing relationships with constituents from various communities, specifically community leaders, media, non-profit and community-based organizations serving target communities, educators, artists, and businesspeople.

• Manage the El Zócalo Advisory Committee
• Lead community engagement efforts related to the Spanish-speaking community.
• Identify potential program partners and initiate contact to secure representative, active participants.
• Manage the hand-off of program implementation to the appropriate departments as necessary to ensure an overlap between community, artistic and educational endeavors.
• Assess specific needs of various communities, agencies, and schools in the Greater Houston Area.
  
  

Envisioning and spearheading programs and projects that highlight community experiences, stories, heritage, and needs as they relate to the art of theatre.

• Lead applied theatre and creative writing activities and community conversations.
• Plan and execute events alongside community partners and the Alley’s operations department.
• Collaborate on the creation of relevant multimedia.
  
  

Collaborating with Alley’s ECE, Artistic, Marketing, and Development departments to ensure program impact on traditionally overlooked communities.

• Providing clear guidance to ensure culturally sensitive communications and interactions.
• Supporting ECE’s Applied Theatre programming, bringing a culturally sensitive perspective to our education and access initiatives.
• Giving voice to the local community’s needs and concerns.
• Supporting the creation of grant materials for targeted funding.
• Advise ECE and Marketing on a communications and promotions strategy to support appropriate communities.
• Collaborating with Marketing on access through ticketing.
  
  

Cultivate and grow Alley’s efforts to create opportunities that support an atmosphere of belonging and serving as a lead contributor to the health, vitality, and well-being of our community.

Providing General Support To ECE

• Assist department staff with the planning and implementation of department programs, services and activities (conferences, matinees, workshops, trainings, etc.), as needed.
• Support the creation of video content.
• Assist with supervision, task assignments and mentoring of department interns, as applicable.
• Articulately, enthusiastically, and accurately represent educational goals and content of programs and services.
• Provide accurate and helpful basic information on the Alley in general.
  
  

REQUIREMENTS (SKILLS And KNOWLEDGE)

• Bachelor’s or advanced degree with focus preferred in Theatre, Arts Education, or Community Organizing, or equivalent course work and work experience.
• Experience with arts administration and/or community arts programming experience. Track record for designing and producing diverse participatory arts experiences for a wide range of constituents.
• Experience with community partnership development/community building through the arts, coalition building, and community activism/advocacy.
• Experience in program and project management, including meeting revenue goals, supporting marketing efforts, time management, team management, and program assessment.
• Spanish proficiency.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced, energized and quickly changing environment.
• A proactive approach to problem-solving with strong decision-making skills.
• Detail oriented, able to prioritize efficiently and multi-task.
• Ability to be self-directed and take initiative.
• Ability to maintain confidential information.
• Excellent verbal and written communications skills.
• Exhibits a positive attitude with good communication and interpersonal skills.
• Understanding of (or a commitment to learning about) historical and institutional racism in the American theatre.
  
  

Physical Requirements/Working Conditions

• Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer.
• Ability to lift and move 25 lbs.
• Must be comfortable working in a fast-paced environment where directions and priorities can change rapidly.
• Typical hours are during the day, but the position requires flexibility to be available for weekend, holidays and evening work hours as needed.
  
  

Benefits & Perks

• Medical, dental and vision insurance.
• Paid vacation, floating holiday, and sick time.
• 401(k) with matching, FSA, HRA (Alley paid deductible).
• Free and discounted tickets to Alley Theatre performances.
• Bi-Weekly $4 Discounted Parking.
• Discounted gym membership.
• Employee wellness program & EAP.
• Houston, TX is one of the most affordable cities in the nation with no state or city income tax.
  
  

TO APPLY

To apply for this position, please go to the following link on the Alley’s website and apply.

https://www.alleytheatre.org/about-us/opportunities/employment

Alley Theatre is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities and disabled veterans in our job application procedures. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, you may contact us at HRdept@alleytheatre.org.

The Alley Theatre is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status or any other characteristic protected by applicable local, state, or federal law. We encourage people of all backgrounds to apply