About the Washington National Opera
In 1956, the sound of opera rang out in DC, heralding the birth of a new company. Four decades and countless artistic leaps later, Washington National Opera continues to move boldly forward on the great adventure that began years ago in a university auditorium. Washington National Opera is now one of the nation's leading opera companies and plays to standing room audiences in the Kennedy Center.
At the Kennedy Center, we strive to foster belonging and empowerment at work. We are able to advance our mission because of our committed and passionate employees. We are fortunate to be able to leverage their diverse perspectives, life experiences and skills to inform how our workplace can be a safe, transparent, and replenishing community. The Kennedy Center is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate against any employee or applicant based on race, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, veteran status, marital status, pregnancy or related condition, or any other basis protected by law.
Mission Statement: As the nation's performing arts center, and a living memorial to President John F. Kennedy, we are a leader for the arts across America and around the world, reaching and connecting with artists, inspiring and educating communities. We welcome all to create, experience, learn about, and engage with the arts.
Why Join Us
We offer a comprehensive range of benefits to all full-time employees including:
- Staff offers for discount tickets
- Retirement plan with organization matching (after 1 year of employment)
- Qualifying employer for the Public Student Loan Forgiveness Program (PSLF)
- Commuter programs including pre-tax options for discounted parking and SmartBenefits (WMATA)
- Annual Leave, Sick Leave, and Personal Days available immediately upon hire
- 11 paid holidays per year
- Medical, Dental, and Vision benefits with FSA and HSA options, and paid FMLA
- Flexible work arrangements
- We like to have fun! Check out the Kennedy Center National Dance Day 2023 staff video!
Job Description
The WNO Strategy and Operations Coordinator will serve as a critical support position for the Office of the General Director, responsible for working in close coordination with the Director of Administration and Governance to accomplish three primary bodies of work: finance, governance, and the execution of strategy and planning for Washington National Opera. The Strategy and Operations Coordinator may also provide support for other work across the Office of the General Director, to include audience building and constituent relations initiatives.
This work will be accomplished through the close collaboration with the Director of Administration and Governance, the Manager of Constituent Relations and Audience Building, and the Executive Assistant to the General Director. The Strategic and Operations Coordinator will be required to be in communication with members of WNO’s Board of Trustees, and will also liaise with financial operations professionals of WNO and the Kennedy Center.
The incumbent to this role should be detail-oriented, and must be a strong, persistent, and clear communicator, who is able to work across all levels of the organization, and with external stakeholders, to advance several aspects of WNO’s Strategic Plan, especially those in the category of Organizational Strength.
Key Responsibilities
- Finance: Support the Director of Administration & Governance in overseeing WNO’s Finance function. The Strategy and Operations Coordinator will be responsible for data entry in KC Master (and/or successor software) for each WNO budget round and KC fiscal year projection, and will create and continually update documents that guide WNO fiscal year budget creation and year-to-date budget tracking (e.g. WNO season financial assumptions spreadsheet, departmental budget tracking sheets). This role will also provide administrative support for WNO Admin Finance functions, e.g.:
- Management of WNO’s three leases and landlord relationships (administrative offices lease, rehearsal studio lease, scenery warehouse lease)
- Data collection from WNO departments for Kennedy Center financial projections and WNO budget drafts
- Assist Director of Administration & Governance in providing day-to-day oversight and liaising with WNO budget managers to and solve problems through financial analysis and interdepartmental coordination.
- Governance: Partner with the Director of Administration and Governance to accomplish all aspects of the planning and execution of meetings of the WNO Board of Trustees, to include: preparation of Board and Committee meeting agendas, meeting packets, and presentation materials, meeting schedule coordination with committee chairs; collection of RSVP’s for Board and Committee meetings, maintenance of master calendar of Board and Committee meetings, providing administrative support for scheduling meetings and communicating meeting times and dates. As directed by Director of Administration & Governance, provide administrative and content-development support to accomplish the planning, execution, and work especially for WNO’s four major governance/strategic committees:
- Executive Committee
- Finance Committee (e.g. assembly of meeting packets and key documents)
- Nominating and Governance Committee (e.g. assembly of Trustee engagement reports, candidate profiles, memos)
- Strategic Planning Committee (assembly and creation of meeting materials, assisting with benchmarking data assembly and tracking tools, assist with strategic financial modeling)
- Strategy and Planning: Once WNO Strategic Plan is complete in 2024, assist Director of Administration & Governance in developing and implementing ongoing data collection as benchmarks for assessing strategic plan success. Support the incorporation of Strategic Plan objectives into ongoing work of all WNO Committees:
- Community Engagement, Education, and Social Impact
- Corporate Development
- Diversity, Equity, and Inclusivity
- Finance
- Marketing & Audience Building
- Nominating & Governance
- Assist with the development of strategy and execution of the incorporation of Strategic Plan objectives and measurement against metrics into bi-weekly WNO All-Staff meetings, WNO Department Goals, WNO Annual Report, and WNO section of KC Annual Report. Complete data collection and content development as necessary to support the above efforts.
- WNO Organizational Culture projects: Provide administrative support for special initiatives to support high levels of WNO staff engagement, alignment toward a high-performing and inclusive culture, and increased accountability and professional trust e.g. administrative support for WNO staff retreats and social events, such as venue planning and catering, timeline and Asana action step management for WNO action planning based on engagement survey results, etc.
- Ongoing projects: Demonstrate project management skills and provide support for various administrative projects across the Office of the General Director, including occasional support of the Manager of Constituent Relations and Audience Building.
- Assist other departments with WNO questions and issues as needed.
- Other duties as assigned.
Key Qualifications
- Minimum of 3 years of administrative experience, preferably in the not-for-profit or arts space.
- Successful candidates will be customer service-oriented, and will be able to understand the ‘big picture’ while also having the capacity to handle day-to-day details.
- Excellent communication, writing, problem-solving, creativity, flexibility, and diplomacy skills are essential.
- Must have the ability to focus simultaneously on the execution of details, and the advancement of strategy.
- Must have ability to manage a variety of projects simultaneously, to work independently, and to represent the WNO well in public settings and with various constituencies.
- Knowledge of opera or classical music desirable.
- Competency with Microsoft Office is highly desirable.
Additional Information
- The position may require occasional travel throughout the region.
- The position requires occasional evening and weekend hours.