Chief Operating Officer

ORGANIZATION OVERVIEW 

The School of American Ballet (SAB) at Lincoln Center, founded by George Balanchine and Lincoln Kirstein, is the preeminent ballet school in the country.  Our mission is to train professional dancers for careers in classical ballet.  We provide the resources for a diverse pool of students to train at the highest level – with 15-25 a year going on to dance for New York City Ballet, our official but independent company, and other major ballet companies worldwide.  SAB has a far-reaching impact on the art form and enriches the lives of each student who comes through our doors, over 800 annually, ages 6 to 18.  SAB has approximately 85 part- and full-time employees and an operating budget of $17 million.

POSITION OVERVIEW

SAB’s Chief Operating Officer ensures the short and long-term efficiency, effectiveness and success of the School’s operations.  This new position reports to the Executive Director and is a member of the senior leadership team.  The Chief Operating Officer will be key to enhancing cross-collaboration among departments and function areas, including Finance, Earned Income, Human Resources, Facilities, Security, and Information Technology.  The position ensures that financial and operational priorities named in the current Strategic Plan are fulfilled, including enrollment and tuition planning and new earned income revenue streams.

The position’s direct reports include Director of Finance (department includes payroll, benefits and HR administration, as well as daily financial operations functions), Director of Recruiting and Outreach (department functions include enrollment planning and student data systems), and IT Manager.  In addition, the Chief Operating Officer oversees the facilities and security responsibilities of the Manager of Operations, Executive and Board Affairs, who reports to the Executive Director for Board of Directors and executive office management.  

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• With Director of Finance, enhance long range financial planning and reporting to inform budgeting and decision-making; meet goal of rebuilding operating reserve over 3-5 years.
• Lead budget presentations to the Board with Chair of Budget, Audit and Compensation Committee.
• Collaborate with Director of Finance and Director of Recruiting and Outreach to enhance longer-term enrollment planning and budget modeling.
• Develop budget models for key annual programmatic expenses and programming expansion across departments.
• Lead implementation, and together with Executive Director develop, earned income beyond tuition to enhance revenue streams.  Organize ideas and evaluate opportunities; oversee execution of prioritized opportunities.
• Partner with Director of Finance to enhance HR operations and enhance employee culture.
• Liaise with outside counsel on personnel matters as needed.
• Ensure strategic financial and operating priorities are fulfilled; convene internal tactical and strategy meetings with workstream leads, develop budgets and operational support plans, enhance workflow, and ensure deadlines are met.
• In collaboration with IT Manager, set and deliver on short and long-term IT goals. 
• Oversee the operational efficiency and vitality of SAB facilities, including facility security and emergency planning; oversee long-term planning and manage key operational relationships with Lincoln Center and Juilliard; supervise Operations Manager in ongoing facility needs, including outside rentals and security.
• Oversee the Owners Representative for renovation/expansion project expected for 2024-25.
• Partner with the senior leadership team to understand, define and implement procedures and systems to meet the operational needs of all departments and enhance operational efficiency and effectiveness.
• Serve as integrator between senior leaders to achieve short and long-term operational goals.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree

• 7+ years’ experience in operations/administration, finance, and project management
• Strong track record of hands-on execution to meet goals.
• Exceptional interpersonal, spoken and written communication skills
• Ability to develop and utilize data and reporting dashboards to inform results and enable decision making
• Strong collaboration skills to achieve results
• Excellent organization skills and an ability to coordinate multiple tasks and activities
• Ability to exercise independent, sound judgement
• Ability to handle confidential matters with discretion
• Commitment to SAB’s mission and core values

Benefits

SAB offers a superior benefits package, including full health benefits (medical and dental), four weeks of vacation (plus two paid holiday weeks in December), and retirement savings benefits.

• Health Care Plan (Medical and Dental; dental is company-sponsored)
• Short-Term & Long-Term Disability
• Retirement Plan (403b) with company contribution after one year of service
• Paid Time Off (20 Vacation days, 10 sick days, plus public and religious holidays)
• Paid two-week winter break in December
• Commuter benefits pre-tax
• FSA and DCFSA benefits pre-tax
• Hybrid work schedule

Salary Range

USD $160,000 - USD $190,000

Submission Instructions

Submit a cover letter and resume via Workable. No phone calls or agencies please.