Director of Planning + Engagement | Forecast Public Art 

Status: Full-time (40 hrs/wk)
Compensation: $100,000 – 110,000 DOQ; 100% health, 100% dental + PTO

Location: This is a remote position with an organizational office based in Saint Paul, Minnesota.
Supervisor: Executive Director
Posted: May 15, 2024
Applications Due: June 12, 2024 at 11:59pm CDT

Forecast is a national leader in community-driven public art planning, creative placemaking planning and cultural planning. We are looking for a Director of Planning + Engagement who can lead this work, and who holds a unique vision for the future of this practice. We seek a Director with experience directing successful public art planning, creative placemaking planning and cultural planning, and a proven track record of using methods to center community voice and community power in the co-design of these plans.

In this role, the Director will manage and develop Forecast’s planning portfolio, manage/lead planning and engagement projects, collaborate on the development of programming and learning opportunities, as well as lead competitive applications for new RFP opportunities. 

The Director will manage a team of national consultants, including a combination of  planning, engagement, artist and local consultants for on-the-ground projects. In addition to planning and engagement projects, the Director will oversee asset mapping activities and community-led initiatives, and will collaborate with the Director of Learning to design learning and training opportunities. The Director will be a national thought leader in cross-sector arts-based community planning, design and community development theory and practice, public speaking, writing, and will propose and participate on panels, conferences, and similar events. 

WHO WE ARE
Forecast activates, inspires, and advocates for public art that advances justice, health, and human dignity. We envision a future where all people feel a sense of belonging, realize their potential, and live healthy lives by embracing culture and creativity as drivers of equitable change.

      Our Values

• We believe in just distribution of wealth, opportunity, and privilege.
• We believe in aligning with others fighting for equity, justice, and human dignity.
• We believe in environmentally and culturally sustainable policies and practices.
• We believe in relationships of mutual investment between communities, sectors, disciplines, and professions.
• We believe in inclusive practices that invite and honor the full expression of people and place.
• We believe that creating an equitable future requires bold imagination.

Public art plays a crucial role in shaping culturally vibrant and sustainable communities. Public art offers opportunities for community collaboration, for ideas to shape our environment and to influence change. It is our value at Forecast Public Art that our staff, board members, grantees, applicants and panelists reflect the racial, cultural, gender, artistic, range of physical ability, and geographic diversity of our country, and the stories and perspectives of the artists and communities we serve through public art. Those from BIPOC and indigenous communities, and groups that are traditionally excluded, are strongly encouraged to apply.

WHO YOU ARE
You are interested in and connected to our mission and values. You have experience in managing and writing cultural plans, public art plans, and creative placemaking plans. You are skilled at overseeing multiple projects at a time, meeting client needs and expectations, and managing a team.  You take pride in working collaboratively and creating a culture of reciprocal, constructive feedback. You excel at connecting with people from all different backgrounds. You are an effective, clear communicator who enjoys and is good at listening to and understanding a client’s needs as well as setting functional boundaries to help ensure the success of projects. You value relationships and are personable and friendly. You enjoy collaboration and creative processes. You have strong skills in project management, experience in facilitation, working with artists and developing community engagement strategies, and are familiar with the field of public art and creative placemaking in the geopolitical U.S. You are a thought leader and are talented at public speaking, presenting, and writing about your work.

WHAT YOU’LL BE DOING

• Provide direction on and oversee Forecast’s portfolio of planning and engagement projects.
• The portfolio comprises approximately $1,500,000 in annual revenue, and consists of 25 - 30 projects at any given time.
• Project leadership: manage new and existing projects, make decisions across projects and programs to ensure alignment with Forecast’s goals, oversee project design and activities, including overseeing budgets, and applying change, risk and resource management to programs. Bring together collaborators, maintain excellent client relations and client retention.      
  • Oversee, lead, manage, coordinate, and develop projects – both client based and Forecast initiated – to support Forecast’s strategic direction and mission while simultaneously meeting client goals. 
  • Lead or oversee planning lead on all government-related arts and cultural planning with a focus on participatory, co-design practices.
  • Develop and lead processes that produce equitable public art plans, including managing a consulting team, cultivating client relationships and drafting comprehensive plans.
  • Oversee all artist-led community engagement teams for the organization.
  • Lead asset mapping facilitation teams on a variety of projects.
  • Lead creative placemaking initiatives, which may include creative placemaking master plans, and community projects.
  • Hire, onboard, and manage subcontractors on all planning and engagement projects across a variety of geographies including rural communities,tribal communities,small towns,and large cities. This includes community engagement specialists and artists to work on engagement-related activities.
  • Collaborate in designing learning and capacity building opportunities, convenings, training institutes and public programming for the field.

   

• Project management to deliver consistent, high-quality results for clients.     
  • Provide direct consultation and  technical assistance to clients. 
  • Develop project scopes, vision, infrastructure, and team.
  • Contract projects, drive project timelines, track and manage project budgets, manage personnel,

   

• Business development under the planning portfolio.      
  • Develop strategies to expand the planning portfolio.
  • pursue leads
  • research RFP opportunities and develop responses and lead submissions to RFPs
  • Develop potential new client relationships
  • onboard new clients

   

• Thought leadership: Participate as a national thought leader in cross-sector arts-based community planning, design, and community development theory and practice to promote Forecast’s work and goals, and grow/support relationships across sectors.     
  • apply critical thinking and thought leadership across the portfolio of planning projects
  • collaborate with the Forecast staff to bring consulting learnings back into Forecast’s other program areas
  • present and write about planning and engagement work including proposing and participating on panels, in conferences, and similar engagements and events. 

   

We work to leverage our program areas against each other. While a majority of your work will be client-facing as part of our consulting services, you will engage with the other parts of the organization as well. For example – you may lead a project for a client, write an article about it to include in an upcoming issue of our digital publication, Forward, utilize what you’ve learned through the project to develop a module for one of our workshops, share that with our Change Lab Research Fellows to supplement their work, or present the project at a conference.

We are highly independent and do not work in a centralized office. You will be working remotely. We spend a lot of time on video and phone calls, and doing work on computers. We practice agility and support one another with resources and information. We foster a high performing, independent culture, where employees are accountable for their actions and have the independence to make decisions regarding their work. 

This role will require approximately 15%  travel to communities of all sizes for projects. 

WE THINK IT'S IMPORTANT THAT YOU HAVE THE FOLLOWING SKILLS

• Highly self-motivated, achievement-oriented, and possess the ability to work individually and collaborate with teams.
• Ability to use existing practices as guidelines to determine work methods while working independently and resolving most problems without assistance.
• Ability to zoom in and out, solving technical problems in projects while also keeping in mind larger field visions and organizational mission.
• Ability to manage decision making and prioritization across projects.
• Excellent client management experience and project management skills
• Writing and editorial skills
• Excellent and confident communication — written, in person, on the phone, and via web conferencing. Fluency in languages outside English is a plus.
• Savvy on the computer — including Microsoft Office, Google Drive, and PowerPoint. Familiarity with Adobe Suite, Quickbooks, Sales Force, Harvest and TimeSheets is a plus.
• Comfortable with contract documents — ability to read and interpret complex documents and explain in layperson’s terms.
• Strong problem solving skills – asks questions to discover information and underlying issues, then rolls up sleeves and gets things done.
• Detail oriented, able to prioritize workload and self-manage.
• Positive, open-minded attitude — we enjoy working across regions and cultures and hope you do too.
• Good with math — strong ability to calculate figures and amounts.
• Punctual, quick-learning self-starter who works well in a fast-paced environment and is customer service oriented.
• Facilitation, with a specific emphasis on trauma-informed facilitation highly desired
• Collaboration - we work across programs on many projects, and collaborate with each other, contractors, and clients.

EXPERIENCE and QUALIFICATIONS — Required

• Bachelor’s  degree and minimum of 5 years of experience working in planning, public art, creative placemaking, arts and culture strategy, design, development or cultural policy.
• At least 3 years experience overseeing the development of public art plans, creative placemaking plans and/or cultural plans.
• Experience leading creative community engagement work and centering community members in planning processes.
• Confident and comfortable working with government entities, presenting to commissions and at public meetings, working with elected officials, familiarity with government protocols and similar environments.
• Skilled at giving presentations.
• Familiarity working with artists.
• Skilled at client work, managing subcontractors and support staff.
• Ability to complete projects in a timely and efficient manner while delivering high-quality, consistent results for clients.
• Strong communication and problem solving skills, including excellent verbal and written communication, grammar, editing, and customer service skills.
• Strong background in project administration and management, client facing work, proposal and report writing, and budget oversight.
• Ability to adapt to changing situations and revise strategies as needed.
• Commitment to Forecast’s mission and strong ethical conduct.
• Ability to synthesize visual information and create digital information.
• Experience determining stakeholders, leading teams and team building.
• Ability to advocate for artists and clients and work with diverse constituencies.
• Experience facilitating meetings, note taking and synthesizing information to incorporate in plans or provide feedback to artists and clients.
• Experience with MS Suite, Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Google Drive.
   

EXPERIENCE and QUALIFICATIONS — Preferred

• Masters degree in Urban Planning, Urban Design, Design, Landscape Architecture, Architecture, Public Policy, Public Administration, or related fields.
• Marketing and website design experience.
• Experience in survey creation and analyzing and presenting results.
• Experience with Adobe Creative Suite, Photoshop, Illustrator, In-Design and  map making.
• Fluency in languages outside English

OUR WORK ENVIRONMENT

Forecast is a distributed, remote team, with a base in St. Paul, MN, and staff and partners located throughout the country. Staff members work fairly independently and come together to collaborate. In this role you will remain fairly independent, manage a distributed team of consultants, and also have the support of the Forecast staff. Much of this role can be completed virtually yet we do anticipate approximately 15% time traveling.

HOW TO APPLY: 

• Submit a letter of interest and resume by June 12, 2024 at 11:59pm CDT to: https://forecastpublicart.submittable.com
• First round of interviews will take place in the afternoons of Tuesday, June 18 and Thursday, June 20.
• Second round of interviews will take place if necessary
• Candidates notified by June 30, 2024
• Expected start date is August 1, 2024

  Completed applications shall include: (1) contact information, (2) letter of interest, and (3) resume.
Apply below. If you do not have an account with Submittable, you will need to create a free account.

Administrative Assistant | Forecast Public Art 

Status: Part-time (20 hrs/wk)
Compensation: $24,000 – 30,000 DOQ; 50% health, 50% dental + PTO

Location: Based in the Twin Cities Metro area of Minnesota.
Supervisor: Finance and Operations Manager
Posted: May 15, 2024
Applications Due: June 7, 2024 at 11:59pm CDT

We are hiring a new Administrative Assistant with: strong organizational skills; attention to detail; belief in our mission and values of social justice and racial equity; and experience in the nonprofit field. This member of our highly independent team will be responsible for day-to-day administrative tasks to support Forecast’s strategic direction and growth in capacity. This position will be located in the Twin Cities and can work from home or the office.

WHO WE ARE
Forecast activates, inspires, and advocates for public art that advances justice, health, and human dignity. We envision a future where all people feel a sense of belonging, realize their potential and live healthy lives by embracing culture and creativity as drivers of equitable change.

      Our Values

• We believe in just distribution of wealth, opportunity, and privilege.
• We believe in aligning with others fighting for equity, justice, and human dignity.
• We believe in environmentally and culturally sustainable policies and practices.
• We believe in relationships of mutual investment between communities, sectors, disciplines, and professions.
• We believe in inclusive practices that invite and honor the full expression of people and place.
• We believe that creating an equitable future requires bold imagination.

Public art plays a crucial role in shaping culturally vibrant and sustainable communities. Public art offers opportunities for community collaboration, for ideas to shape our environment and to influence change. It is our value at Forecast Public Art that our staff, board members, grantees, applicants and panelists reflect the racial, cultural, gender, artistic, range of physical ability, and geographic diversity of our country, and the stories and perspectives of the artists and communities we serve through public art. Those from BIPOC and indigenous communities, and groups that are traditionally excluded, are strongly encouraged to apply.

WHO YOU ARE
You are interested in and connected to our mission and values. You are outgoing and able to connect with people from all different backgrounds. You are skilled at working collaboratively with a team while also taking individual initiative to complete assignments in a timely manner. You are an effective, clear communicator who enjoys and is good at listening to and understanding a nonprofit’s needs as well as sharing ideas on how you can facilitate improvements. You value relationships and are personable and friendly. You are comfortable making and receiving calls and are able to redirect inquiries to appropriate team members.

WHAT YOU’LL BE DOING
As Administrative Assistant, you’ll be responsible for day-to-day administrative tasks to support Forecast’s strategic direction and growth in capacity. 

You’ll be in charge of maintaining donor, artist, and client contacts in our database. You will also be expected to go into the office once per week to receive and scan mail. This role is the first point of contact for the organization on the phone and via email, and receives and directs all mail and inquiries to the appropriate departments.

You will work closely with the Finance and Operations Manager on a weekly basis around accounts receivable, accounts payable, and data entry for new contracts and donations. You’ll occasionally facilitate internal meetings via Zoom or Google Meet, and monitor the organization-wide Google Workspace account.

We have several program areas at Forecast, and we work to leverage these against each other. For example, the work we do in the field informs our content and publishing program to share the knowledge with others. In a similar way all of our staff positions have touch points in each of our program areas in order to have familiarity with how our organization operates as a whole.

Our clients are organizations, educational institutions, government agencies, businesses, nonprofits, and other public and private groups seeking technical assistance and consultation for public art projects. Typical projects we work on include public art plans for municipalities, arts-based engagement as part of public art planning or as a part of larger construction projects, developing and facilitating workshops, and facilitating artist calls, selection processes, and curation. 

We are highly independent and do not work in an office; you will be working remotely a majority of the time but based in the Twin Cities Metro Area to go into the office for mail and occasional other needs. We spend a lot of time in Zoom calls, on phone calls, and doing work on computers. We practice agility and support one another with resources and information. We foster a high performing, independent culture, where employees are accountable for their actions and have the independence to make decisions regarding their work. We maintain a hierarchy within the organization and regularly collaborate across departments.
 

 RESPONSIBILITIES

Operations Support (~50%)

• Support Finance and Operations Manager with accounts receivable and accounts payable, including processing check deposits and outgoing payments.
• Coordinate with Operations Manager and Communications Manager/team to manage SalesForce database, coordinate mailing lists and email preference updates.
• Work with the Executive Director to coordinate biannual individual solicitation campaigns, process donations and thank-you letters, and manage the Click and Pledge online giving platform. 
• Support external communications through newsletter review, upon request.
• Participate in project specific fundraising strategies and efforts.
• Maintain board handbook and board lists.
   

Program Support [~40%]

• Project administration: maintaining organization of contracts and project budgets.
• Project expense management and reimbursements for consulting.
• Provide administrative support for Content + Communications Manager on publications and events.
   

Office Support [~10%]

• Lead weekly office operations including mail (incoming and outgoing), the main office phone line and email account.
• Take inventory of supplies, manage storage and office equipment, and coordinate printing direct mail materials as-needed.
• Assist with events as needed.
• All other duties as assigned.

WE THINK IT'S IMPORTANT THAT YOU HAVE THE FOLLOWING SKILLS

• Excellent and confident communication — written, in person, on the phone, and via web conferencing. Fluency in languages outside English is a plus.
• Savvy on the computer — including Microsoft Office, Google Drive, and video conferencing. Familiarity with Adobe Suite, Quickbooks, Salesforce and TimeSheets is a plus.
• Comfortable with contract documents — ability to learn, read and extrapolate information from complex documents.
• Strong problem solving skills – asks questions to discover information and underlying issues, then rolls up sleeves and gets things done.
• Manage time effectively and be able to meet deadlines.
• Ability to use existing practices as guidelines to determine work methods while working independently and resolving most problems without assistance.
• Highly self-motivated, achievement-oriented, with the ability to work individually and in teams.
• Detail oriented, able to prioritize workload and self-manage.
• Positive, open-minded attitude — we enjoy working across regions and cultures and hope you do too.
• Good with math — strong ability to calculate figures and amounts.
• Punctual, quick-learning self-starter who works well in a fast-paced environment and is customer service oriented.

EXPERIENCE and QUALIFICATIONS — Required

• BA degree and some experience with nonprofits. Commensurate experience may substitute for education.
• Skilled at office administration.
• Ability to complete projects in a timely and efficient manner while delivering high-quality, consistent results.
• Strong communication and problem solving skills, including excellent verbal and written communication, grammar, editing, and customer service skills.
• Ability to adapt to changing situations and revise strategies as needed.
• Commitment to Forecast’s mission and strong ethical conduct.
• Ability to advocate for artists and work with diverse constituencies.
• Experience facilitating meetings, note taking and synthesizing information.
• Experience with MS Suite, Excel, Word, Google Drive.
   

EXPERIENCE and QUALIFICATIONS — Preferred

• Knowledgeable about the public art field.
• Experience with Adobe Creative Suite, Salesforce, Zoom Workplace.
• Comfortable on Mac computers and using Apple software.

HOW TO APPLY:

Submit a letter of interest and resume by June 7, 2024 at 11:59pm CDT on Forecast’s Submittable page: https://forecastpublicart.submittable.com

• Interviews will take place week of June 10 
• Candidates notified by June 24
• Expected start date is July 22, 2024

 Completed applications shall include: (1) contact information, (2) letter of interest, and (3) resume.
Apply below. If you do not have an account with Submittable, you will need to create a free account.