Civitella Ranieri has commenced its search for an Executive Director. See below or click here for the full job description and details on how to apply.
Executive Director
New York and Umbria, Italy
Civitella Ranieri Foundation (CRF) is an international residency program bringing together visual artists, writers, and composers to work independently and communally without judgment or interruption. It is a U.S. 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation with offices both in New York City and in Italy. Civitella is seeking a New York based Executive Director for its international program.
Civitella’s residencies are located in a 15th century castle in the heart of Umbria, Italy that has been a seat of the Ranieri family since its construction. Every year, Civitella holds four six-week sessions, each with 12 to 15 Fellows- no more than 50% of whom are from the U.S. The Castle is located in a remote and rustic environment that fosters self-directed work and honest exchange. Civitella also offers multiple cultural workshops during the winter months at the Castle and several presentations by alumni Fellows during the year in New York City.
Since its founding, CRF has brought together more than 1,000 Fellows and Director’s Guests from more than 100 nations around the world, some at emerging and others at established moments in their careers. The culture of Civitella is one of generous warmth and welcome in an environment that is aesthetically authentic and simple. The focus is on work and community.
For the last 30 years, Civitella’s Executive Directors have been based in Italy while building and refining our highly acclaimed residency program. That program is now managed by the Residency Director and the Italian team. Our goal is to maintain the qualities and values of the Fellows program as it currently exists while expanding our networks of support to keep the Foundation operating in perpetuity. With the strength of the Foundation’s core program established, the Board has determined that now is the time to build a stronger presence for CRF in the U.S. and so the next Executive Director will be based in the Foundation’s New York office. It is expected that the Executive Director will spend extended visits to the Castle particularly during the Fellowship season – May through October – to engage fully with the Fellows and Director’s Guests and to set the tone for the residency’s communal engagement.
To learn more about Civitella please visit our website www.civitella.org. Two videos can be found on the home page and might be of particular interest.
Executive Director: Key Goals, Opportunities, and Challenges
This position offers an opportunity for an energetic, inspirational and accessible leader to grow Civitella’s community of artists and supporters as it begins its 30th year and to develop a new approach to the Foundation’s management. Our recently retired and long term Executive Director, Dana Prescott is working with the Staff and the Board of Directors to ensure the effective continuation of CRF’s mission and programs during this transition. Diego Mencaroni, the Residency Director, is ably serving as Interim Director.
The Executive Director reports to the Board of Directors through the Board chair and has the responsibility of providing leadership, creative vision, sound management, and financial skills to the Board, Staff, artists, donors and community while carrying out the mission of the Foundation.
Pay range: $165,000-175,000, depending on skills and experience.
Visionary Leadership for Civitella Ranieri Foundation
The Executive Director will be an exceptional individual who fully embraces and embodies the values and ideals of Civitella. They will be the visible, outgoing leader, fostering inclusion and cross-cultural connection among the Fellows, Director’s Guests, Staff, and Board. This leader is responsible for setting priorities, energizing the Staff, and ensuring the culture and institutional structures to achieve the organization’s mission. Promoting innovative and thoughtful programming, the Executive Director will engage the Fellows and Director’s Guests– in their individual focused work at the Castle and with events in venues post-residency. Part of this work will include deepening local relationships in Umbria and New York as well as elevating the organization’s profile nationally and internationally, growing CRF’s networks of supporters, future Fellows, nominators, and jurors in the international arts world.
The Executive Director will set the agenda for CRF in close collaboration with its Board of Directors and will garner support for the organization’s priorities, building consensus around strategic goals and ensuring that resources are in place to achieve those goals. In addition, the Executive Director will confer regularly with the Advisory Councils in Italy and in New York City on strategic direction. CRF has a seasoned and loyal Staff of exceptional professionals who are committed to the values and vision of Civitella and who will provide a robust platform of support and expertise for the new Executive Director.
Administration and Management
The successful candidate will bring well-developed skills specifically in U.S. nonprofit management, including finance, facilities, program, fundraising, planning, marketing, human resources, and communications. Core duties include managing the Staff, budget, internal and external communications, and support groups, seeking always maximum efficiency, and reporting clearly to the Board of Directors. The Executive Director is the legal representative for the Foundation in both Italy and the U.S. and is responsible for all administrative matters germane to those responsibilities.
The Executive Director supervises a Staff of four in the New York office, and through the Residency Director (who reports to the Executive Director), ten at the Castle in Umbria, several of whom are seasonal. A sensitivity to and understanding of both country’s cultures and customs, and the differing labor laws of Italy and the U.S. is important. A working knowledge of Italian will be essential to conducting business and ensuring strong communication and relationships with the Staff. This leader will further a collaborative culture among the Staff, ensuring that goals are clear, and will manage annual performance evaluations to develop new skills and effective ways of working. There is a learning and professional development culture in place which is part of the Foundation’s ethos. In addition, the Executive Director will oversee the management of the Castle estate and operations, including the ongoing maintenance and renovation of projects throughout the Castle grounds in close coordination with the owner, Roberto Ranieri, in alignment with the Foundation’s lease of the property. The Executive Director is responsible for all negotiations with the property’s owner. Financial management is a key component of the role, including astute budget management to achieve efficiencies in all areas of operation, ensuring timely and accurate financial reporting, and working with the Board of Director’s finance committee to manage the investments.
Fundraising and External Engagement
The Executive Director will oversee fundraising to augment investment revenues and will seek opportunities to create affiliated fellowships (relationships with other like-minded cultural entities to underwrite a residency) and to invent, organize and manage Sojourns in Umbria, a series of cultural workshops held during the off season. Fundraising is an ongoing effort involving grant writing, an annual campaign, and the cultivation of major donors. While fundraising has been part of annual activities in the past, the next Executive Director will increase this focus in order to decrease the draw on the Foundation’s reserves and secure the organization’s long term viability. This leader will serve as primary fundraiser for CRF, partnering with the Board of Directors to identify and cultivate potential donors, secure major gifts and additional affiliated partners, and ensure appropriate stewardship of these important relationships.
Serving as the Foundation’s primary ambassador and spokesperson on all matters, the Executive Director also represents the Foundation at international conferences, art fairs, and book festivals, and is an active participant in the Association of Directors of American Postgraduate Programs and Residencies Operating in Italy as well as the Artists Communities Alliance in the U.S. The Executive Director oversees all written, electronic and visual communications. The Executive Director will raise the national and international visibility of Civitella Ranieri, maintaining connections with past Fellows and developing new networks to build recognition of and support for Civitella. Identifying future Fellows, Director’s Guests, nominators, and jurors is a critical responsibility for maintaining the integrity of the program and the high level of its participants.
An Engaging Community of and for Artists
During the Fellowship season, the Executive Director plays a key role in establishing and maintaining an environment conducive to the focus and productivity of the Fellows and the Director’s Guests. The Executive Director serves as catalyst and facilitator for communal engagement and connection which is a critical part of the Civitella experience. The successful candidate will embrace that purpose and have a track record of relationship building and a dedicated commitment to the work of artists, for whose benefit the Foundation exists. The ideal candidate will have a deep love of the arts, and a profound appreciation for the important role of the arts in the world, as well as a keen intelligence that invites conversation and generates community. Civitella’s Executive Director must be an energetic leader who inspires and connects naturally with others and exhibits cultural fluency and emotional flexibility. This may involve making studio visits, reviewing manuscripts, and attending evening presentations of Fellows’ works.
Although much of the tending to the Fellows and Director’s Guests is handled by the Residency Director and Staff, it is of significant importance that the Executive Director is an active participant in the Fellows’ community and is present at many evening meals when the program is in session, helping to guide the flow of conversation and facilitate participation among differing personalities and engagement styles. The Executive Director cultivates a network to call on as nominators and jurors to continue building a diverse community of future Fellows. The Executive Director cultivates alumni gatherings and public programs in New York to grow our community of supporters.
Qualifications and Experience
Civitella Ranieri Foundation seeks a strategic leader who brings the passion, energy, knowledge, relationship-building skills, and managerial ability to guide Civitella into its next era. The successful candidate will bring many of the following qualifications, skills, and experiences to the role:
- A deep and enthusiastic understanding of, and commitment to, Civitella’s mission and an embrace of its values
- A strong track record of providing energetic, inspirational, effective, and hands-on leadership in U.S. nonprofits
- The financial acumen necessary to guide an institution in a fiscally responsible way, through periods of both uncertainty and stability
- A demonstrated history of success with different methods of fundraising and generation of revenue
- Proven success in managing Staff and overseeing HR policies.
- Working knowledge of Italian
- An appreciation of Italy and in particular, Umbria, its art, food and traditions
- Well-traveled, and seriously interested in cultural exchange and ways to connect with international resources on behalf of Civitella
- Awareness of current political and cultural conversations in both the U.S. and Italy.
- An outgoing personality that is flexible and able to adapt with grace to a broad variety of situations, people, beliefs, backgrounds, preferences, and cultures; able to meaningfully engage all members of the community
- Superb communication skills both in writing and in public speaking
- An innovative program planner
- A generosity of spirit that is inclusive and infectious
- An excellent listener and facilitator of conversations with Staff, Board Directors, artists and visitors
- An innate curiosity about people and their interests
- Committed to learning and upholding Civitella’s values of equity; forward-looking in terms of race, gender, class & sexual orientation
- An ability to create community and build relationships among diverse groups, and to foster an environment that welcomes and respects people of all backgrounds and identities
- A sense of humility
- An open-minded, flexible, and responsive thinker
- An undauntable sense of humor
- An advanced degree in the arts or humanities or comparable professional experience
- Eligible to work in the United States and Italy
To Apply
Please submit a 1-2 page letter of interest responding to the particulars of the job described above along with a resume and the contact information for 3 recent professional references to hr@civitella.org.
It is recommended that interested candidates submit their material no later than March 31, 2024.
Civitella celebrates and is committed to diversity and inclusion.
We are an equal opportunity workplace and an affirmative action employer.
Final – February 21st, 2024.