About Our Job
With competitive pay, great benefits, and endless opportunities, working for the City and County of Denver means seeing yourself working with purpose - for you, and those who benefit from your passion, skills and expertise. Join our diverse, inclusive and talented workforce of more than 11,000 team members who are at the heart of what makes Denver, Denver.
What We Offer
The City and County of Denver offers a competitive salary commensurate with education and experience. The salary range for this position is $103,977 - $171,552, with a hiring range of $120,000- $150,000. We also offer generous benefits for full-time employees which include but are not limited to:

• A guaranteed life-long monthly pension, once vested after 5 years of service
• 457B Retirement Plan
• 140 hours of PTO earned within first year 11 paid holidays, 1 personal holiday and 1 volunteer day per year
• Competitive medical, dental and vision plans effective within 1 month of start date

Location
The City and County of Denver supports a hybrid workplace model. Employees work where needed, at a job site several days a week and off-site as needed. In this position you can expect to work on site at least three days per week. Office is located at 1245 Champa Street, Denver.
Denver Arts & Venues (DAV) is the City and County of Denver agency responsible for operating some of the region's most renowned facilities, including Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Denver Performing Arts Complex, Colorado Convention Center, Denver Coliseum, Loretto Heights and McNichols Civic Center Building. We also oversee the Denver Public Art Program, funding opportunities like Urban Arts Fund, P.S. You Are Here and EDI Arts & Culture Fund, implementation of Denver's Cultural Plan and other entertainment and cultural events such as the Five Points Jazz Festival. Funds generated by the agency are put back into the community through grants for artists and arts organizations, free and low-cost cultural events, art in public spaces, venue operation and maintenance and arts education.
Denver Arts & Venues is deeply committed to an equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) practice that closes access gaps in arts and culture with urgency and accountability. We believe long term impact requires changing traditional processes, creating new systems, and developing authentic relationships and transformative work. Our work stands at the intersection of arts, culture and community.
The City and County of Denver is looking for a Director of the City's Public Art Program for Arts & Venues (DAV). The Director will report to the Deputy Director overseeing the Cultural Affairs Division. The Director will be responsible for the operational management of core agency functional areas including the 1% for Public Art Program* projects, management and care of the City's Public Art Collection, oversight of the Public Art Policy, funding programs for murals and temporary art in public spaces, and public art tours. With more than 400 pieces of art throughout the city and 50 projects in progress, the Director ensures the department's efficiencies, progress tracking, process evaluation, and coordination across agencies, departments and divisions. The Director is also responsible for ensuring all data related to the City's cultural investments through public art and art in public spaces is tracked, organized and shared in collaboration with the grants and cultural programs department.
Denver's Public Art Program was established in 1988 as an Executive Order under Mayor Federico Pea. The order, enacted into Ordinance by Denver City Council in 1991, directs that 1% of any city-funded capital improvement project over $1 million is set aside for the inclusion of art, so the collection continues to grow each year. Over $40 million has been invested in the public art collection, along with historic and donated works of art, providing opportunity for Denver residents to experience art in public places.
The Director of the Public Art Program is a strategic and creative individual with excellent management, interpersonal, organizational, and strategic skills. In a directorship capacity, this position is centered in Arts & Venues' mission to advance arts and culture in the City and County of Denver.
Specifically, as the Director of the Public Art Program the selected candidate will:

• Establish and implement goals for DAV's Public Art Program department, including department's standards, processes and systems related to all public art projects and initiatives
• Support the Manager of the Public Art Program in setting annual goals for the Denver Commission on Cultural Affairs Public Art Task Force, currently focusing on Accessibility to make the program and collection more accessible for the disability community
• Utilize data to inform processes and initiatives to further EDI values and strategize ways to increase opportunities for artists from underrepresented communities
• Work in partnership with Director of Grants & Cultural Programs to capture and organize program data such as selection panels, project sites, commissioned artists, etc. for tracking, evaluation and reporting purposes
• Provide expertise and guidance to internal and external stakeholders as assigned, which may include DAV and City staff, business partners, members of the arts and cultural sector and the community at large
• Work with Deputy Director and team to recommend strategic goals, initiatives for the division and once approved, work to implement them ensuring coordination across DAV departments and that resources are utilized appropriately. In addition to directing the implementation of the department goals and related action items, the selected candidate will lead the tracking and reporting of the associated key performance indicators
• Oversee all stages of the processes related to 1% Public Art projects from beginning to end, working with other City agencies including design, establishing community selection panels, commissioning artists, contracting, construction and project completion. As Director, the selected candidate will be responsible for evaluating processes to determine how to best increase efficiencies, tracking and reporting
• Develop 1% Public Art projects reports to share regularly with Deputy Director
• Develop creative strategies and direct the effective management of all funding programs related to the Public Art Program such as the Urban Arts Fund and PS You Are Here, and establish annual plans for review and implementation ensuring community engagement, customer service and effective budget management
• Work with Deputy Director on initiatives related to monuments, and equity, diversity and inclusion ensuring the efficient development of timelines, research and evaluation mechanisms. For 2024-2025, the selected candidate will work to support all planning and implementation of the Monument Audit and Community Engagement in Civic Center Park supported by the Mellon Foundation
• Responsible for ensuring the Public Art Policy remains relevant following best practices across the public art sector. As such, the Director will establish timelines and lead the review process ensuring timely completion
• Monitor budgets for programs to ensure expenditures remain at or below established targets
• Supervise, coach, mentor, and develop at least two FTE employees including the Manager of the Public Art Program: Develop goals, document performance, provide guidance and performance feedback and formally evaluate their work, recognizing proper and efficient performance and devising opportunities for training and development
• Work in partnership with marketing team to establish a strategy focused on highlighting the Public Art Program and collection throughout the city.

About You
Our ideal candidate has some or all the following experience, skills, and characteristics:

• Deep expertise in equity, diversity and inclusion as related to public art and community engagement
• Prior strong experience managing staff and leading and developing a high-performing team, fostering their professional growth and ensuring the team delivers exceptional service and support to the department
• Exceptional interpersonal and relationship-building skills with the cultural sector, the community and staff at all levels of an organization
• Ability to overcome barriers and meet goals, especially in a fast-paced environment
• Ability to critically assess challenges and identify flexible, effective solutions
• Comfort with reviewing data and using it to drive decisions and communication
• Ability to organize and manage multiple priorities at once
• Flexible schedule including evenings and weekend
• Ability to develop strategic plans and successfully implement them working with multiple partners
• Strong working knowledge of local, national and international urban cultural landscapes and art in public spaces in diverse communities
• Ability to envision how a work of public art can change a city's landscape
• Strong writing skills

Required Minimum Qualifications

• Education requirement: Bachelor's Degree in a related field
• Experience Requirement: Five (5) years of experience at the type and level of functional or operational management, which must have included management of manager level leaders and staff
• Education/Experience Equivalency: Two (2) years of the appropriate type and level of experience may be substituted for each required year of post-high school education
• Additional appropriate education may be substituted for the minimum experience requirements
• License/Certifications: Requires a valid Driver's License at the time of application
• Must obtain Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) clearance within the probationary period
• Licenses and certifications must be kept current as a condition of employment

Application Deadline
This position is expected to stay open until 11:59pm on 4/28/2024.
About Everything Else
Job Profile
CA2758 Director
To view the full job profile including position specifications, physical demands, and probationary period, click here.
Position Type
Unlimited
Position Salary Range
$103,977.00 - $171,562.00
Starting Pay
Agency
Arts & Venues Denver
The City and County of Denver provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, genetic information, age, or any other status protected under federal, state, and/or local law.
Applicants for employment with the City and County of Denver must have valid work authorization that does not require sponsorship of a visa for employment authorization in the U.S.
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