Founded in 2003, GiGi's Playhouse Inc.’s mission is to change the way the world views Down syndrome and send a global message of acceptance for all. This is accomplished through national campaigns, purposeful programs, and by empowering individuals with Down syndrome, their families, and the community. All programs are free and are therapeutic or educational in nature. Each one of our programs is designed to work on specific skill development, including speech and language, literacy, socialization, and fine and gross motor skills. GiGi’s Playhouse currently has over 58 locations across North America and Mexico and is growing by several locations annually.

Job Description

The Site Director is a goal-oriented, conscientious individual who uses sound judgment and effective management skills to manage and/or oversee all aspects of the local playhouse including facility and equipment management, family engagement, volunteers, internal and external communications, and community outreach. The Site Director also assists with Playhouse events and fundraisers to reach financial goals, and handles various administrative duties. A flexible schedule is a must, as you may be needed to oversee or cover programs, events, or activities, which may include some evenings and weekends. The Site Director’s main focus is the work inside the Playhouse, but there will be a strong emphasis in helping to ensure operation is fully funded and that the community is aware of the scope and impact of programs offered. The Site Director will be actively involved in development and fundraising activities, driving community members to the Playhouse, and building a strong community presence and local donations through donor outreach, developing media contacts, and other related activities. All staff members are the face of GiGi’s Playhouse and play an essential role representing GiGi’s to families, volunteers, donors, and community members.

Primary goals for this role include:

• Ensuring delivery of highest quality operational execution and outstanding customer experience.
• Deepening family engagement and connection with the Playhouse.
• Increasing funding through individual donors, sponsorships, in-kind, and corporate support.
• Maximizing awareness of GiGi’s Playhouse and Down syndrome across the local community.

Reports To: President or Vice President of the GiGi’s Playhouse Sacramento Board of Managers

Essential Job Functions:

Operational and Strategic Management

• Ensure all programs, events, and activities are fully staffed to support the needs of the Playhouse;
• Drive the Playhouse’s achievement of the GiGi’s Standards of Execution (SOE), continually striving to achieve Center of Excellence level on all SOE’s;
• Deliver outstanding operational execution in the Playhouse to ensure a high-quality experience for families, volunteers, donors, and community members;
• Collaborate with the Board and/or Fundraising Committee to develop and implement a fundraising plan to achieve revenue targets;

Stewardship & Outreach

• In close partnership with the event chair for each fundraising event, support and heavily engage with all events;
• Build and engage with a formal Family Committee that is involved in fundraising, volunteerism, community outreach, program input, and event support (in conjunction with Program and Volunteer Coordinator);
• Leverage database(s) to process event-related donations, registrations, etc., and ensure all donor acknowledgments are processed on a timely basis;
• Partner with the Outreach Committee and/or Board in growing local community awareness through delivering presentations, attending mixers, and distributing press releases;
• Collaborate with the Board of Managers to create/grow partnerships with local Down Syndrome organizations, community businesses, schools, and libraries.

Oversight of Volunteer and Program Coordinator, whose job functions include, but are not limited to:

• Manage all key volunteers to ensure all programs, events, and activities are fully staffed;
• Meet with volunteers on a regular basis to keep up to date on needs and support;
• Informal acts of thanks and annual volunteer appreciation and recognition activity;
• Solicit input from local families (at least annually) re: program scheduling and variety.

Administration & Office Management

• Greet and connect with all visitors to the Playhouse, including families, volunteers, and donors, whether they visit in person, via phone, or email;
• Ensure proper risk management and safety procedures of the Playhouse;
• Manage basic office organization, including ordering inventory, office supplies, and program supplies;
• Become an expert at Salesforce (relational database tool) to document and track volunteer activity, program participation, donations, family data, etc., including reporting on trends;
• Track all incoming and outgoing monies (receipts, secure collection deposits, etc.) in collaboration with centralized bookkeeper and local Board Treasurer;
• Support the team’s ability to adhere to all Playhouse hours;
• Maintain proper upkeep of the Playhouse facility and its assets in collaboration with Property Management Company and local vendors.

Marketing and Communications

• Actively work to grow program participation, volunteer hours, and family and community connections through marketing efforts;
• Identify and foster relationships with local media sources;
• Maintain online Playhouse calendar of programs, activities, and events;
• Create promotional flyers and other graphics for local Playhouse events;
• Develop monthly e-newsletter, gathering stories and pictures per the required format/template; update local website; and manage social media accounts in accordance with the standards of the National Office;
• Ensure new parent celebration packets, marketing materials, thank you notes, sponsor packets, activity books, awareness materials, etc. are distributed as needed.

Relationship with the National Office and Local Board of Managers

• Work collaboratively and professionally with National Office staff and local team, including Board members, committee members, volunteers, families, and donors.
• Partner with Board members and committees to leverage their expertise and support;
• Attend monthly National Playhouse Staff calls and respond appropriately to network-wide requirements from the National Office;
• Prepare monthly Playhouse Impact Report to be shared with the National Office and local Board.
• Attend monthly Board meetings to present Playhouse Impact Report and other initiatives, and effectively and proactively communicate Playhouse activities, needs, and concerns;
• Follow all National guidelines and policies as outlined in Standards of Execution and the associated Operations, Programs, and Human Resources manuals.

Competencies:

• Visionary Leadership; Displays passion and optimism; inspires respect and trust; mobilizes others to fulfill the vision; provides vision and inspiration to peers and subordinates.
• Technical Skills: Assesses own strengths and weaknesses; strives to continuously build knowledge and skills related to technical tools.
• Efficiency: Produces significant output with minimal wasted effort.
• Initiative and Work Ethic: Volunteers readily; seeks increased responsibilities; takes independent actions and calculated risks; possesses a strong willingness to work hard and sometimes long hours to get the job done; has a track record of working hard.
• Teamwork: Balances team and individual responsibilities; exhibits objectivity and openness to others' views; gives and welcomes feedback; contributes to building a positive team spirit; puts team success above own interests; able to build morale and group commitments to goals and objectives; supports everyone's efforts to succeed; recognizes accomplishments of other team members.
• Written and oral communication: Effectively expresses ideas and thoughts verbally; effectively expresses ideas and thoughts in written form; exhibits good listening and comprehension skills; keeps others adequately informed; selects and uses appropriate communication methods.
• Problem Solving: Identifies and resolves problems in a timely manner; gathers and analyzes information skillfully; develops alternative solutions; is creative, open minded, and flexible; works well in group problem-solving situations; uses reason even when dealing with emotional topics.
• Professionalism: Approaches others in a tactful manner; reacts well under pressure; treats others with respect and consideration regardless of their status or position; accepts responsibility for own actions; follows through on commitments.
• Planning/Organizing: Prioritizes and plans work activities; uses time efficiently; plans for additional resources as needed; organizes or schedules other people and their tasks; develops achievable goals, objectives, and action plans.

Qualifications: To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Education and/or Experience: Bachelor's degree from four-year college or university and at least 5 years’ experience and/or training as a manager; or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Language Skills: Ability to read, analyze, and interpret general business periodicals, professional journals, technical procedures, or governmental regulations. Ability to write reports, business correspondence, and procedure manuals. Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from groups of managers, clients, customers, and the general public. Bilingual in Spanish is a plus.
• Computer Skills: To perform this job successfully, an individual should have recent, advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and Teams); Proficiency in social media platforms including Instagram, Twitter, Linked In, and Facebook. Ability to learn and work proficiently in a database program/CRM (Salesforce) to manage interactions and transactions with all individuals who interface with this location, including donations, volunteer hours, program participation, etc. Familiarity with Adobe Illustrator and Canva are a bonus.
• Physical Demands: The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds.
• Work Environment: The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is occasionally exposed to outside weather conditions. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.

GiGi’s Playhouse Core Values: GiGi’s challenges all staff and volunteers to embody the following core values:

• Enthusiasm: Bringing positive, high energy to our work.
• Best of All: Always looking to improve in all that we do. Challenge yourself every day.
• Get It Done: Making things happen and blasting through barriers when needed; figure it out together.
• Believe: Believe in ourselves, believe in our mission, believe we can achieve all that we set out to achieve.
• Locally Concerned, Enterprise Minded: To best serve our local communities, we share best practices and have the humility to leverage the collective learnings from across the GiGi’s network.