About The Shed

The Shed, a new cultural institution for the 21st century, opened its doors in the spring of 2019, with a mission to produce and welcome innovative art and ideas across all forms of creativity. Since then, The Shed has become a distinctive player in New York City’s vibrant cultural scene. 

The Shed’s exceptional and highly adaptable building – built on city-owned land with public and private funding – enables an unrivaled level of programmatic flexibility and disciplinary range. It has seven unique, expansive, multi-use spaces that enable it to house an exceptionally wide array of live performances, installations, exhibitions, and events. The Shed’s movable shell enables the building to open onto the large plaza at Hudson Yards and allows the organization to expand its presence and engage with the public in dynamic ways.In addition to it’s physical capabilities, the building has state-of-the-art digital capabilities embedded into the fabric of the building, which in turn allows it to be a home for the work that is on the forefront of integrating new media into the performing and visual arts, including innovative digital experiences on-site and online. Utilizing its unique spaces, flexible infrastructure, and operational capabilities, The Shed can produce and present multi-disciplinary performances, exhibitions, events and gatherings of almost any type.

Since its inception, The Shed has prioritized inclusivity and relevance, attracting and welcoming diverse audiences. It provides a home for a variety of creative fields ranging from pop to classical music, painting to digital media, theater to literature, fashion to food, and sculpture to dance. The Shed collaborates with cultural peers, community organizations and like-minded partners to create and present work that is meaningful to audiences, that advances art forms, and that has impact in New York City and beyond. 

Financial and Operational Highlights

2024 Operating Budget: $25MM, of which 55% comes from earned revenue and 45% from contributions.

The Shed is comprised of various spaces, galleries and theaters for performances, installations, and events:

• The Shed’s Bloomberg Building, designed by Diller Scofidio Renfro, Lead Architect, and Rockwell Group, Collaborating Architect, is an innovative 200,000-square-foot structure that physically transforms to support artists’ most ambitious ideas.

• The McCourt, The Shed’s most iconic space, is formed when the movable outer shell is deployed over the adjoining plaza to create a 17,000-square-foot light-, sound-, and temperature-controlled hall for large-scale performances, installations, and events. It can accommodate a seated audience of approximately 1,200 (900 in the lower McCourt) and a standing audience of up to 2,220. 

• The Level 2 and Level 4 Galleries, totaling 25,000 square feet, are expansive, column-free museum-quality spaces. 

• The Kenneth C. Griffin Theater, on Level 6, can seat 500 people and be subdivided into more intimate spaces to suit the needs of a range of productions and installations. 

• The Tisch Skylights and Lab, on the top floor, are striking spaces for events, rehearsals and artist development that seat approximately 450 people, with standing room for 750. 

• The Plaza can be used as an outdoor public space for programming when the movable shell is retracted to nest over the base building. It features The Shed’s first visual art commission, IN FRONT OF ITSELF, a large-scale, site-specific work by Lawrence Weiner fabricated with custom paving stones. 

About the Position

As the leader of the Development function at The Shed, the Chief Development Officer (CDO) directs The Shed’s efforts to meet contributed revenue targets, diversify and grow The Shed’s Board, and shape The Shed’s reputation in New York and beyond. As a pivotal member of The Shed’s Executive Team and a leader of institutional advancement, the CDO will help guide The Shed’s efforts to innovate and execute as it continues in its driving vision to be a cultural institution for the 21st century. 

The Chief Development Officer reports to the CEO and manages a team of eight. Working closely with the CEO, Artistic Director, and Board of Directors, the CDO oversees a fundraising program that will support The Shed with ~$25M contributed revenue in 2024, including an Annual Fund goal of ~$11M and an additional ~$14M in Campaign pledge payments and capital gifts. 

The ideal candidate for CDO will be an inspiring and strategic leader, a talented manager, and an ambitious, results-oriented fundraiser. They will have a track-record of successful partnership with Board leaders, and will excel at executive-level communication. They will have a bias towards data-driven and insight-driven leadership, with a proven ability to craft high-impact, high-ROE strategies. They will be a sophisticated ambassador for The Shed at our performances, exhibitions, events, and in our community. 

Key responsibilities include:

Strategy

• Craft compelling cases for philanthropic support rooted in The Shed’s mission and program, inspired by The Shed’s potential, inventiveness, and entrepreneurial spirit

• Create a sustainable culture of philanthropy, helping The Shed pivot from the success of our original building campaign to a sustainable Annual Fund program

• Design, implement, and lead a comprehensive development strategy to drive growth in contributed income from all sources, with particular focus on major individual gifts

Contributed Revenue Achievement

• Own a contributed revenue target of $25M annually including new achievement for the Annual Fund and ongoing collection and stewardship of Campaign gifts

• Lead team to meet these targets via fundraising strategies that include individuals (major and planned gifts), foundations, corporate partnerships, and special events, including oversight of The Shed’s annual gala

• Creatively design donor benefits and stewardship to deepen engagement

• Manage a personal portfolio of major gift prospects, serving as a front-line solicitor; and support the CEO and board members in managing key donor relationships

• Plan and lead special campaigns, as appropriate (programmatic, capital, endowment)

• Work closely with Marketing & Communications to expand awareness about The Shed and support and advance a membership program

Board Partnership and Growth

• In partnership with CEO and Board, recruit and engage diverse, talented individuals for The Shed’s Board of Directors

• Design best-in-class strategies to grow the Board from 30 to 35 voting members

• Lead the Board Governance Committee, focused on engagement, retention, and recruitment of Board members

Department Leadership

• Provide clear leadership for staff, leverage the talent of each team member, and motivate the department, consistent with The Shed’s values

• Cultivate strong collaboration with artistic colleagues and Executive Team

• Guide department budget, forecasting, and reporting

Qualifications:

• 10 years of experience in fundraising with a deep knowledge of developing major gifts from individual donors, foundations, and corporations coupled with a minimum of 5 years’ experience in managing and growing fundraising teams and strategies.

• Demonstrated ability to manage contributed revenue programs and departments that successfully raise more than $5,000,000 annually; Campaign experience valued but not required

• Demonstrated ability to secure individual, corporate, foundation, and government grants and donations of $1M

• Experience in and knowledge of the NYC philanthropic community

• Proven ability to work collaboratively and closely with staff at all levels of the organization, inspiring and fostering external collaboration and partnerships

• Demonstrated initiative, autonomy, and strategic thinking

• Adept at developing relationships with key decision makers and implementing strategic interactions to close 6 figure gifts with private and public foundations, government agencies, individual and corporate entities.

• Outcome-driven leadership, with a deep understanding of technology and systems, and a strong record of using data and metrics to drive fundraising growth 

• Experience with Tessitura (or comparable CRM products) 

• Passion for the arts and The Shed’s mission

Compensation

The salary range for this position is $240,000 - $275,000. Compensation is commensurate with experience.

Application Process

Interested candidates should complete an application and submit résumé and cover letter in a single Word or PDF document saved as candidate's first and last name through our Career Center page. Only résumés and cover letters submitted in this format will be reviewed. 

The Shed is dedicated to building an equitable environment that is mixed across lines of difference and strongly encourages applications from Black, Indigenous, People of Color, women, transgender, and non-binary candidates. This position will remain open until filled and until a diverse and qualified pool of candidates is identified. Applicants from populations underrepresented in the arts field are strongly encouraged to apply. Whether you’re new to arts and culture administration, returning to work after a gap in employment, simply looking to transition, or taking the next step in your career path, we will be glad to have you on our radar.