INTRODUCTION

Orchestra Lumos seeks an exceptional marketing and communications professional to join the Orchestra at one of the most creative and developmental periods in its history. The primary accountability of this role is to build our audiences across Fairfield County. The successful candidate will be able to point to significant past successes in growing, retaining, and diversifying audiences, for all types of performances.

Orchestra Lumos stands apart as the only fully professional orchestra in southwest Connecticut. When not performing as Orchestra Lumos, our musicians grace the stages of the NY Philharmonic, the Metropolitan Opera, the New Jersey Symphony, Broadway shows, and more.

Following the appointment of Michael Stern as Music Director, the recent rebranding from Stamford Symphony to Orchestra Lumos, and re-opening from the pandemic, Orchestra Lumos is boldly growing to perform across all of Fairfield County, play larger repertoire, and deliver a county-wide community engagement and education program.

The Director of Marketing and Communications will join our Management Team, with responsibility for planning, implementing, and assessing the Orchestra’s marketing, branding, PR, and audience development in support of this bold vision and growth. This role will be our boots on the ground representing Orchestra Lumos in our community, manage agencies and vendors, and continue the reinvigoration of our brand.

This role is based at our Stamford office. The successful candidate must be present in the office, in our community, and at Orchestra events including some evenings and weekends. Plus, enjoy world-class live music!

POSITION DESCRIPTION

Position Title: Director of Marketing and Communications
Status: Full-Time, Exempt
Reports to: President & CEO

RESPONSIBILITIES

Strategic – Get in tune

• Collaborate with the CEO, Music Director and others to execute the Orchestra’s growth strategy

• Drive marketing to engage new, more diverse audience segments

• Following our recent rebranding, establish Orchestra Lumos brand awareness among target constituents

• Align Marketing with our Community Engagement programs, making them more effective together

Marketing – Hear the applause

• Set and meet targets for maximizing and diversifying audiences. Help grow earned income from the current 15% of budget to 30% or more. Maintain that proportion as we grow.

• Oversee messaging and content, ensuring brand compliance, audience relevancy, and marketing excellence

• Optimize digital marketing including the website, email, social media, online advertising and listings

• Execute traditional marketing including direct mail, flyers and brochures, advertising, telephone and in-person

• Hands on – roll up your sleeves to update the website, post on social, send emails. (Let us tune the violins.)

• Establish a multi-year Marketing Plan with annual installments, gaining approvals from the CEO and Board

• Manage marketing vendors including PR firm, media companies, web developer, social media agency, mail house etc

• Manage department budget

Public Relations – Reach a crescendo

• Achieve visibility for Orchestra Lumos by engaging with PR firm and media companies

• Create and implement all outbound communications

Community Engagement – Keep the tempo

• Partner with the Community Engagement and Education manager to make community engagement programs more successful with marketing and PR

• Set and meet targets for audience engagement and diversity across Fairfield County

• Identify key engagement targets (e.g. community leaders and influencers, venues, partner organizations, school leaders etc.) and implement disciplined relationship-building

• Be out and about, with “boots on the ground” as the public face of the organization’s marketing and communications – join community meetings and events to represent the Orchestra among target audiences

REQUIREMENTS

Professional – Make the rehearsal

• A seasoned marketing professional with at least 7 years’ senior-level experience with a proven track record of achieving ticket sales and other earned income goals

• Experience within performing arts required; a passion for symphonic music preferred

• Innovative, forward-thinking professional with exceptional interpersonal skills and integrity, a genuine and infectious enthusiasm for the arts and the mission of the Orchestra Lumos

• Bachelor’s degree required

• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills

Marketing Skills – Mark the fingering

• Demonstrated capability spanning marketing channels from traditional to digital

• Significant experience overseeing digital media to drive traffic and conversion for ticket sales, and to expand the brand

• Experience with innovative design and photography that is functional, engaging, and represents a dynamic orchestra

• Understanding and demonstrated success implementing dynamic pricing strategies

• Knowledge of Spektrix CRM, WordPress websites, and Dotdigital email software highly desirable

Management Skills – Know the score

• Results oriented – ability to manage budgets, and evaluate the ROI of initiatives

• Ability to think analytically and creatively – a fact-based data driven professional

• A resourceful, results-oriented leader with the ability to think strategically, generate new ideas, prioritize, plan, and set goals and objectives

• Strong problem-solving skills and ability to meet ongoing multiple deadlines

• Strong communication skills, and ability to foster an environment of open and direct communication with individuals of varying degrees of involvement with the Orchestra

• Ability to speak credibly and persuasively about Orchestra Lumos’s vision for the future

• Successful experience with the creation and execution of strategic plans as they relate to the marketing function

Equity, Diversity and Inclusion

Orchestra Lumos is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of age, race, sex, color, religion, national origin, disability, military status, sexual orientation or any other status protected by applicable state or local law

Compensation will be competitive and commensurate with qualifications and experience.

Application – Take a bow

Please submit a cover letter and resume to Russell Jones, President & CEO, Orchestra Lumos: rjones@orchestralumos.org