Job Title: Senior Director of Craft 

Organization: The Loft Literary Center, Minneapolis www.loft.org

Status: FT Exempt

Reports to: Executive & Artistic Director

Compensation: $92,000–$100,000 annual salary  

The Loft operates on a 32-hour work week with the exception of seasonal demands. Benefits include health insurance (Loft pays 80% of a top tier plan, life insurance, two weeks paid time off annually (starting), 11 holidays, accrued sick/personal leave, and the opportunity to take one free Loft class per year.

About the Loft: Celebrating 50 years since its incorporation, the Loft Literary Center is one of the nation’s leading nonprofit literary centers with classes, workshops, mentorships, events, resources and services that advance the power of writers and readers to craft and share stories, to create and celebrate connections, and to build just, life-sustaining communities. Loft staff members enjoy a flexible workplace, health and other benefits, and the company of dedicated and creative colleagues. The Loft is committed to being an actively antiracist organization and the Senior Director of Craft will play a lead role in advancing the cultural competence, equity, and accessibility of the Loft’s offerings and organizational culture. 

Position Purpose:  The Senior Director of Craft will lead the enactment of the Loft’s mission and advance prosperity within the organization’s craft offerings for writers including classes, awards, and services. As lead for the Craft Team, this position will oversee craft-related program planning, development, and evaluation and will direct the work of the craft program managers. As a member of the Executive Leadership Team, this position will also play a key role in advancing organizational strategy, innovation, learning, and financial success. 

Primary Areas of Responsibilities and Tasks

In all areas of accountability for this position, responsiveness, empathy, humor, and impeccable attention to detail are essential. You will be a good fit if you have an entrepreneurial spirit, are committed to antiracism and equity, enjoy working with a diversity of learners, and have experience building and developing teams. The list below is representative of the essential duties for the job, but it is not necessarily an all-inclusive list of duties required to perform this role. As a member of the Loft staff, you may be asked to provide support for “all hands on deck” activities or events and to perform other duties as necessary to fulfill the Loft’s mission, vision and strategic objectives.

Advance the effectiveness and impact of the Loft’s craft-related programs and services including ongoing program development and evaluation: 

• Design and implement engagement pathways for advancing craft-related knowledge and skills for emerging to advanced writers
• Lead and collaborate on the design, training, and implementation of antiracist pedagogies across all Loft craft-related offerings
• Oversee the development and implementation of evaluation strategies and tools for craft-related programming including analyzing constituents’ needs and assessing program efficacy at advancing the skills and professional development of writers
• Oversee and support craft managers in establishing processes for the development, review, and selection of proposals and applications for Loft classes, awards, and access funds  
• Develop and standardize the implementation of the Loft’s values in craft-related programming and protocols for Loft teaching artists, program participation, and learning environments 
• Recruit for and collaborate with the Loft’s Craft Advisory Council to gather input, feedback, and establish accountability for the Loft’s craft-related offerings (FY25)
• Serve as primary staff liaison for the Loft’s Craft Advisory Council
• Engage with the teaching artists and the Loft’s Craft Advisory Council to gather input and feedback; to design and create content; and to establish accountability for the Loft’s craft-related offerings
• Recommend program evolutions or changes for the Loft’s craft programming; model and recommend new program concepts including relationships to organizational goals, outcomes for constituents, and financial projections
  

Advance the prosperity of the Loft’s craft-related offerings 

• Increase earned and contributed net revenue for craft programming 
• Develop, manage, and report on craft-related budgets including the establishment of annual revenue goals in conjunction with budget managers for all tuition- and contribution-based programming
• In conjunction with budget managers, oversee the management of expenses for craft-related budgets
   

Develop and lead the success of the Craft Team

• Serve as primary liaison for the Craft Team, overseeing all craft-related programming including classes, awards, youth programming, Bring the Loft to You, Year-Long Writing Projects, and fee-for-service programs
• Develop and lead a cohesive, dynamic, and successful Craft Team (currently five team members), optimizing the workflow, capacity, and performance for the team
• Supervise the education, awards, and services program managers 
• Foster and maintain relationships with key teaching artists, mentors, constituents and literary leaders and/or groups to inform an analysis of the relevance and impact of the Loft’s craft-related programing; need for program changes; and to develop and assess new programmatic opportunities 
• Develop and manage systems for training and evaluation, input and feedback, recruitment and outreach to support the success of the Loft’s craft offerings and the Craft Team

Enterprise-Wide Responsibilities

• Serve as the craft-related lead on the Executive Leadership Team (ELT) advancing the mission, vision, and organizational values of the Loft 
• Along with the Executive & Artistic Director and ELT, serve as a lead for the design and implementation of antiracist and equity strategies and trainings across the organization 
• Collaborate closely with Executive & Artistic Director and Senior Director of Community Engagement to conduct annual program planning and set artistic direction  
• Along with ELT, advance the economic equity and accessibility of Loft programs, services, and events 
• Along with ELT, improve systems of feedback, support, and quality control for Loft constituents including teaching artists, presenters, and participants 
• Work collaboratively with the members of the ELT to advance innovation and learning across the organization  
• Work collaboratively with the Development Team to identify craft-related funding opportunities and/or provide context and support to craft-related grant writing and reporting 

Knowledge and experience required for this job:

• Leadership and/or administrative experience in educational, nonprofit, or small business environments
• Demonstrated knowledge, skills, and experience leading the implementation of antiracist cultural strategies and pedagogies 
• Ability to champion the Loft’s core values
• Experience engaging, developing, and supporting teams 
• Experience developing and managing budgets
• Experience with program planning, modeling, financial analysis, and assessment
• Experience working with a wide variety of constituents including BIPOC and marginalized learners and learning environments
• Knowledge of and experience implementing program evaluation methodologies
• Knowledge of Asana, Submittable, Google Suite, and Zoom or comparable platforms for project and proposal management and sales
• Proficiency with Salesforce or comparable databases, the logic required to  generate reports, and comfort with technologies used in learning environments 
• A customer service orientation—the ability to remain personable, diplomatic, with a commitment to be responsive, manage conflict, and remain solutions-oriented in response to complaints
• An open and learning orientation to technology, software, and office equipment
• Appetite and ability to learn quickly and to problem solve with a great deal of independence
• Excellent interpersonal and communications skills including proficiency in written and spoken English
• Ability to work alone and in teams
• Ability to create and work to deadlines
• A positive, forward-looking, and curious approach to work

The ideal candidate will have:

• Master’s degree or higher or equivalent experience plus at least five years of program management experience 
• Entrepreneurial experience—starting or running a small business, organization or program; revenue generation; and innovation
• Deep and broad connections in the Twin Cities literary community, especially with writers and teaching artists
• Energy and enthusiasm for active participation in local, national, and virtual literary events and communities
• A love of stories and books
• A sense of humor and an ease with people

NOTE: Loft employees are not eligible to apply for Loft awards for writers

To Apply: Please answer the application questions and submit your resume via Submittable. If you do not have a Submittable account, you will need to create one.

Due to the expected number of applicants, we request that you do not call or email to check on your application status. You will get a confirmation by email to let you know that your application was received as well as notification when the position is filled.

Hiring Process: This position will be open until filled; applications will be reviewed as they come in, but first preference will be given to applications received by September 5th. Interviews will likely begin in mid-September. 

The Loft is an equal opportunity employer.