Third Coast Competition & Community Programs Coordinator

Status: Full-Time, Exempt
Reports to: Co-Executive Directors
Location: Remote, though Chicago-based applicants are prioritized. In addition, there’s a possibility of in-person programming locally in Chicago in 2023. Only applicants based in the U.S. can be considered at this time.
Deadline to Apply: Friday, September 16, 2022 at noon CT

About Us
Third Coast is a community-driven, intersectional, independent arts non-profit committed to pushing the boundaries of audio audio storytelling. Third Coast advocates for audio as a powerful art form while supporting the diverse communities of people who make the work and are critical to evolving the field. We invite makers and listeners alike to participate in conversations about storytelling, perspective, craft, audience and structure, and use these opportunities to raise the voices of those historically left out of the conversation: BIPOC, women, LGBTQIA-identified, and folx living with disabilities.

Since our founding two decades ago, we have supported media makers by recognizing talent, igniting innovation, curating exceptional audio pieces, and bringing the best work of all styles to local and worldwide audiences. Every day, we commit to the work of becoming an anti-racist institution and to create radical spaces of inclusion, collaboration, and experimentation we believe are most critical to this industry.

Position Summary
Third Coast seeks a full-time Competition & Community Programs Coordinator to join our small, core team during a time of new evolution and change, especially in a “post-2020” world. As a fiercely independent and unique field-building organization in audio, Third Coast continues to push the boundaries of narrative audio as a powerful artistic medium. More than ever, we seek to center equity, community, and experimentation while supporting makers throughout their careers and amplifying their work to audiences worldwide. We are an organization actively in transition after the devastating effects COVID-19 pandemic, and are undergoing an intentional rebuilding process and implementing a strategic plan for sustainable growth. Right now, we are focused on accessible, international, and virtual-first programming. We are deeply committed to our mission and values of de-centering the status quo, nourishing experimentation and evolution, advocating for a maker-first approach and prioritizing accountability. We believe that our programs should follow from our values, and not the other way around.

The Competition & Community Programs Coordinator is a grant-funded role that will initially focus on implementing the upcoming cycle of the annual Third Coast/Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Competition (September ’22 - June ’23), while helping to build out our models for community engagement to more equitably serve our audiences. While this role is primarily organizational, you will join the core, full-time team at Third Coast and work in a creative and collaborative environment as a fellow audio arts administrator, programmer, community-builder and curator. This position is partially supported by grant funding, and our goal is for this position to remain full-time after the completion of the current Competition cycle in the fall of 2023.

This position’s first priority will be to take the lead on coordinating and implementing every stage of the 2022-2023 Competition through its upcoming cycle, beginning with the launch of our Call for Entries this fall. This includes, but is not limited to: managing our digital platforms, user experience, and primary communications for entrants to the FY22-2023 Competition, while also overseeing Third Coast’s own internal workflow for processing and evaluating all entries. Working directly with Third Coast’s Co-Directors, the responsibilities of the Competition & Community Programs Coordinator include: maintaining the functionality of the entry form, organizing and processing all submissions (including entry information and payment), communicating with entrants and judges, scheduling and facilitating the process of reviewing work with other TC staff listeners, taking part in the listening/review process of work, and ensuring the smooth technical and logistical execution of this premiere audio event.

We see the Third Coast Competition as, primarily, an evolving conversation with our audio communities about what the most urgent work in audio looks and sounds like, with a growing emphasis on equitably serving the communities that enter their work. We are also excited to include the Competition & Community Programs Coordinator in the overall listening and review process for the Call for Entries, including as a staff listener, reviewing the entries collectively with other staff members. In addition, this position will play a key role in developing and implementing Third Coast's community outreach plan with care, intention, and thoughtfulness. We are looking for someone excited to advocate for equity, access and experimentation amongst the communities that Third Coast serves. We are also looking for someone ready to dive into the technical and administrative aspects of arts programming in a virtual-first setting, often detail-oriented with heavy emphasis on data and systems management. Like all roles at Third Coast, this role is intersectional: while primarily administrative, this role involves creative and critical thinking, and we hope to nurture your particular interests in the work as well. If there are aspects of the organization that you are interested in taking on beyond the duties listed below, or skills you are looking to sharpen, we hope to be able to cultivate those with you. We are seeking someone who is adaptable and flexible to quickly changing situations, and who takes unexpected challenges in stride.

We encourage candidates from all disciplines to apply! All you need is a growing passion for audio as a narrative medium.

Location Details
As a Chicago-based organization, we prioritize applications from Chicagoland-based candidates, or those interested in living locally, although we are accepting applications from people living across the U.S. as well. You do not need to be an American citizen to apply. Third Coast will continue to be operating remotely; no commuting nor travel will be required. We don’t currently have an in-person office, but we are experimenting with (optional) co-working days with the staff. If and when we make the transition to in-person programming, we will work with you to determine your involvement.

Responsibilities

Manage the front-and back-end implementation the annual Competition, occurring between September of 2022 and June of 2023, including:

Processing all entries using internal data management software (currently: Airtable);
Overseeing the user experience around Competition entries and implementing technical solutions;
Categorizing and organizing entrant data in Third Coast’s internal systems;
Communicating with entrants about the status of their entries, and answering questions about the Competition; and
Coordinating the evaluation and judging process with Third Coast staff and
judges.
Coordinating Third Coast’s most comprehensive community outreach program to date, including;

Helping to plan and implement outreach and public communications campaigns across all platforms, including email campaigns, social media, and our newsletter;
Engaging with participants with logistical, technical and administrative support; and
Improving internal data management and reporting to better engage our audiences around the world.
Working closely with Third Coast’s co-directors as the third member of our core full-time team to implement programmatic, community engagement, and administrative goals (as outlined in our Accelerated Strategic Plan);

Listening to and evaluating Competition entries alongside TC staff;
Assisting in production for public programs related to the 2022-23 Competition;
Providing general administrative support.
Qualifications

Significant familiarity with — and even an appreciation for — clear systems and data management (platforms we use/have used in the past include Airtable, Zapier, Paperform, Dropbox);
Demonstrated past experience working with Google Suite (Docs, Sheets, Drive), as well as social media platforms (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram) required;
Familiarity with the Adobe Creative Suite or similar design software preferred;
A strong, demonstrated interest in advocating for arts makers or working within the arts or media, and a particular appreciation for the possibilities of audio storytelling;
Demonstrated past experience doing administrative work;
Demonstrated experience in a customer-service, program management, community organizing, or community development role;
Excellent organizational and/or project management skills;
A good communicator and a team player;
A creative self-starter.
What We’re Offering

The annual salary for this position is $52,000.
This position is eligible for TCIAF-provided health and dental insurance through our Blue Cross Blue Shield PPO Health Insurance Plan, as well as supplemental vision insurance. (90% employer-paid premium for health and dental insurance; 100% employer-paid premium for supplemental vision insurance).
Each full-time employee receives 10 paid holidays annually and at least 14 vacation days at minimum, plus flexible sick leave. In addition, the Third Coast office closes for several weeks in the winter.
Application Process: What To Expect
Step one: All submissions will be reviewed and the initial candidate pool will be formed for a series of phone interviews. Not all submissions will make it into the candidate pool.
Step two: Candidates in the pool will take part in an interview with Third Coast’s Co-Directors over a video call. Candidates may be asked to prepare answers to an additional question in anticipation of the interview.
Step three: There may be additional interviews or questions for the final candidates. Selection and placement of the final candidate will occur after this final round of interviews. Placement for this position is anticipated to occur by Monday, October 17. Once the final candidate has accepted their offer of employment, all other applicants will be notified of their status.

Work Environment
This is the first full-time role we’ve been able to hire for at Third Coast since the onset of the pandemic (yay!). With direction from Third Coast’s Co-Directors, this role will be part of the organization’s core, full-time team. We really see ourselves as a team, constantly in communication and dialogue, while working to segment responsibilities clearly.

We also see the skills needed to work at Third Coat as intersectional: predominantly administrative, while requiring strong critical and creative thinking, organizational, and communications skills, and a passion for making narrative storytelling more accessible and impactful.

We strive to lift up expertise of all kinds, and cultivate your interests to grow within the role and the organization. Third Coast is also in the process of rebuilding. We try to remain flexible, adaptable, and know that the solutions we’re trying out will often shift. In fact, we’ve called this time at the organization the “Era of Experimentation,” and are excited about the opportunities that experimentation offers. This includes growth in the Competition & Community Programs Coordinator & the possibility of working on additional TCIAF programming over time. As of now, we are also about half-way through an Accelerated Strategic Plan, which we’re happy to talk to candidates more about.

COVID-19 Considerations & Vaccination Policy
We believe in living in community and supporting the most vulnerable of us, and we strive to make our working environment safe and inclusive. Though we are currently operating remotely and providing programming digitally, we will continue to update our community norms and COVID-19 policies around any in-person gatherings of our small staff, as well as for any future in-person programs.

To support public health efforts to reduce the risk of COVID-19, Third Coast has adopted a policy that requires all staff receive a complete COVID-19 vaccine.

How To Apply
Send a resume & cover letter to apply@thirdcoastfestival.org as a single pdf, by Friday, September 16 at noon CT with the subject line: 2022Coordinator_(LASTNAME).

Third Coast is an Equal Opportunity Employer that values and actively seeks diversity in its organizational culture and team members. All qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to race, color, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, status as an individual with disability, age, protected veteran status, or any other status protected by law. If you require further accommodation during the application and selection process, please let us know. We will do what we can to meet your needs. BIPOC are highly encouraged to apply.