Chief Executive Officer
OPPORTUNITY: INTEMPO provides high-quality classical and intercultural music education to children, including those from immigrant backgrounds and communities underrepresented in the arts. An awardwining national leader in music education and creative youth development, INTEMPO is committed to connecting the dots between intercultural music education and its influence on the overall development of children. INTEMPO serves children, families and cultures through programming that is community centered, holistic in approach, accessible, inclusive, and unique. INTEMPO is experiencing steady growth and has been recognized at the local and national level for quality of programs and efforts to promote arts equity. INTEMPO recently moved to a new space in Stamford, CT with a vision to be the region’s leading arts and cultural center for young people and their families. The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) will continue to lead INTEMPO from a solid foundation established by the founding CEO, in collaboration with a team of dedicated and talented staff and a supportive and engaged board, to advance positive change for young people through music.
ORGANIZATION: INTEMPO’s mission is to engage, educate, and enrich the lives of children by making classical and intercultural music relevant, accessible, and inclusive, and to help close the achievement gap by developing their musical, social-emotional, and interpersonal skills. Through the joy of music, INTEMPO helps children express themselves artistically and build skills that will serve them in every aspect of their lives. Children across Fairfield County, CT participate in INTEMPO’s flagship music school, in-school music programs, summer camp, concerts, and community engagements. INTEMPO programs empower students to leverage the skills they gain through engaging with music and break down barriers that keep children from participating in music education, support their musical interests, and reverse negative patterns that hold back children from realizing their potential. Founded in 2011, INTEMPO has grown to be a leading, creative youth development and arts organization serving over 700 students from ages 4 to 17 across ten partner sites in Norwalk and Stamford. INTEMPO has provided programming to thousands of children and hired dozens of worldclass teaching artists, spearheading advocacy for arts, culture, and education for youth in the city of Stamford, Fairfield County, and throughout the state of Connecticut. The organization is the recipient of numerous awards and grants, including the 2021 Impact Fairfield County award ($100,000), 2022 2 Accelerator Award from the Lewis Prize for Music ($500,000), and 2019 Adolf Busch Award. Additional recognition has included finalist nominations in the 2016 and 2017 National Youth Arts and Humanities Program, and major grants and awards from Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute, the National Association of Latino Arts and Culture, Spread Music Now, and the Sphinx Organization, one of the most highly regarded national organizations for fostering diversity in the arts. Based in Stamford, CT, INTEMPO is governed by a board of 14, led by a team of five and manages a growing revenue of $500K-$1M. The organization is supported by an Advisory-Honorary Board, Teaching Artists, and the students, families, and community it serves. Today INTEMPO is known as a welcoming space for multilingual music education, cultural exchanges, and creative expression. For more information, visit www.intempo.org.
THE ROLE: The next leader will build upon a solid foundation and strong brand developed by the founding CEO. The new CEO will continue to develop and grow the organization in partnership with the INTEMPO Board, staff and community to ensure alignment, sustained success and growth through this leadership transition and beyond. Immediate organizational priorities for the CEO include:
Fundraising & Resource Development
● Maintain current and establish new foundation relationships. Grow INTEMPO’s individual giving program. Support board participation to promote events. Explore business revenue models to incorporate and maximize use of the new space and utilize existing infrastructure to increase revenue. Engage new donor leads interested in the new facilities and excited by the transition.
Program Development & Expansion
● Scale current programming and develop new earned revenue programs. Continue to enhance signature programs and deepen services in creative youth development for longterm committed students and families. Plan for sustainable programmatic best-practices that lead to overall organizational sustainability. Explore costs and efficiencies that continue to support INTEMPO’s unique programming model.
Transition Management
● From day one, engage with the community to ensure students and families are at the forefront of the transition. Manage organizational change to ensure a smooth leadership transition. Build upon INTEMPO’s momentum – its solid foundation, founder legacy, organizational awards, and new space – to explore and build further opportunities for collaboration stemming from the transition. Provide responsive leadership in the pace of change and to the needs of the organization. 3 Reporting to the Board of Directors, the CEO provides the leadership and vision for the organization, including management of a current team of four full/part time staff and contract teaching artists and musicians in education and family advocacy programs, finance, and development.
Major responsibilities of the CEO include:
● Fundraising and Donor Development
● Community Engagement and Audience Growth
● Relationship Building and Partnership Development
● Board Management and Development
● Organizational Management and Leadership
QUALIFICATIONS: INTEMPO understands that candidates rarely meet 100% of the qualifications. We strongly encourage candidates, in particular women and people from underrepresented backgrounds, to apply if they meet many of the qualifications.
● Passion for creative youth development, music, arts, social justice, and intercultural education.
● Five or more years leadership and management experience in decision making, problem solving, and strategic thinking.
● Nonprofit management experience including board development, staff management & development, budgeting, and operational oversight.
● History of demonstrated fundraising and resource development experience, especially in foundation, individual and major donor engagement.
● Relationship building and development skills including partnership cultivation and community and donor engagement.
● Exceptional communication and public speaking skills; an ability to express mission & vision and communicate effectively with different groups, internally and externally.
● Highly adaptive and flexible; responsive to a fast-paced environment and community needs.
● Collaborative and forward-thinking mindset to work in an entrepreneurial environment effectively with diverse stakeholders; supports and embraces creativity.
● Great sense of cultural sensitivity and respect for cultural differences.
● Commitment to uplifting immigrant and underrepresented populations; commitment to equity, inclusion, diversity, representation and belonging.
● Experience in Music, Arts and Culture and/or Elementary and Secondary Education is helpful.
● Bilingual (Spanish/English) preferred.
HOW TO APPLY: Interested candidates can submit materials at this link: APPLY HERE This search is being conducted in partnership with TSNE. All submissions receive acknowledgment and are confidential within the search committee and TSNE. Electronic submissions sent through the above link are preferred. Candidates should include a resume or profile summary that showcases their skills and experiences, as well as a cover letter describing their interest and how their qualifications and experience match the needs and mission of INTEMPO. Candidates are strongly encouraged to apply early; the position will remain open and applications accepted until the right candidate is identified. The INTEMPO Committee will review applications and candidates who are selected to move forward in the hiring process will be notified. Questions may be directed to TSNE Search Consultant, Jodi Dowling. The Chief Executive Officer position is full-time and based in Stamford, Connecticut with flex work time out of the office (in the field/from home). A regional presence to the Stamford community, and local, regional and occasional national travel, is required. INTEMPO offers a health benefits stipend and paid time off. Salary is competitive with relevant experience, within the framework of the organization’s annual operating budget, and in the approximate range of $110-115,000. INTEMPO celebrates cultural diversity and multiculturalism. Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity are inherent to INTEMPO mission and critical to ensure the well-being of staff, volunteers, clients and the communities served. INTEMPO embraces cultural differences, respects diverse life experiences and heritages, and ensures that all voices are valued and heard. INTEMPO is committed to modeling diversity and inclusion for the nonprofit sector and local community, and to maintaining an inclusive environment with equitable treatment for all.
INTEMPO is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.