Our Dream: Anderson Ranch Arts Center is looking for an experienced, organized, and creative leader to join our team and oversee events that present our organization and its mission to key constituent groups including the general public, fundraising supporters, and our National Council members. The successful candidate can collaborate with colleagues, event hosts, and underwriters to build consensus, articulate a vision and then plan and execute experiences that awe and inspire. They are an organized planner who is also enthusiastic about trying new things and adjusting to the opportunities and situations as events unfold. This person will be the ultimate pre-planner and problem-solver behind the scenes, as well as a confident and friendly face greeting vendors and participants at events. Events at Anderson Ranch are a key component to sharing our work and impact with a wide variety of people; everyone from artists to high net-worth donors, to community partners, vendors, students, and visitors.

Who We Are: Anderson Ranch Arts Center is a year-round visual-arts not-for-profit, tax-exempt organization with a 55-year history of providing transformative experiences that celebrate artists, art-making and creative dialog, at the intersection of craft and the global contemporary art world. Anderson Ranch brings together both aspiring and internationally renowned artists who come from across the country and around the world to test new ideas, explore new disciplines and techniques, hone their art-making skills, engage in meaningful dialog and connect with thought leaders in the artistic community. Anderson Ranch’s campus is an artistic community nestled among the pristine peaks of the Rocky Mountains. The Ranch campus consists of 14 buildings providing 55,000 square feet of facilities including eight studio buildings, a gallery, a lecture hall, café, store, administrative offices, a student dormitory, as well as apartments and cabins for artistic staff and artists. State-of-the-art equipment allows cross-disciplinary experimentation within the mediums of ceramics, woodworking, photography, digital fabrication, painting, sculpture and printmaking. The campus is an oasis of renovated 19th-century cabins and barns that sit alongside contemporary designed buildings, all within the renowned cultural and recreation communities of Aspen/Snowmass, CO, and the Roaring Fork Valley. Anderson Ranch cultivates a culture of experimentation and collaboration, offering world-class art-making facilities and equipment across diverse mediums, experienced visiting faculty and access to the highest quality staff. 

Mission: Anderson Ranch’s mission is to enrich lives with art, inspiration and community.

We achieve this by offering:

Workshops: Providing intensive 1-3-week workshops for artists of all levels and all ages that both improve technical art-making skills and provide transformative experiences for art makers.

Advanced Mentoring Programs: Offering three-year mentoring programs that advance artistic practice and careers in the arts.

Artist Residencies: Providing 5 and 10-week long juried Artists-in-Residence programs, which give emerging and mid-career professional artists the time, space and resources to develop new work using our world-class facilities.

Visiting Artist Experiences: Providing flexible and unique curated experiences to support established national and international artists seeking a retreat to experiment in new mediums or with new techniques and ideas, supported by our staff.

Anderson Ranch Editions: An artist’s workshop and print publisher program for hand-printed limited-edition lithographs, screen-prints and etchings by established artists.

Community Engagement: Hosting lectures, discussions, seminars and special events which build a community that appreciates, understands and supports art-making within the global contemporary art world and the human experience for both Anderson Ranch guests and the local community.

Work Culture: Changing Lives and Changing the World Through Art: We care about people and helping them improve their lives. We enable people to learn and grow, personally and professionally, in a challenging and supportive environment. We meet people where they are and help them reach their goals.

Culture of Diversity & Inclusion: We learn from diversity and it makes us stronger. At the center of our mission is helping people find their whole selves in their artistic practice. We strive to live the same values in our professional lives. That includes actively embracing diversity of age, race, class, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, physical or mental ability, as well as background and experience. We approach our work thoughtfully, learn from each other and share a commitment to inclusivity.

Rigor & Excellence: We provide the best possible experience for our community of guests, including faculty, interns, students, residents, visiting artists, volunteers, supporters and staff. We demand the best from ourselves and each other.

Culture of Critique: We believe in a “Culture of Critique” where we offer and receive honest feedback and support each other in learning and improving.

Culture of Results, Connectivity and Flexibility: We believe overachieving is better than overworking. We prioritize Anderson Ranch and get the job done 110% by being available when needed, by being open, working collaboratively, welcoming feedback and getting work done efficiently, effectively and on time. Once this is achieved, we enjoy the flexibility of where and when we work; we can pursue our passions, be it art-making, hobbies or special interests.

Position Summary: The Events Director is responsible for overseeing a variety of events at Anderson Ranch, ranging from small but high-profile signature fundraising events to large community events and National Council and Trustee events. This leadership level position requires developing event vision and strategy, setting up systems and processes, developing budgets, managing event hosts, sponsorships, and achieving fundraising goals. This person aims to create experiences that surprise and delight while building on the Ranch mission to enrich lives with art, inspiration and community. Success requires cooperation with colleagues and supporters to ensure amazing guest experiences. It requires high-level and detailed planning and organizational skills, setting and adhering to deadlines, and strong proactive communication. It also requires the ability to think and adjust when challenges or unexpected opportunities present themselves. It requires a cool head, a “can-do” spirit, and an enthusiastic and positive communication style.

Core Responsibilities:  

Events Vision & Strategy: Anderson Ranch hosts over 100 events annually. This leadership position serves as a central hub and advisor, assuring that all events, big and small, have a clear target audience, expectations, and defined goals for success. While this position’s focus is the direct management of external-facing events, serving as a leader in assuring overall Ranch success for internal events is essential as well. For example, internal events include workshop welcome dinners, campus social hours, Artist-in-Residence bonfires, etc. These offerings all have individual purpose and history, and are run by different teams across the Ranch with oversight by the Events Director.

Systems & Processes: Success in this role requires organizational skills that can establish systems and procedures for event execution, draft event “run-of-show” outlines that clearly communicate planning and execution timelines, and facilitate delegation. These systems should not only ensure effective execution, but also guarantee event continuity for future years. 

Budget, Sponsorship & Fundraising Goals: The Events Director is responsible for the financial and experiential success of events for the Ranch. Oversight of the events budget includes managing event expenses and income, post-event reporting and expense forecasting. The Events Director facilitates the recruitment of event sponsors, including cash and in-kind support, manages sponsor relations and ensures the delivery of sponsor benefits. The gala, annual auction, and auctionettes are a significant source of unrestricted fundraising revenue for the Ranch and the Events Director is expected to work closely with event chairs, fundraising and marketing colleagues, and Executive Director to sell event tickets and tables. 

Staff & Volunteer Management: The success of events requires the deployment of colleagues who serve in other departments and roles as well as volunteers to ensure the successful execution of events. Supervising a part-time direct report and recruiting and training a summer events assistant is also required. 

Event Planning & Execution: The largest and most critical responsibility of the Director of Events is the planning and execution of the major fundraising and community events. Public-facing events showcase our work and build community engagement, while fundraising events provide essential donor support for the organization. The Events Director will have direct oversight of the vision, planning and execution of these events with the help of Ranch staff. Events range in size from small dinners of 12 to higher capacity community events which draw hundreds of participants. 

Catering/Contract Events: The Anderson Ranch campus has beautiful facilities for private events and catering. The Events Director is responsible for helping the team establish a financial and operational model to develop this area of our offerings and establish an earned income stream. The Events Director is responsible for working with the client, planning, developing a budget and staffing plan, and assuring smooth execution without undue interference with existing programming and events.

Staff Community Responsibilities: Community Outreach Leader: All staff members are expected to build and lead partnerships with community organizations as they relate to their area of responsibility, and to actively support the outreach efforts of other team members.

Engaged & Supportive Team Member: All staff are expected to support colleagues and engage in the Ranch by attending lectures, artist talks, fundraising events and community-wide events with enthusiasm and a sense of helpfulness.

Support Major Fundraising & Community Events: All staff are expected to support the major annual events that engage the public and fundraisers. These are “all hands on deck” efforts and all staff are expected to participate in ways outside their normal professional functions to make them a success from set-up, to execution, to tear down.

Professional & Personal Development: Learning and improving on an ongoing basis is a job requirement of all staff. Team members are expected to be growing, discovering, and honing their skills.

Brand Ambassador: All team members are expected to comport themselves in a manner that is fitting with the organization; represent the Ranch both on and off-campus, as well as online and on social media, keeping in mind that positivity and professionalism are respected and appreciated.

Required Skills & Qualifications: This is a position with responsibilities often outside of normal business hours, especially in the very intense summer period. Events often take place on evenings and weekends.  3+ years experience in Event Management, Food and Beverage, Hospitality, or Baquet Management a plus.  Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with attention to detail,  Good interpersonal skills with the ability to fairly resolve disputes and complaints and to correspond effectively with donors, Board of Trustee members and event attendees. Strong supervisory and leadership skills. Ability to plan and administer multiple concurrent projects. Knowledge of event scheduling, production, administration, budget management, and sponsorships. Proficiency in computer applications including Google, Microsoft Office as well as basic WordPress and Raiser’s Edge.

Physical Requirements: A combination of sedentary work that involves sitting/standing, as well as physical activity such as walking/movement around the Ranch campus and event venues. Lifting and/or moving objects up to 25 pounds. The employee is often required to stand, walk, use hands to finger, handle or feel and reach with hands and arms. Typical tasks as required to actively work in art studios/facilities in a historic building space with uneven surfaces, stairs, gravel walkways, etc. 

Other Duties:  The descriptions above are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed in this role. They are not to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required of the role.  All personnel are required to perform duties outside of their normal responsibilities from time to time, as needed. This role requires a flexible schedule including evening and weekend hours as needed, and particularly intense time demands in the summer months. This job description may be changed or updated at any time throughout employment. 

Compensation & Benefits:

Base Salary: $85,000-$95,000 Total Compensation Package Value: $94,000-$104,000 Company paid medical insurance, option to add additional family Company paid HSA contribution Long- and short-term disability insurance Life insurance Paid Time Off – Up to 22 days during first year of service Paid Sick Leave Sabbatical Leave Professional/continuing education support Retirement plan 403(b) match Employment requires successfully passing the pre-employment background check. All inquiries and conversations will remain strictly confidential.

NOTE: The above is an abbreviated representation of benefits defined in the Employee Handbook, which governs all employment terms. No other verbal or written exceptions to those terms are honored without a written directive by the President and Chief Executive Officer and signed by the Chair of the Board of Trustees.

Anderson Ranch is an equal opportunity employer committed to diversifying its workforce.