Community Partnership Manager

Job Details: Job Location: Houston Grand Opera - Houston, TX, Salary Range: Undisclosed, Job Highlights 

Houston Grand Opera connects Houstonians to the power of opera through meaningful artistic experiences, education, and community partnerships by engaging audiences in schools, neighborhoods, and performance spaces across the region.

The Community Partnership Manager is responsible for the development and implementation of all community engagement and education initiatives for Houston Grand Opera, including but not limited to student performances, touring opera performances, school programs, early childhood programming, professional development for educators, and summer programming.

The person in this role is also responsible for the supervision of employees such as Programs Coordinator and part-time artistic team members. This role serves as a key HGO liaison with area school districts and community partners, collaborating closely with the Director of Community Impact to develop and execute programming that supports Houston Grand Opera’s core mission and goals.

Join Us!

We are looking for talented, passionate, and dedicated people who are eager to make contributions to our community and our mission. If you are excited about this position but your experience does not align perfectly, we encourage you to apply! You may be just the right candidate for this position or another role at HGO.

About the Houston Grand Opera

The mission of HGO is to enrich our diverse community through the art of opera. We do so by creating, curating, exploring, and producing outstanding experiences centered around the human voice. HGO has received a Tony Award, three Grammy Awards, and three Emmy Awards – we are the only opera company in the world to win all three honors.

Our strategic focus is two-fold: creating profoundly enriching experiences for our diverse audiences and clearly defining and positively promoting the HGO brand. We believe every team member enriches our organization by exposing a broad range of ways to understand and engage our community and discover, design, and deliver enriching experiences.

Compensation and Benefits

We offer robust benefits to full-time employees, including:

Comprehensive and affordable health benefits.

Generous paid time off.

403b retirement plan with employer match.

Flexible work schedule.

Professional development fund and opportunities.

Discounted parking in the Theater District garage and nearby lots, plus easy access to Metro transportation.

Free tickets to our mainstage and community productions and events.

Key Responsibilities

Execute current Community & Learning programming, particularly in communities that reflect the diverse population of the metropolitan Houston region, while building and maintaining strong relationships with community partners and stakeholders.

Collaborate with the Community & Learning team to maintain accurate budgets for all programs, providing information as required for quarterly forecasting, benchmarking, and funding proposals.

Represent HGO at events hosted by area schools, arts, cultural, civic, and community organizations, as well as special interest groups whose missions advance HGO strategic goals. Maintain a visible presence in the community and use these opportunities to cultivate new and existing relationships.

Own and steward assigned relationships with community partners, serving as a consistent point of contact and maintaining high-touch communication throughout the lifecycle of partnerships—from initial engagement and planning through program implementation and follow-up.

Cultivate and sustain relationships with leading cultural institutions, community organizations, schools, civic leaders, and other strategic partners to identify opportunities for collaboration, shared programming, audience engagement, and increased visibility for HGO.

Participate in the recruitment and onboarding of HGO Teaching Artists and performers for community engagement and educational programs, helping ensure they are prepared to represent HGO effectively in community settings.

Provide onsite support at events in the Wortham Theater Center and in the community, serving as an HGO representative and ensuring a positive experience for partners, participants, artists, and audiences.

Collaborate with the Community & Learning and Marketing teams to create engaging support and educational materials that reflect innovative practices for touring performances, student performances, HGO mainstage productions, and other programs determined in consultation with HGO leadership.

Maintain awareness of Houston’s cultural and civic landscape and leverage community relationships to identify emerging opportunities, strengthen HGO’s community presence, and connect the organization with new audiences and partners.

Note: This job description represents the essential functions of the position but is not all-inclusive. Additional duties reasonably related to the position may be assigned.

Qualifications

5-7 years of professional experience developing and supporting community engagement and building strategic partnerships.

Existing relationships and established connections with Houston-area cultural, arts, education, civic, and community organizations and leaders.

Demonstrated ability to cultivate, maintain, and steward high-touch relationships with community partners and stakeholders.

Demonstrated ability to see a long-term project from start to finish with its goal in mind while adapting as needed. 

Strong verbal and written communication skills for a variety of constituents. 

Passion for the performing artist and their power to inspire connection, learning, and civic pride. 

Must complete a background check. 

Physical Demands

The physical demands described here are representative of those we consider important for an employee to successfully perform essential functions of this job: extended periods of sitting and performing tasks such as typing and using a computer mouse, with strong visual and auditory focus, occasional lifting (not exceeding 20 pounds), reaching for items, effective communication skills, and fine motor abilities, being mobile within the office for activities like attending performances, events, and meetings. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

Equal Opportunity

Houston Grand Opera is committed to the principle of equal employment opportunity for all employees and to providing employees with a work environment free of discrimination and harassment. All employment decisions at HGO are based on business needs, job requirements and individual qualifications, without regard to race, color, religion or belief, national, social or ethnic origin, sex (including pregnancy), age, physical, mental or sensory disability, HIV Status, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, marital, civil union or domestic partnership status, past or present military service, family medical history or genetic information, family or parental status, or any other status protected by federal, state, or local laws or regulations. HGO will not tolerate discrimination or harassment based on any of these characteristics. HGO encourages applicants of all ages.
Qualifications: